When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Matthew 16:13–15

Perhaps you wake up each day feeling like death has descended on you. A black hole has sucked all light from your life, and there seems to be no way out. In that darkness, Jesus asks you, “Who do you say that I am?” When you are in great distress, your life depends on your answer.

You have plenty of choices. Jesus is Master, Promise Keeper, Rescuer, Helper, Creator of all things, the Truth, the Life, God with us, Prince of Peace, your King. Jealous is one of his curious names (see Ex. 34:14). He doesn’t want to share you with anyone else; he wants you all for himself. Who wouldn’t want to be so desired? 

Stop for a moment. Jesus is asking you a question. He is initiating a conversation, and a conversation goes back and forth. He speaks to you; you speak to him. How do you respond?

Please know what you are up against. Depression, left to itself without resistance, marches you down a path on which God becomes irrelevant. Though you might believe the right things, you live like an atheist. That’s why “Who do you say that I am?” is a very important question.

Psalm 130 might help. It is a psalm of unbearable pain. In his pain, the psalmist speaks two different names of God eight times. He identifies Jesus as Master or “Lord.” To use this name suggests that you belong to Jesus—you are not your own. Then he uses the name “Lord,” which is a name reserved for those in God’s inner circle. God invites you to use it too. 

Who is the Lord? He is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6 NIV). He is compassionate—he hears you in your distress and pain, and he enters into it with you. He is gracious—he gives you what you need and never asks you to earn it. Just ask him. All this is summed up in love. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). This might not thrill your soul right now, but it is true.

Then he asks, “Who do you say that I am?”

Yes, the question can seem like too much. Depression sur-rounds everything with fatigue and hopelessness. You always have to fight off the question “Why bother?” Then depression adds pain, which too few people understand. Any kind of chronic pain—fibromyalgia, arthritis, sciatica—leads to aloneness. Depression accentuates it because you look normal to the world around you, which can leave you wishing you had a broken leg or something obvious. But you are on a different and more difficult course.

Push in if you can. Say something. “You are my God” or “my Salvation.” So many possessive words in Scripture are versions of I am yours, and you are mine. Jesus says that you are his; he is pleased for you to say that he is yours.

—Edward T. Welch, author, Depression