THE PERFECT ANTIDOTE TO DEPRESSION
Some of you will remember a little book entitled; The Prayer of Jabez, published by Multnomah about ten years ago. It’s a book that has always disturbed me, but when came across something written by Dr Stephen Catto of Moorlands College about John Baptist's father Zechariah, I sat down and wrote a little book to be called The Prayer of Zechariah – soon to be published.
What was it about The Prayer of Jabez that enabled it to ricochet around the world selling over nine million copies? Perhaps it resonated with a deep hunger in the hearts of men and women for a touch from God, for a deep and meaningful relationship with him, and an acknowledgement that true blessing and prosperity can come only from him. However, it’s my view that the author of The Prayer of Jabez was misguided in that he failed to adequately distinguish between success and blessing, and as a result it feeds the notion that if you’re poor there is something wrong with your faith.
By contrast, The Prayer of Zechariah defines prayer as a life posture and not a wish list, but it is only when we re-align our priorities by ‘seeking first his kingdom’ that we will discover the faithfulness and utter reliability of God.
Much of the stress and crippling anxiety that inflicts humanity is rooted in our obsession with ‘things.’ Think for a moment of the parable of the farmer who ‘tore down his barns’ to build bigger ones, so he could say, ‘I have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry,’ in other words, ‘If I have lots of things – toys we tend to call them these days – then I won’t need to rely on God!’
One of the central arguments in Zechariah’s prayer is that while God has promised to provide for us, he gives us what we need when we need it, which is why Jesus said, ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.’ And there’s a parallel in there with the miraculous feeding of the Israelis in the wilderness; they got what they needed for today, nothing for tomorrow.
A proper understanding of prayer is the perfect antidote for depression, disappointment and broken relationships with God because we think he can’t be trusted to answer our prayers. Listen to what Bishop Tom Wright has to say about it: ‘How do you set about praying?’ he says. ‘We’re usually in some sort of mess and we want God to get us out of it. We’ve got some pressing needs that we want God to supply. But then it might dawn on us that God is not just a sorter-out of our messes and wants. He is God. He is our Father and we might find that our priorities are quietly turned inside-out.’
He’s right, isn’t he? We move from paranoia to prayer, from fuss to faith, and from wish list to worship.
