Throughout my ministry I've met people with many difficulties who weren't willing to have their problems solved.

Try as I might, they would always find a reason why my solutions wouldn't work. They seemed determined to fail. I could never understand why they didn't want to do whatever they could to turn from misery to joy.

As parents well know, a child can sometimes be determined to stay unhappy and miserable. After doing our best to cheer them up, they will say, “I just want to be miserable!” So, children and adults alike often choose being depressed over trying to solve their problems.

Some, overcome by grief, certainly need professional help. We can't reduce all depression to a spiritual problem anymore than we can say cancer is a spiritual problem.

Sometimes a brain injury (or a disease) can cause depression. A chemical or hormonal abnormality is another cause. Sometimes just growing old can trigger it.

Our verse today is a quote from Jesus when He looked on the city of Jerusalem. The city refused to come to Him to have life. For over 6 months He had reflected on Jerusalem and how the citizens rejected Him (Luke 13:34; Luke 19:41-44; Matthew 23:37). He knew that soon enough He must go there for the final time and give Himself up to their rejection and be crucified for their sins.

At that time, Jerusalem was oppressed by the Romans. Many citizens were waiting for a Messiah who would raise an army and overthrow the Romans.

When Jesus refused to become the type of leader they wanted (John 6:14-15), the Jews rejected Him. They preferred to be miserable rather than have the kind of Messiah He offered.

It wasn't a chemical imbalance or brain injury that changed their personalities. They willfully spurned Jesus and were determined to look elsewhere for their leader.

The verse today has Jesus expressing His grief over their unwillingness to come to Him on His terms.

It was His great desire then (and still is today), that people come to Him and accept Him on His terms. We can't simply seek a Jesus Who will serve our needs and take away all of our difficulties.

We must accept Him for Who He is and submit to His plan for us.

Won't you submit to this gracious and loving Saviour today?

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37 ESV)