Our text of Scripture shows how the Apostle Paul, with double emphasis, admonished the brethren to rejoice always. He had earlier given the same admonition in Philippians chapter 3 – “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.” (Philippians 3:1 NKJV). What is it about joy and rejoicing to warrant such repeated emphasis? It is because joy is a spiritual anti-depressant. Yesterday, we established that depression is not restricted to any particular socio-economic class; it is an all-pervasive problem, and statistics will prove this. It is reported that 15 million American adults experience a major depressive disorder each year. The median age when depression strike is 32, with more women likely to be affected than men. It takes about $40 billion to treat people suffering from depression each year.
“What is it about joy and rejoicing to warrant such repeated emphasis? It is because joy is a spiritual anti-depressant…Rejoicing provides a bulwark against the demon of depression.”
The way out of this debilitating problem is to take the word of our text seriously. Rejoicing provides a bulwark against the demon of depression. In addition, it is necessary to shift the focus from the problems to the promises. Depression does not just strike without basis. Research has shown that it is a by-product of some underlying problems. Fixing attention on the problems aggravates depression, but turning to the promises of God brings relief. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (II Peter 1:2-4 NKJV). It is by the promises we become partakers of the divine nature. Remember, depression is not part of that divine nature.