The Way Out Is Not Where You Think

There are days when the mind feels like a locked room
with no windows—
just echoes,
shadows,
and the long, dull hum of thoughts
that refuse to grow quiet.

You reach for joy,
but it slips like water through clenched fingers.
You reach for strength,
but the cupboard of your soul sits emptied,
its shelves coated with the dust of unanswered prayers.

Depression calls this place a dead end.
But Heaven calls it a doorway.

For when the walls press in,
God begins His quiet work—
not by shattering the room,
but by slipping in beside you.
No thunder.
No blaze.
Only the soft weight of His presence
settling like morning light on tired skin.

The escape plan is strange and holy:
Not flight,
but fellowship.
Not running,
but resting.
Not a ladder out,
but a Shepherd who kneels in the shadows
and says,
“Fear not; I am with thee.”

Slowly, He opens windows you didn’t know existed—
A verse that glows like ember.
A breath that finally reaches the bottom of your lungs.
A whispered name in prayer
that reminds you you’re not forgotten.
A sunrise that feels like a promise
spoken in colors.

And the room that once felt like a tomb
becomes a cocoon—
dark, yes,
but full of hidden work,
full of shaping,
full of the God who turns stillness
into new wings.

Depression says, “You’re trapped.”
God says, “You’re held.”

Depression says, “No way out.”
God says, “I am the way.”

And when the time is right,
He will lead you out—
not limping from failure,
but rising from transformation—
eyes clearer,
heart steadier,
soul anchored
in the One who sat with you
in the shadow.

If this poem stirred something in your heart, remember that the deepest roots grow from God’s Word itself. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). If you’d like simple, practical help in tucking Scripture into memory…

👉 Sign up for the free FAST Crash Course in Bible Memorization: http://fast.st/cc/21419