Anxiety, depression, and the host of other negative emotions that have plagued mankind since the beginning have been spiritualized, psychologized, made into physical problems, and relegated to a host of other causes and cures. Psychotherapy has been almost worshiped by many – even those in church. At the same time it has been shunned and even damned by others. We have polarized to the point where we talk about “biblical counseling” as though therapy can only be “biblical” if it is totally devoid of any psychological thought. At the same time we have damned so-called “secular counseling” as though all mainstream psychological thinking is in error. We have throughout this ritual avoided balance as though it were the enemy. We have preferred the lies of extremes over the monotony of balance.
Some of the most driving forces in the history of the Christian Church have been prone to problems of either anxiety or depression. Luther sobbed his way into the grave; Spurgeon was prone to spells of depression. In biblical times, David, the great encourager through the book of Psalms, is clearly remembered for his bouts of depression as well. Even our Lord while in Gethsemane sweat great drops of blood over anticipation of that which He was about to endure on the cross. Yet regarding all of these people no one ever talked about confession of sin.
One of Spurgeon’s most outstanding characteristics is that while he was fastidiously precise in his view of biblical truth, he could see that in areas relating to emotions there was great potential for differences in point of view. While one could not always rule sin out, neither could sin automatically be cited as the cause.
Yet for the Christian there is always God involved in the healing of any negative emotions. Speaking of Hudson Taylor, who was the founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF), Spurgeon once said: “If you have nobody else to help you, go in his strength. I told you of a good woman who was speaking about Mr. Hudson Taylor years ago. She said, ‘Poor Mr. Hudson Taylor! I do not think that he can depend upon any of the missionary societies to help him. He has nobody to trust to but God.’ She said it in that kind of style too – ‘nobody to trust to but God.’ And whom do you want to trust to but God?”
– Elizabeth R. Skoglund