“THE most overwhelming thing that I had to deal with,” confessed Lola, “was the guilt of feeling hopeless since, as one of Jehovah’s servants, I thought I should not feel that way.” This common misunderstanding is often the first foe a depressed Christian must defeat.

But even when the cause is not physical, it is unrealistic to expect that one of God’s servants will never be sad or discouraged. Just consider how faithful Hannah became ‘bitter of soul and wept greatly.’ (1 Samuel 1:7, 10) Nehemiah also ‘wept and mourned for days’ and had “gloominess of heart.” (Nehemiah 1:4; 2:2) Job despised his life and felt that God had abandoned him. (Job 10:1; 29:2, 4, 5) King David said that his spirit fainted away within him and that his heart became numbed. (Psalm 143:4) And the apostle Paul spoke of having “fears within” and being “laid low” or “thrown down” emotionally.​—2 Corinthians 4:9; 7:5, 6.

Though all of these were faithful servants of God, various distresses, apprehensions, or bitter disappointments had for a time caused them sorrow. Yet, God had not abandoned them or taken away his holy spirit. Their depressed mood was not due to spiritual failure. At a time when David was afflicted, he pleaded in prayer: “Make the soul of your servant rejoice.” God comforted David during this ‘day of distress’ and helped him, in time, to rejoice. (Psalm 86:1, 4, 7)