2Ki 7:3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

Here sits four lepers with the sentence of death not willing to hasten it. How dissimilar are many that struggle with despair and depression today. We forget that in this life happiness is pursued but never guaranteed.

Yet, if ever a group of men could have sat until they died it was they. Besieged with a consuming disease outside of a blockaded city that was plagued with famine, they lingered not.

The trouble with depression is it wants to linger and never truly consider its’ options. What were their options, we will let them tell.

(2Ki 7:4)

If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine [is] in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

Still they were after physical relieve and justly so and when they had come to the abandoned camp filled with plenty of the Syrians they gorged and sent word and saved a city. Yet, years later they did die.

These men were not misguided optimist, but realist. They did not believe that behind every dark cloud was a silver lining nor did they hang their heads fearful to look up due to pigeons. Job was truly aware of this when he said shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil.

The lessons are obvious depression and feelings of hopelessness even effects the children of God and make them want to sit until they die. The world’s way out of this is to abandon us to carnal devices or to escape reality.

The Holy Writ never gives us false hope nor tells us pretend that evil and sorrows do not exist. Yet, it does tell us that in our own strength we can do nothing. The despair that Job and others went through is for our learning. No child of the Master is beyond depression and the circumstances may vary.

Perhaps all we can see is the winter of life and not eternal spring of tomorrow. The victory has been purchased with more sorrow than we will ever know, by the one who loved us and died and is risen again-- Jesus Christ our Lord.

1Cor. 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.