Wheaton College president Dr. Phil Ryken recently talked about his new book "When Trouble Comes" where he tackled his "season of deep discouragement" and how Jesus Christ helped him get over it.
In a video interview with Justin Taylor, executive vice president of book publishing and book publisher for Crossway, Ryken examined the cause of his depression.
He said he reached a point in his life when he felt miserable because of the "challenges we were facing as a family that brought a lot of distress and grief to me," as well as some ordeals because of his work as a college president and ministry relationships.
He called his troubles "extensive" and "unprecedented for me," saying it was so bad that his depression lasted for months. Ryken's physical wellbeing also took a toll, since he gained weight, had trouble sleeping, and "thought of even taking my life... not in a sustained way."
Because he was emotionally down, Ryken began doubting God's love for him, even though he has a strong sense of faith.
"I could tell that I was in a downward spiral," he writes in his book. "One day I said to myself: 'You know, I understand why people kill themselves. This is how they feel. It seems like the only way out.' A few days later, I started to wonder how I would end it all, if, you know... It wasn't a thought I wanted to have, but Satan was after me."
Ryken said God rescued him from himself through things that are "very normal and ordinary and daily." His road to recovery was not sudden, but it was slow and certain.
God saved him through Bible reading, prayer, Christian friendships, and sacraments—most importantly the Lord's Supper. Ryken became "intentional" about eating healthy and getting regular exercise, even though he thought he did not have the strength to do them.
Ryken hopes his book will serve as an inspiration to other people who have gone down the same dark path he managed to escape.
"I tell the stories of men and women from the Bible who were in all kinds of trouble —people such as Isaiah, Elijah, Ruth, and Paul. They were weighed down by guilt and shame, suffered the death of loved ones, had family crises, or went through other painful trials that tested their faith. For some, the trial was absolutely a matter of life and death," Ryken writes.
