Scriptures: Jeremiah 45:3, Psalms 23

You Are Not Alone!

I am not a doctor, a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I am a pastor, and the only story I have is the story of God’s grace to me. A part of my story is a little black rain cloud that I have battled for years. I never would have classified myself as depressed; maybe sad, maybe blue, maybe down but not depressed. My little black rain cloud grew into a full-blown hurricane about 14 years ago. I had no choice but to acknowledge the fact that I was actually depressed. I felt so alone, until I began to search the scripture and found out I was not alone! There were many people in scripture who had battled depression! 

The prophet Jeremiah said, “I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest”.(Jeremiah 45:3 NIV) 

Finding out I was not alone opened my heart to begin a long journey to healing and hope. I am not going to give you “7 Steps to Defeating Depression.” I am, however, going to share with you how I have invited Jesus into my journey as I continue to pursue the miracle of joy! One of the strategic decisions I made in my battle with depression was this: I opened my soul to God’s restoration!

The words of the famous psalm put it this way, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23, NIV) 

My friend, God restored my soul and invited my participation! I joined Him in the work of finding my way to the light. I pressed down deep. I saturated myself with God’s Word. I clung to God’s promises. 

I heard this truth a long time ago from a trusted pastor friend:In the night, a sailor cannot see land, nor can he get his bearings from the coastline. He must navigate by trusting the dimly lit buoys already set in place. 

God promises that He will lead, guide and restore as we saturate our minds with His miraculous promises! Dear friend, if you don’t struggle with depression be thankful, but be watchful. If you have struggled in the past but are in a good season, be prepared and place the buoys of God’s Word in the water so that when the storm rages, you can find your way home. If you are struggling right now, you are not alone and the God of Heaven is on your side! 

Thanks for taking time and allowing me to share a little of my story. There is more to come in the days ahead and God is going to do great things! 

You are a miracle! 

Scriptures: Numbers 11:14-15, 1 Kings 19:3-8

Don’t Walk Alone; Call a Friend

Hello, dear friend! Welcome again to A Miracle Every Day.

My friend and co-writer, Déborah Rosenkranz about to offer our readers an Audio Guide on a topic we shared—depression. Deborah and I are both so excited to find hope with you on this journey. In my story, one of my biggest struggles was with the stigma of depression. In the world, depression is seen as weakness, and I truthfully didn’t want to be seen as weak. I was a leader, and leaders aren’t allowed to be weak, or so I thought. The world has a picture of depression, but here is the sad part: in the church, depression is seen as a lack of faith. I kept thinking, “Come on Grant, have more faith, believe harder, pray more, fake it till you make it!” I was stuck because I would never want to be seen as weak, and pastors aren’t allowed to struggle with faith, or anything else. I bought the stigma and believed the lie that I am alone in this struggle. Once again, I started searching God’s Word and found out this belief was a lie, not the truth.

Moses was a powerful leader. He had seen many miracles and yet, this is where he eventually got to with God… “I cannot carry all these people by myself, the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now—if I have found no favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.” (Number 11:14-15, NIV) 

Moses could have pulled away, but instead, he surrounded himself with other people who could help bear the burden, and that is what I did as well. In my struggle, I refused to isolate myself! I wanted to be alone but I was warned by the example of another Old Testament friend, Elijah, who did it the wrong way! I Kings 19:3 says, “Elijah was afraidand ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there” (I Kings 19:3, NIV)

Did you see it? He went alone. Instead of inviting a friend to come along, he went alone. My friend, the enemy wants you alone in your despair so that his voice is the only one you hear. Don’t take the bait. Instead of pulling away, push in. Refuse to be alone! Being alone with Jesus is great, but don’t forget God is always pushing us into human community. Staying surrounded by people who love you is so important for God’s love to be fully known.

If depression is a struggle, don’t walk alone. My friend, if depression is not your struggle, could God be calling you to be the friend who walks with the one who needs you?

Let’s pray, “Dear Jesus, help us as we walk out our journey. Help us to open our hearts to those You have appointed to walk with us on our journey. Lord, for those of us who struggle with depression, we know that only Your joy is the answer, and Your promises are our hope. We pray for the miracle of joy today! Amen.”

You are a miracle!

Scriptures: Psalms 69:1-2, Proverbs 11:14

You Can Find the Root!

Hello, and thank you for sharing this journey with me. Our heart at “A Miracle Every Day” is to encourage and inspire you. This is a tough challenge when we are transparently sharing about the tough topic of depression! However, the hope of Jesus is our miracle and we know that out of our struggle, God can do miracles!

