I am here trying to answer your question. About 6 years I have been trying to understand depression. It is still a big mystery for me. I only feel that God may understand the depressed people more than themselves. He is the almighty but he is also God who has deep sympathy and power to help us.

Here I quote lyric of an Indonesian (my mother tongue) song. I translate it in English:
There are many things
that I cannot understand
why these things must happen
in this life

There is one thing
that I keep in my heart
nothing may happen
without God’s care

Reff. God understands, God cares
Everything that we experience
He never lets me struggle alone
Because He cares

I, too, ever had similar problem with you about death. I had fear toward death and always ask what happens after death. Here is the link of my article about death: http://www.relijournal.com/Religion/What-Happens-After-Death.517369

I can say that Jesus is the medicine of my fear of death as he said:
John 14:1-2 Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Fathers’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

God has prepared us rooms in a beautiful place. It will be fun there. Nothing to be afraid of.

Also Paul said that death has lost its stink, because of Jesus. You may read Romans 5.
I quote verse 17: If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Through many explanations in the Bible (his letters) Paul concluded: For me life is for Christ and death is my gain.

I think it is better if you have an understanding that God will always plan the best for you whether it is life or die. Don’t you have any fear toward death anymore. Beside, at this moment God gives you precious life, He will not take it back too soon because He wants you be fruitful in this world. You have done the right thing so far because you pray to God. God says that there is nothing we should worry about. Cast out our troubles to Him, because He is the one who orders the universe and He knows every single hair in your head. he will make sure that everything will be run properly including your life.
Stop worrying, it will not give us any good thing.

I hope it helps. If you still have trouble, don’t hesitate to talk with me again.

GBU,
Eunice

Another very depressed prophet was Jeremiah and there was Paul and of course Jesus himself

Cheers!

Faith

Sorry for my late reply. I had tried to post this message last Saturday but it didn’t work out (bad string) and suddenly my internet connection is out.

Indeed I didn’t explicitly mention God’s ways in my above writing. I will mention God’s ways to heal the above prophets’ cases here:

1. God spoke to those prophets

God did not only keep silence. He spoke through His prophets. He spoke to His prophets. In Moses’ case, we know that God firstly called Moses by appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. Then He led Moses (treated his depression as well) by speaking and ordering him step by step. In Exodus book we can read hundred times the sentence “God said to Moses” . And every time He said to Moses, the healing process occurring. ‘
In Job’s case, he got understanding of God through his creations. God also spoke to Job.
God still speak to us nowadays. He speaks to us loudly through nature. He speaks to us through the Bible. He speaks to us by putting understanding in our heart. He always speaks to us. The problem is whether man want to give his ear to God or not.

2. God send other people to remind our sin

In David’s case, God sent prophet Nathan to remind David to his sin, so he can repent and back to God’s ways.
Perhaps in this modern era, we won’t see God appears before us in a miraculously way, but God send other people to us. Not always to remind our sin, but sometimes he send other people to encourage, to advice, to cheer up, to help, to enlighten our burden. God still do something till now.

3. God forgive our sin

Every sin is done against God (Psalm 51:4), so only God can heal the depression caused by sin. What is better than a sinner know that his sin has been forgiven? No other way, only God can erase our guilty feeling.

4. God send his angel

In Elijah’s case, God sent an angel, touched Elijah and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Elijah looked a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. (1 King 19:5-6). Perhaps only a few people get angel’s service nowadays, but God do send His angels to serve us, including healing our depression.

5. God invites us to give us full satisfaction

In Solomon’s case …. he said all things are vanity until he remembered God.
Only God can give us full satisfaction, no other thing. We need Him. His ways? He has invited us. Jesus said “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. He invites all depressed people too.

6. God send Holy Spirit

This thing I didn’t mention in above article. But I believe that you as a believer know this thing very well. Holy Spirit is God Himself and he lead us to be a new man. So we can put away our old and bad habit like anger in Jonah’s case. If we bear fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), mostly we will release from depressed feeling.

Your question:
Are we to expect God to mystically or miraculously remove our human emotion in this area? Or, does God’s healing come through a maturing of perspective post an enlightening experience that changes the individuals mood?

My answer is we can expect both. God can work in many ways, sometimes it is understandable. I see you have been walking with God by 20 years. More or less I am also a believer of 20 years. When I seek God, He always give me a new understanding, new everyday and I experience what Jesus had said ” a spring water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13). I face many problems in my life and I see many ways God has done to help me. I believe that you have seen His ways in you life. Thank you for letting me give more clarity to my writing. Should you have more questions, I will be more than happy to reply.

Thanks and God bless you,
Eunice

You have a good questions. And I will give you more explanation, from God’s words (Bible). I can’t do it now as I face some datelines. I’ll back later. Thank you.

Eunice