Facing up to the harsh realities of living with the maladies of anxiety and depression is not easy. Yet we must learn with Charles Spurgeon to kiss the waves that cast us against the Rock of Ages. Anxiety and depression, those unwelcome visitors in the Christian life, often feel just like crashing waves, don’t they? They’re like an endless storm—waves rolling, winds howling, and no sign of relief on the horizon. Yet through the storm, we are not without anchor—our anchor is in the heavenly places, preserving us through the storm. Anxiety and depression serve as profound reminders that we are not home yet. They afford us an opportunity to tap into deeper communion with the Lord. They serve to increase grace in us. In short, these afflictions are, counterintuitively, advantageous.
The Path of Perseverance
If there is one thing that we must settle in our minds once more, it is this: Our goal is not freedom from anxiety at all costs. Our goal is faithfulness. The temptation when suffering affliction—whether bodily or psychological—is to fixate on relief, to seek a way out as quickly as possible. But, as we have seen, Scripture does not promise us the removal of all suffering in this life. Rather, it calls us to trust, to endure, and to walk forward in obedience even when we do not feel like it.
It is precisely in our moments of deep distress that we learn what it means to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5). Faithfulness does not mean the absence of fear; it means the presence of the Holy Spirit. It means believing the promises of God even when fear is loud. It means praying even when prayer feels futile. It means pressing on even when despair tells us to give up. It means standing firm even when the storm of anxiety beats against us. It means continuing on in our predetermined agenda even when every part of us wants to collapse.
The Path of Providence
In our lowest moments, we must cling to this unshakable truth: God is sovereign over our suffering, and He is using it for our good. This is not just theological rhetoric; it is a bedrock promise. Every moment of anxiety, every dark night of the soul, and every tear that falls are accounted for in the eternal plan of a loving Father. There is no wasted suffering in the kingdom of God. Your anxiety or depression is no accident, and it will not go to waste in God’s economy.
Richard Baxter reminds us that melancholy is a real disease that God, in His wisdom, uses to bring His people into greater dependence on Him. Indeed, some of the greatest saints in church history—Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, William Cowper—walked through deep valleys of anxiety and despair. Yet it was in those valleys that they came to know the sufficiency of Christ in a way that they never could have known otherwise. I would venture to say, dear friends, that this is true of you and me as well.
If God has allowed you to struggle with anxiety, it is not because He has abandoned you. It is not because He is punishing you (though He does chasten His children). It is because He is refining you, sanctifying you, and drawing you ever nearer to Himself. What Satan means for evil, God means for good (Gen. 50:20).
The Path of Preparation
Perhaps the greatest comfort for the anxious Christian is this: Our suffering is temporary and preparatory. There will come a day when anxiety will be no more. Depression will be no more. Mental anguish will be no more. Christ Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and sorrow will be swallowed up in everlasting joy (Rev. 21:4). The great danger of anxiety is that it tempts us to believe that this present darkness is all there is, that there’s no way out. It narrows our vision, causing us to see only our suffering and not the eternal glory that awaits. But as the apostle Paul reminds us, “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). Even the heaviest burdens we bear now will seem as nothing when we stand before the face of our savior, clothed in the radiant splendor of His kingdom. Then, and only then, will our deepest distress be entirely sanctified to us.
In The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s Christian walks through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, beset by fears and terrors on every side. Yet he presses on. And at the end of his journey, he crosses the river and enters the Celestial City, where all his fears are finally put to rest. So it is with us. The valley may be dark, but we are not walking through it alone. The journey may be wearying, but it has an appointed end. And when we arrive, every fear will be forgotten in the light of our king’s glory.
I leave you with this: Do not give up. Forsake not the fellowship of the saints. Press on in faithfulness. Keep your eyes fixed on the savior. Endure for the sake of the Lord. Your battle with anxiety may last for a season, or it may last for a lifetime. But you are not alone, and you are not without hope. The same God who has sustained you thus far will sustain you to the end, as John Newton so wonderfully reminds us:
Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.1
When you get to that home, you will walk in without the dreaded fear you carry now. Until you arrive, the same Jesus who wept in Gethsemane and bore the weight of your sin now intercedes for you at the right hand of the Father. He will ensure that you make it safely.
So take heart. Your suffering is not in vain. One day, when the dawn of eternity breaks, anxiety will be no more, and you will stand in the presence of the one who has carried you all the way home. That’s worth the temporary distress, is it not?
John Newton, “Amazing Grace!” (1779).↩
Ligonier Ministries