Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.
The countless cases of identity issues that are showing up in people’s lives have become an unsettling social problem. From gender dysphoria to every possible disorder that can be imagined. Prov. 12:25a Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression. This is causing levels of anxiety to the point that the anxiety itself, is referred to as an anxiety disorder. In numerous cases, these suffering people are hanging on to some personal hurt, insult, or slight that should have been forgiven years ago. In some cases, the resulting bondage of their perceived rejections is causing a death wish of self-hatred, and soul-crushing anxiety resulting in the fear of the future. Who is in prison here? You cannot hide from yourself.
Wherever you go, there you are. You cannot hide from yourself and what you were created to do. If you do not believe me, just ask the thousands of depressed people who are looking to get away from their number one problem – themselves. Jonah could not escape his anger and depression when God was going to be merciful to the Assyrians who Jonah considered an enemy of his people. Jonah 4:3 And now, LORD, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live. Jonah knew the potential problems the Assyrian empire could cause the nation of Israel.
This is why Jonah schemed an escape to Tarshish. He thought that if he ran away, he could maneuver God into judging Nineveh. However, while Jonah was on the run, he realized he could not hide from God or himself. So his demoralizing answer to the sailors was, “Just throw me overboard.” Jonah 1:12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.” Jonah’s answers for his depressing pain are, “God, just kill me. Sailors, just throw me away.” What a death wish. This is why we have to forgive ourselves when God has already done so.
The Psalmist David was having difficulty escaping his own fears and trembling-horrors as he called it. He was overwhelmed. His answer to getting away from his mounting anxiety was wishing he could fly. Psalm 55:6 Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! When you cannot deal with your own heart’s issues, the answer seems to be – just get away from the pain even if you caused it. But it does not matter where you go, because you are still there.
The Lord understands this restlessness we can fall into when we do not hand our burdens over to Him. This is why He asks us to come to Him with all our life’s problems Matt.11:28 Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. The thing we have to realize, is, if we surrender to Him with our life’s mess, then the Lord will expect us to cooperate with Him in getting our hearts healed. This healing often means we will have to forgive those who offended us and forgive ourselves for what God has forgiven. Once you forgive, you do not have to hide from yourself anymore. The prison doors that you had created are now open wide, and you can discover who you are in Christ rather than trying to overcome another disorder.
We will be who we are in Christ for eternity. There will be no place to hide in the kingdom of God. There will be no unforgiveness or any disorders following us as we walk through death’s door. The finished work of the cross has given us the opportunity to be transformed into the person God created us to be on this side of death. Why crash a party you have been invited to? Why hang on to a death wish when death is a certainty for all of mankind?
It is time to rip off the whole bandaid on the wounds we have caused and get with God’s healing program. Time to stop trying to hide from ourselves and accept that God created a miracle in who we are. Psalm 139:14 I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.
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