Despair – Is There Hope?
In a chapel message to Arizona Christian University students on January 18, 2024, Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center, shared some research from the National Institute of Mental Health. He indicated that 18 – 24-year-olds in America are experiencing a mental health crisis of staggering proportions:
For example, statistics from the NIMH and other U.S. government agencies show that:
One out of three 18- to 24-year-olds (33%) has a kind of diagnosable mental disorder.
One out of every ten has a serious mental disorder.
One out of four (25%) has some kind of anxiety disorder.
One out of five (20%) has a major depressive episode each year.
One out of eight (12%) has serious suicidal thoughts.
Almost three of 10 (30%) suffer from alcohol or drug disorders.[1]
Overall, 50% of college-aged individuals say they often experience feelings of anxiety or depression, fear, or suicidal thoughts.[2]
In Canada, the CMAH indicates a similar situation. In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness.[3] By the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, 1 in 2 have – or have had – a mental illness.[4] And young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience mental illness and/or substance use disorders than any other age group.[5]
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of Ontario high-school students indicate a moderate-to-serious level of psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression). A further 17% indicate a serious level of psychological distress.[6]
In Ontario about 4% of adults and 14% of high-school students report having seriously contemplated suicide in the past year. Four percent (4%) of high-school students report having attempted suicide.[7]
In 2018, suicide in Canada accounted for 21% of deaths among children aged 10 to 14, 29% among youth aged 15 to 19, and 24% among young adults aged 20-24.[8] After accidents, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24.[9]
In 2018, suicide was the leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14.[10]
These are troubling statistics on both sides of the border. But despite these devastating statistics for the next generation, Dr. Barna had encouraging news for the students of ACU. “There’s no need for a sense of hopelessness about this,” he told them.
He stated that, “the key to defying the odds and living a life of meaning and purpose is first to understand why these mental health challenges are so prevalent.”[11]
“What’s actually going on is a worldview problem,” Dr. Barna explained. According to Dr. Barna’s latest worldview research, 18- to 24-year-olds have abandoned a belief in God, rejected His truth and standards of morality, and have no hope of eternal life. They are unable to find meaning and purpose in life. They fail to embrace almost all key elements of biblical worldview understanding. And without God, His truth, and His promises to help them navigate the world, when they hit rough patches in life, they have no solid place to turn.[12]
Dr. Barna’s research shows that 90% of young people embrace a worldview known as syncretism, which effectively involves cutting and pasting together alternative worldviews into a blended, customized worldview that feels comfortable to the individual. Operating with a mindset rooted in this faulty worldview makes the world a very troubling and hopeless place. “If they had a biblical worldview, that would instantly change their lives," Barna contends.[13]
He also stressed to his audience that he was not saying there was no such thing as mental illness, and that individuals with serious mental illness issues should seek treatment. I concur with Dr. Barna.
But he argued that in many cases, having a biblical worldview would be a gamechanger when it comes to mental health. His research shows that among those who are diagnosed with a mental illness, more than 90% of them lack a biblical worldview.[14]
“As we’ve done the research, we found that having a biblical worldview makes an incredible difference in a person’s life,” Dr. Barna said. “It just plain, flat-out works.” [15]
In fact, his research shows that people with a biblical worldview are more likely to describe their life as happy and fulfilling. And overall, they are far more likely to hold positive views of life, including having a clear and compelling sense of purpose in life.
Without seeing God as our Creator, without a resolute belief in his morality, without understanding that our sin has alienated us from a loving God, and that we need to accept His Son as our Saviour, we are watching a generation of youth drift aimlessly into moral relativism – a view that offers nothing but despair.
In a famous soliloquy, Shakespeare’s Hamlet declares: “What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!” Yet Hamlet’s opinion of humanity is mixed. He calls human beings “the beauty of the world” and “the paragon of animals.” But he also asks, “what is this quintessence of dust?”