On my journey towards hope, I had to seek out the root of my struggle. I discovered there were some common causes of short- and long-term depression. Factors such as long-term erosive stress, profound loss or trauma, unresolved chronic problems, pressure to excel, spiritual warfare, and medically verified challenges and imbalances were all at work in my life (to varying degrees) as I continued to battle for joy and hope.

Once again, Jesus reminded me that I was not alone! David, King of Israel, wrote from a very dark place in his soul, “Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.” (Psalm 69:1-2, NIV) David was drowning in despair. Oh, how I wish he had turned to other trusted helpers who could offer both wisdom and encouragement.

Another strategic step I took on my journey was that I talked it out with a wise counselor. Proverbs 11:14 ESV says, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14, ESV)

Dr. Paddy Ducklow came into my life when I was on sabbatical. He helped me talk about my perfectionist tendencies and the need to stay busy. I will never forget our first session. I was ready to GO and he asked me, “What did you have for breakfast?” What a stupid question! He asked me the same thing every time we met. I remember responding, “Bacon. Who cares?” The last time we met, he asked the same question, “What did you have for breakfast?”

But this time my answer was different, I said “a bagel, that tasted like cinnamon and nutmeg. I also had coffee and when I make my coffee I add cream and I always stir my coffee three times in a counter-clockwise direction, and then I tap my spoon twice before I lay the spoon down ladle first so that I can hear the little “ting” sound it makes when it hits the table. His response? Finally! He pointed out that I was savoring. I was noticing. I was living life again. I started making choices about life-giving and life-draining activity. I started making choices about life-giving and life-draining people. I started talking it out with a trusted counselor and it made all the difference.

Who do you need to reach out to today for wisdom and perspective? Yes, Jesus is always there, but He has also given us others who can encourage and show us a better way than trying to handle it on our own.

My prayer is that you will open your heart to a new person, of God’s choosing, who can show you that you are not alone!

You are a miracle!

Scriptures: Psalms 107:13-16, Jonah 4:3

Coming to the End of Yourself

Hello dear friend,

It is never easy to come to the end of yourself. It’s amazing that God always meets us in the low places at just the right moment. I don’t know where you are on your journey, but I know that all of us will face moments when we feel overwhelmed.

The Prophet Jonah got to such a low point that he prayed this gut-wrenching prayer, “Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:3, NIV) 

Jonah is so down that he pleads with God to take his life! My prayer is that if you are at that point today, you will choose the LIFE and HELP that God offers.

In my darkest moments, I made a strategic choice to receive the help that God offers. Psalm 107 is all about God’s help. The psalmist says, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind…” (Psalm 107:13-16, NIV) 

God offers help in so many different ways, but will we receive it? As part of my journey, Laurel was praying with me for God’s help. I went to a medical doctor (who also happens to be a friend) who laid out the options for physical changes and medications. He offered medication and I battled it. I didn’t want that kind of help. I wanted to pray or serve my way out of my depression. I stared at that medicine for weeks, but finally, it was Laurel who said, “You asked God for help. He sent you a doctor who loves you and offered help and now you want to negotiate how the help arrives?”

My friend, I am not saying medication is the way you should go. It is your choice. I am just asking, “Who do you think put the thought into the chemists’ brains when they came up with something that could help?” Jesus did. He did a miracle through chemistry. In my story, I took it and it helped. Am I still taking it? Not right now, and the truth is that I may need it again, but for now, I’m doing better and I am so grateful for the miracle of a loving wife, a few less anxious moments and a Jesus who promised to love me, no matter where the journey takes me!

My friend, help is available, hope is a gift and Jesus loves you!

You are a miracle!

Scriptures: 1 Kings 19:3-5, Matthew 11:28, Exodus 20:8-11

Finding Our Way Through Rest

Hello dear friend, can I pray for you today? 

Dear Jesus, we all need hope and encouragement and You are the God of both. I pray that you encourage my my friend today as together we put all our hope in you! Amen.

Have you ever come to a place where you told God, “I have had enough!” I certainly have felt that way, and we are not alone. 

Elijah had just come off a mountaintop experience. God showed up in a powerful way and Elijah routed 400 prophets of Baal. With the victory still burning on his heart, a threat from Queen Jezebel sent Elijah running in total fear. What a sad turn around. I Kings 19 says, “When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.” (I Kings 19:3-5, NIV) 

In my own battle with depression there were moments when I was exhausted, and instead of choosing rest and sleep, I pressed harder into work and ministry. What a mistake! Instead of choosing the rest God offers his children, I chose to try and work, pray, preach, serve and lead my way out from beneath the weight that was crushing me. 

