MESSAGE NOTES, 5/4/25

The reality is—we all have stuff.  Stuff we carry quietly, things we are working out with others, and challenges we wish would just go away. Death, disease, depression, disappointment, dependence,  and even demons—these are the real struggles that weigh us down. But we don’t have to face them alone. In this series, we’ll explore each of these challenging topics and see how Jesus meets us with His peace and power to get through. 

This week, our focus is on facing depression.


CONNECT 

  1. When it comes to depression, what questions do you have for God?  Who are the meaningful people in your life, including yourself, who have been impacted by depression?  What do you think are the causes?  What are the emotions that arise in you when it comes to pondering all the depression in this world? (glad, mad, sad, scared, shamed, shocked, etc.)?


REFLECT

Read through 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. Paul gets very personal as he writes of the challenges he faced while seeking to live for Christ, including battling despair and depression. When you reflect on this passage, what comes to the forefront?

  1. Reflect on 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. What is the promise and expectation being declared? How do you view the difference between God’s compassion and comfort? What is challenging and so wonderful about receiving these things from Him? How have you seen your suffering recycled as comfort for another?
  2. Reflect on 2 Corinthians 1:5-7. What is the connection between experiencing the “suffering of” and “comfort through” Christ? How is Paul saying that “patient endurance” is produced?
  3. Reflect on 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. It’s important to notice again that Paul closes the section by talking about the means by which God brought him out of his despair and depression. Review the text and identify them. Similarly, how has God done this in your life? And in what other ways? What should we declare to those who feel stuck?


APPLICATION 

  1. How can thinking biblically help me understand depression and despair when facing it in my own life?
  2. Read this quote from the Sunday message out loud.
    “We need, in our darkness and our despair, in our low times when the cloud is hanging over our heads, to move toward people who are God’s instruments, God’s agents, to help us through that challenge.”

What does it look like to move towards others (peers, professionals, pastors) when you are struggling? What does it look like to move towards people who are struggling?

Why are both of these so important? What holds us back in each instance?

What is the next step with God you need to take?


PRAYER 

Pray for others who are in despair by name – use the prayer below or your own words.


A Prayer For Times of Depression

O Christ, who on earth knew an isolating, obscure,
persistent sorrow, we seek thy solace for those experiencing depression.

When all we see is hardship,
be the lifter of our heads,
and show us the radiance of thy countenance
beholding us with delight.

When all we feel is heaviness,
be the bearer of our burdens, and show our
hearts an unexpected levity. While we boldly
ask for deliverance, in the meantime we ask thy
help in adjusting.

May medication and therapy touch our minds,
faithful friends bear up our souls, and may our
strength once again be the joy of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns with the
Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, in triumph everlasting.
Amen.

Terry J. Stokes
Prayers for the People

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