In Psalm 143, David was praying and crying out to God, as he had done many times before. I don’t know about you, but David reminds me of a brother who has a very desirable and exquisite combination of being both sensitive and strong. He was no doubt a great and brave warrior, and boy did he have a heart for God. He wasn’t perfect, as his reckless pursuit of Bathsheba proved, but this man prayed all the time. In Psalm 143:7-8 (NIV), David prayed, “7 Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”
Saul had been the chosen King of Israel before David. Saul was also very jealous of him, because David had been chosen by God to take Saul’s place, and he wanted David out of the picture completely. David wanted nothing more than to be of service to Saul, and Saul’s attempts to murder him not only placed David in constant danger, but the sadness of the whole thing was also very heavy on his heart. In verse 7, David begged that the Lord would not hide His face. This speaks of the intimacy that David had in his relationship with God. They shared a closeness so tight that David knew the face of God, as much as it can be known, and he desperately prayed that nothing would alter this bond. He knew that Heavenly Father was his sufficiency. He also understood how it feels to be alone; to have very few people of whom you can trust, and to feel as though every day is a fight.
Most of us have nothing like David’s situation of which to contend, but just about all of us have had days or periods in our lives where we feel pretty low. Everyday does indeed feel like a fight, and seems to require more mental, emotional, and physical energy than we can muster.
In some religious circles, depression is looked upon as a spiritual issue more than a psychological one. While we will not attempt to address clinical depression, and recommend the help of a professional pastor or clinician, we will seek to encourage and inspire through God’s Word those that are going through a period of depression that is not diagnosed as clinically or critically severe.
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus Christ made it clear that burdens are a reality, and he extends an invitation to those that are weighted down by them. It is an invitation that beckons us to give over all our cares to him, because he is willing and able to handle them. To do this, we must acknowledge that Jesus is LORD, even when it comes to the heavy matters of both our hearts and mind.
God also tells us to renew our minds. To renew is to make new again. We wouldn’t need to do this if our slate was already clean. Heavenly Father knows that many of us have gone through some things in life, things that have left scars and wounds that might not surface until something transpires and triggers them. It’s as if we go right back to the place when we were first hurt or experienced the pain, and relive it all over again. The emotions come back, the thoughts of inadequacy, loneliness, and abandonment resurface; and it just makes us feel miserable.
Often, we think more with our hearts than we do our minds, and this is one of the reasons why we tend to let our emotions lead or dictate our thoughts. We feel a certain way, and then we begin to think along the lines of how we feel. Someone might respond to an emotion of sadness by thinking less of themselves or less of others. This can lead to a downward spiral. David spoke of it like going down into a pit of death, darkness, and despair. He understood weariness, and feeling as if you’ve got nothing left. He knew that Heavenly Father was the only remedy for a condition of the soul that was so severe.
Sometimes, when we’re sinking, we forget that it is really a time to soak. Psalm 34:17-18 (NIV) tells us, “17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” God will always and forever come to our rescue, and when we’re worn down emotionally, we need to give Him a chance. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our Comforter, and as we seek the Lord Jesus Christ, he is able and willing to work within us through the person of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Some people wonder why an individual can’t just snap out of it. The truth is that it isn’t as easy for some people as it is for others. We’re all wired differently, and there are folks that can encourage themselves in a way that others can’t. So, when sadness and depression sticks around way too long and really begins to affect our overall attitude about life, it’s time to kick the connection to God in high gear and lean on it like never before.
God is not a man, and He will never lie to us. He will never leave us or forsake us. His Word is true. He is the Creator of the universe and all power is in His hands. He loves us with an everlasting love, and it is His delight to help us. The heart is a gateway to the soul. God designed it to soak in His goodness. To do this, we have to acknowledge we’ve got some bad programming that we’re not able to fix on our own. God can and will fix it if we’ll give ourselves over to Him. He will then funnel through us the kind of deep healing that will cause us to be both recipients and conduits of His divine love.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
“Dealing with Depression” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.