I am so thankful for a friend who said, “If God offers rest, why don’t you take it?” At that moment, I chose a different route and chose to rest. It is interesting that the longest and most detailed commandment from God is the one about Sabbath and rest. Exodus 20 says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11, NIV) 

In my depression, instead of choosing rest, I chose to continue in my exhaustion until God said, “Stop.” So I made a decision to get off the treadmill of performance. I rested in God even though my perfectionist work ethic screamed at me to get back to work. I learned God’s principles of “Divine Opposites” that says when your flesh takes you one direction, God often wants you to go the other way. Think about it. My heart says, “Be alone.” God says, “Stay connected.” When your flesh says push, God says rest. I rested. I changed my pace.I heard a different cadence to life and God met me there. 

My friend, depressed or not, can you rest in God today? Can you believe His promises when He says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest?”

I pray that you say – YES! 

You are a miracle! 

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Peter 5:7

It’s a GOOD Day!

Hello dear friend. My prayer for you today is that you walk completely in the victory Jesus promises! 

Have you ever had a bad day? I certainly have! There are moments when you come to the end of yourself and honestly ask, “Where is God in all of this adversity?” I remember in my journey of trying to find hope in the face of depression that I questioned God’s presence over and over. Once again, I was thrilled to find out that other believers in Jesus had struggled with the same question. 

Listen to the Apostle Paul, a courageous follower of Jesus and the greatest missionary of world history talk about his personal experience, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” (II Corinthians 1:8, NIV) 

I often hear people say this statement in the face of deep adversity, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” See 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV That verse refers to temptation in your life. 

The truth is that God will often give us more adversity than we can handle SO THAT we turn to His strength and His power in the struggle. Paul says it was far beyond his ability to endure it and that he despaired for life itself! I love Paul’s honesty. 

In my journey to find God’s heart and help, I made a decision that changed my outlook and my life. I made the decision to give my burdens away. 

I Peter says, “Cast all your cares/anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7, NIV) Peter said I should give all of my cares, depression and anxiety away, so that is exactly what I did. 

I did it repeatedly, over and over. I made a list of all my burdens and I said to God, “This is Yours. I can’t live under it. I choose to hand it over by being obedient. I trust You to carry me through.” Over and over again…and finally, the burden began to lift. As I chose to take God at His Word, His care for me allowed me to find a new freedom. 

My friend, if you are overwhelmed and burdened with the cares of life, you can give them away. Make a list. Put it all down on paper and then give it to God. You may need to hand it over every time you are tempted to take it back through worry. But God is faithful, and He will take the burdens and show up strong for you! 

Today is the day to take God at His word! I know you can do it, and I am taking the same step in my journey every single day! 

You are a miracle!

Scriptures: Matthew 26:38, Hebrews 4:14, Psalms 13:1-4, Psalms 13:1-4

Together We Can Find Hope

Hello dear friend. I want to thank you for taking this journey with me over the past seven days. If you are someone who does not struggle with depression, you have been very patient and you may have even been wondering, “Why would God show this to me?” 

The truth is that 29% of Christians in the United States have struggled with depression at some point in their life—that’s over 45 million Christians! That’s more people than the population of the state of California and Massachusetts combined! And the number is even higher across the globe. No matter where you live, out of every 10 Christians you know, 3 of them are struggling with depression right now… 

But, there is hope in Jesus because Jesus understands pressure and pain. 

Listen to the very words of Jesus as He struggled before the crucifixion, “Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’” (Matthew 26: 38, NIV) 

I am not saying Jesus was depressed, but I am saying that we have a great High Priest who can sympathize with our weakness and step into the storm of life so we know we are not alone. I hope you made the same discovery in the past week. Statistically and biblically, we are not alone! See also Hebrews 4:14 NIV 

I would love to share with you the final decision and step I made in my journey towards victory. 

I made the choice to trust in God’s unfailing love. Earlier in the series, I read you the pain of King David. In Psalm 13 he speaks again and I want to invite you to feel his pain, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death. and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”(Psalm 13:1-4, NIV) 

David was still in the process of finding hope, and yet he made a decision to trust in God’s unfailing love. How do I know? David says it and it’s recorded in the Bible! 

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:5-6, NIV) 

No matter where you are on the journey, the love of God is faithful, and He is working in you to bring about a huge victory in your life. Don’t give up. God loves you and so do I! The Bible promises that joy comes in the morning, so I am praying that you experience it every single day. 

Take a moment and sing the Lord’s praise! If you have life and breath in this sacred moment, He has been good to you! 

You are a miracle!