If we try to answer that question apart from God, our search will only take us into deeper despair. Despair is a state of desolation and hopelessness that can grip any individual despite their strength and faith.
Several individuals in the Bible experienced despair. These include Moses, David, Elijah, Job, and even the Apostle Paul. Their experiences demonstrate that despair is universal and not a respecter of status. Yet, with reliance on God’s wisdom and power, they overcame their despairing moments and fulfilled their divine purpose. Their narratives serve as a beacon of hope, assuring believers that they can also overcome periods of despair.
But what if you are not a believer? What if all you see is a return to dust upon your death. I don’t know of anyone, especially a young person, who doesn’t want peace and meaning in their lives. But attempts to find that peace apart from God, is always an elusive pursuit.
Without God there is no peace. In fact, the state of an unbeliever is best summed up by the Apostle Paul. Here in the following verses Paul reminds Christians that this state was exactly what they were living in before becoming a Christian:
Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity (Ephesians 4:17-19).”
When people are hopelessly confused, such a state of mind is far from peaceful.
If you reading this blog and you are not a Christian, the first thing you need to understand is that you need to make peace with God, before you can have the peace of God.
Our sin has separated us from God. And, unless we deal with that sin, we cannot be at peace with God. This is the reason why people feel such hopelessness and despair in our world – they are alienated from their Creator – their Heavenly Father. When they try everything the world can offer them apart from God, their despair becomes a juggernaut.
Those who treat sin as if it were a disease think it can be cured through treatment. Those who see sin as a lack of discipline believe it can be eliminated with education and training. But the Bible views sin differently. Sin is more than a disease or a failure of discipline. It is a condition of guilt caused by the failure to live up to God's law. It would require the death of Jesus Christ in order to give the world the hope and forgiveness it so desperately needs.
Ever since Adam’s first sin, human beings have been wired for sin. Sin became a part of our human nature. In his letter to the Christians in Rome, the apostle Paul explains, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned (Rom. 5:12).” The fact that we all die should be proof enough of the consequences of Adam’s sin being inherited by all of us.
God’s reason for binding the rest of humanity to Adam’s one act of disobedience was to open the door of forgiveness through one man, Jesus Christ. Paul continues, “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17).”
The key to peace with God is stated in this verse. When one accepts God’s grace and his gift of righteousness, offered to us in Christ, then we will have peace with God.
Paul explains this further in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Now when we have made our peace with God, by trusting in Jesus Christ and receiving his forgiveness for our sins, we are ushered into a place where we can experience the peace of God.
Paul confidently says in Phil. 4:6-7:
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience the peace of God, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
And to those who continue to follow Jesus, Peter would also add, “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).”
The apostle John also reminds us in 2 John 3, “Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.”
But there’s the catch – “Who will live in truth and love.” We are to live our lives in truth and love, not moralistic relativism. The latter will always bring a deep and foreboding despair. The human soul will always be at odds with God when it tries to live for selfish pleasure and sin. It’s possible the Apostle John was thinking of what Isaiah the prophet said, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isa.26:3)
If you have been looking everywhere but to Jesus for peace and freedom from despair , stop running, stop searching, it’s time to call out to him. Peter said, “Give all your worries (despair and depression) and cares (feelings of hopelessness) to God, for he cares about you (1 Pe 5:7).”
[2] Ibid.
[3] Smetanin et al. (2011). The life and economic impact of major mental illnesses in Canada: 2011-2041. Prepared for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Toronto: RiskAnalytica.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Pearson, Janz & Ali (2013). Health at a glance: Mental and substance use disorders in Canada. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-624-X.
[6] Boak et al. (2018). The mental health and well-being of Ontario students, 1991-2017: Detailed OSDUHS findings. CAMH Research Document Series no. 47. Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
[7] Ialomiteanu et al. (2018). CAMH Monitor eReport: Substance use, mental health and well-being among Ontario adults, 1977-2017. CAMH Research Document Series no. 48. Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
[8] Statistics Canada, 2020
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
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