This morning in my quiet time I was reading Psalm 42, and this is the psalm where David is questioning “why is my soul downcast within…”
It is a very sad psalm, and I’ve even heard people speak on it saying that the sadness mentioned in here, the “deep crying out to deep” is talking about depression. Whether this is true or not, I am not 100%, but I can definitely see where people get that from. So as i was reading, I started just journaling what thoughts came to head with this passage, and started thinking about depression.
Depression is such a common disease these days, almost anyone you speak to has either gone through depression, or is currently depressed. Some say they are clinically depressed and takes meds, and other’s don’t even know it and just live in that state of mind, and other’s get over it.
I have extremely strong opinions concerning depression, simply because I have dealt a lot with it, within myself and some people whom I care deeply about, but I am not going to get into that right now. What I want to get into, is talking about the Power of the Holy Spirit.
I encourage you to go and read Psalm 42 either before or after you read this. To see if you can gather, what I gathered.
I believe that David was probably depressed when he wrote this psalm, but I also think that he gives us an extremely great example of how to deal with depression, or sadness.
First, he is thirsty and panting for the living God. (v1)
If you are sad/depressed, and not thirsty for God to move and to be near you…check yourself.
Second, he remembers the better times, the times God used him and when he was walking in his call…(v4)
Its easy in times of sadness/depression to just think about all that your sad about, all the bad stuff in life and in yourself and even in other people. But the New Testament sooooo many times tells us to set our minds on things above (colossians 3), to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (hebrews)…numerous times in numerous ways.
We cannot turn our hearts and minds against God in these moments…we can choose what we remember and what we don’t remember ultimately. If we want to remember better times, we will. If we want to stay in the depressed state of mind that is not honoring to God, we do.
Thirdly, David HOPES in God. (v.5,11)
Hope is a feeling. it is also an incredible word, and an incredible feeling. It helps bring life, and helps us to look forward, instead of looking backward and inward. It forces us to look past what is going on, and to what can happen, deliverance, newness…
And this isnt a hope that is rooted in the people around you, or yourself, this is a hope that is rooted in God, who can work all things out for the good of those who love Him. (romans 8:28)
My opinion, is that the best remedy and advice for sadness and depression is to have these 3 things. A desire for God, to remember all that He has done and those better days, and lastly, to HOPE IN GOD.
The mind is a powerful thing, but the Bible tells to be of a sound-mind (2 tim 1:7), sober-minded (2 tim 4:5, 1 peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8) and to take every thought captive and make it OBEDIENT to Christ(2 Corinthians 10:5). Therefore, we can…because we have the Holy spirit alive in us, enabling and working in us! )(John 14:26To say that you can’t take every thought captive, that you can’t be sober and sound minded, is to limit and belittle the power of God.
Which i’m pretty sure is a sin….it’s called unbelief…..
To end, all of this(hoping in God, taking every thought captive…), takes work. I think this is where a big problem is, especially in America…because we are an extremely lazy culture. (proverbs 13:4)Therefore, we for the most part, don’t want to do the work that its going to take us to be whole, to allow Christ’s power (Holy Spirit) to reign in us, because it’s hard.
Lazyness is a sin. and if you dont hate sin, and want to turn from it, you might want to make sure your saved.
Take sin seriously, take God seriously.
“…Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”
Psalm 42:11
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