What He's Revealed to Me (article) by Michelle R Kidwell Power In The Pen on AuthorsDen

Psalm 42:1-11

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My [c] soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon?from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me?
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

As I share in a time of Bible Study and fellowship with my friend, the Lord has been revealing things to me, and not only am I being used as a vessel unto the Lord, I am watching the Lord give me a new understanding of dealing with mental health illness and I truly believe I am better because of it. I have learned the importance of reaching out to someone, in a way, and in the past month the Lord has led me to a deeper understanding of what makes a true friend, and that is what I am trying to be, I want to reach out to her and tell her everything is going to be okay, but I know sometimes the best thing I can do is pray.
As I prepared for our Thursday Morning Bible Study I found myself drawn to the subject of depression and the stigma that sometimes goes with that and other mental health issues in the church. I find myself feeling drawn to reach out to my friend as she suffers, showing her that others may have burned her, hurt her or run away scared, but I tell her often I don't scare that easily and once you have me you are stuck with me.

I find that being able to reach out to my friend is not only healing for her, but I feel good in doing it, but that is not of course the reason we do it, I read somewhere once that "God sends us friends as an extension of his care," and I find this quote powerful but true , friends are God's way of giving us the care we need. I heard someone once say that "I know Jesus loves me, but sometimes I just need a friends hug."

Having a friend who believes when you are hurting, having that fellowship with brothers and sisters in the Lord I believe is an important part of the Christian walk, and when you have a friend who is crying out, whose very heart is breaking you need to acknowledge that pain, not necessarily try to fix it, but when someone you love is hurting you need to acknowledge that pain but not necessarily trying to fix the problem, giving them a safe place to vent, a safe place to come and unload, without expecting anything back, but more than that we are to lead them by example to the arms of Christ.

When a friend is in need we are called to reach out to them. There are times though when that consists of just letting them lean on your shoulder and cry, I believe that in itself is a needed ministry. The Lord's revealed to me that we need to be willing to reach out and reach up, and help others do the same.