The wonder that is Jesus coming down as man is something that we cannot fully grasp. Jesus came down not as a glorious being of light or eternal conqueror, but as a humble man to show us that He is not some far-off cosmic being who does not know us, but a God who can relate to our struggles, hunger, suffering and pain because He once also bore them.
Did Jesus ever battle depression? It might seem like a blasphemous suggestion at first, but Jesus certainly had his low points. Jesus was a man just like us and got tired, hungry, and even sad just like us. But even in all of that, Jesus was victorious over burn-out and sorrows.
And there's a lot we can learn from Him in overcoming our own sorrows.
There could be no better scripture to illustrate His victory than Matthew 28:36-46 where He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 28:38 says, "Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.'"
Here are some of the things we can learn from Jesus in how to deal with our internal anguish.
He surrounded Himself with people
Matthew 28:37 says, "And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled." Jesus knew how important relationships and the support of loved ones were when it came to keeping a right spirit not overtaken by grief and depression. Our tendency is to isolate ourselves thinking sadness is a sign that we need "alone time." And while solitude is good, there also comes a time to enjoy the fellowship of others.
He prayed to the Father
Matthew 28:42 tells us, "Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.'" Jesus didn't simply say a prayer for the sake of saying one, but He said one asking for the Father's will, not His will, to be done.
When we battle with depression we can sometimes rush God and ask Him to do things for us. Even in the deepest pits of our lives, God is Lord. Victory over any bondage is always hard-fought but very much in the Lord's hands.
He depended on the Holy Spirit
In Matthew 28:41, Jesus says, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Why did Jesus pray? Because more than strengthening the will and the body, He wanted to strengthen His spirit by connecting to the Holy Spirit.
And again, I'm not saying that this is all that we are to do. There is wisdom in seeking professional help and even medication, but we must never forget that depression and burn-out are just as much as spiritual battles as they are physical and mental battles.We can fight the battle against the spirit of depression with spiritual warfare just as Jesus did.
