Too Blessed To Be Depressed?

But for our purposes today, talking about mental illness, talking about Christians and depressions, the first thing we need to do is tear down the stigma of depression. Christians can and do become depressed.

And maybe that’s where we should start. What is depression?

[SLIDE: WHAT IS DEPRESSION?]

What is depression?

Frequent feelings of hopelessness

Loss of interest in things you enjoy

Chronic fatigue

Sleeping too much/not enough

Brain fog

Eating too much/too little

Do you yourself here? Then you need help. This sermon is not going to provide all the help you need. You need counseling. You may need medication. Sometimes medication is necessary to allow the clouds to clear out so you can begin to address the root cause.

But the point of this sermon is to show you that the Bible addresses depression and provides a pathway to healing.

[SLIDE: THE STRUGGLES HE’S FACING]

#1: The struggles we face when we suffer

Notice with me the struggles the psalmist is facing.

He’s far from home. How many of you have ever found yourself in a position to be homesick?

So is the psalmist, verse 6: “Oh my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.”

These places were in the far north of the land of Israel. Miles and miles and miles and miles from Jerusalem, which is where the psalmist longs to be. He’s far from home.

The struggles he’s facing:

He’s far from home

He feels far from God

He’s rejected by his friends

He’s frustrated with himself

But he’s not only far from home. He feels far from God. Look at verses 1-2: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God.” He has a longing to feel and experience God’s presence. That longing is expressed as thirst. “My soul thirst for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (NASB).

The picture here is of a spiritual desert. He’s wandering through this spiritual desert, on the verge of collapse because of spiritual dehydration and drought. If He could experience God’s love and presence, all would be well. But for whatever reason, God feels absent. The British author C. S. Lewis used to say that sometimes he would pray and it was as if the door of heaven was slammed shut in his face.

And this happens from time to time. And the psalmist says it even more forcefully in verse 9: “I will say to God my rock, ‘Why have you forgotten me?”

He’s far from home. He feels far from God. Next, he has been rejected by his friends. We see this in verse 3. “My tears have been my food day and night” — the weeping and grief come upon me at various times all day long, and there’s no rest at night — why? “while they say to me, ‘Where is your God?’”

And this pain of rejection — the psalmist feels this pain of rejection most strongly. Doctors have long known the connection between mental pain and physical pain. What the psalmist is going through even causes him physical pain.

[SLIDE: PSALM 42:10 CSB]

Psalm 42:10 CSB

My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?”

Whatever has happened to the psalmist, it’s so bad that even other people look at him and say, “What happened to you? Where is your God who supposedly loves and cares for you, who will never leave you? Why has he let this happen to you? Where is your God?”

And then lastly, he’s frustrated with himself [Longman, p197]. Verse 5: “Why are you in despair, O my soul? Why have you become disturbed within me?” He repeats that refrain three times in Psalm 42 and 43. It’s this undercurrent of discouragement: “I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I love God. God loves me. He’s shown me His faithfulness. I know He won’t leave me here forever. So why do I feel this way? Why am I weeping night and day? I don’t understand. Am I not too blessed to be depressed?”

There’s a scene in the book Pilgrim’s Progress where the central character, whose name is Christian, falls into essentially a pit of quicksand. Christian and his friend on their way to their destination, the Celestial City, fall into the pit of despair. And it’s quicksand, and they’re both sinking. Christian’s friend manages to climb out but instead of helping Christian, his friend just turns around runs back home. The Christian life has proven too hard for him.

Just then, a character called Help arrives. Help represents the Holy Spirit, who reaches in and pulls Christian out. Standing there with Help, Christians says, “Look, why don’t they fix this, so pilgrims like me on their journey to heaven won’t fall in?” And Help says something profound and true: “This miry pit is such a place as cannot be mended.” [Swindoll, pp. 159-60]

Yes, church, we are blessed. And yet, Christians can become depressed.

The psalmist is far from home, he feels far from God, he’s rejected by his friends, and he’s frustrated with himself. This is the struggle he is facing.

Notice with me, next, the questions he is asking.

[SLIDE: THE QUESTIONS HE’S ASKING]

#2: The questions we ask when we suffer

If it’s possible for Christians to become depressed, it makes sense that we would we have questions. If God is all-powerful and able to prevent my being depressed, and if God is all-good and would presumably want to prevent my being depressed, then why am I depressed? And how long should I expect to be depressed?

[SLIDE: HIS QUESTIONS]

His questions:

When will this end?

Why do I feel this way?

The psalmist is asking, When? How long will this go on? How long will you leave me here?

Look at verses 2-3 again: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” He is confident that that day will come. He’s confident God will not always leave him in this emotionally crippled state. But what he doesn’t know is the same thing we’re ignorant of: how long will this go on?

If you’re like me, you can face almost anything if you know there’s an expiration on it. But with depression, we just don’t know. Weeks? Months? Years?

Part of the psalmist’s problem is that he’s far from home. And if he’s far from home, which is probably Jerusalem, then he’s not able to go worship at the temple. He misses it. He remembers those days fondly. Look at verse 4: “These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.”

Being at church with God’s people is so important for the depressed Christian. Why is that? Because the depressed Christian often can’t feel God’s presence, they often can’t see His goodness in their lives, they often cannot hear Him speaking. So when we go to church, it’s almost as though everyone there with us is doing those things for us, on our behalf, when we can’t.

Here’s what I mean: being with God’s people reminds us that God is real, even when we can’t feel His presence.

Hearing our brothers and sisters in Christ praising God through song — even when we perhaps can’t bring ourselves to stand and sing -- reminds us that God is good, even though we may have trouble seeing His goodness.

Hearing the word preached reminds us that God is there and that He has spoken and is speaking through the Bible, even though we can’t bring ourselves to open it.

If you’re depressed, you must do what you have to do to get yourself here. Even if you can’t sing or stand or pray or believe. Right now, you’re weak. Others are strong. Let them be strong on your behalf. And if you know someone who is depressed, you need to do what you can to get them here.

But the psalmist is also asking not just “when” but “why?” “Why are you in despair, O my soul?” He asks that three times. But look at v. 9:

Psalm 42:9 NIV

I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

And just as there is no immediate answer to the when, there is no immediate answer to the why.

It’s interesting to note how many times people in the Bible asked God this question? Jesus immediately comes to mind. On the cross: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

But beyond that, I wanted to know how often the biblical authors asked God “why?” when they were suffering. I discovered there’s too many to count. But here’s a few:

Job asks: “Why then have you brought me out of the womb?” (Job 10:18)

“Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?” (Job 13:24)

“Why are we regarded as beasts, as stupid in your eyes?” (Job 18:3)

“Why do the wicked still live, and continue on, and also become very powerful?” (Job 21:7)

“Why are times stored up by the Almighty? And why do those who know Him not see His days?” (Job 24:1)

Moving from the book of Job into the psalms:

“Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psa 10:1).

“Why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and oppression?” (Psa 44:24)

“Arouse yourself, why do you sleep O Lord? Awake, and do not forget us forever” (Psa 44:23)

“O God, why have you rejected us forever?” (Psa 74:1)

“O Lord, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me?” (Psa 88:14).

That’s the questions’s he’s asking. When and why? Those are the struggles he’s facing: far from home, far from God, rejected by others, disappointed with himself. Lastly, the hope that breaks forth.

[SLIDE: THE HOPE THAT BREAKS FORTH]

#3: The hope that breaks forth as we suffer

Often the way out of depression or out of a depressive episode is a process. The way out of the pit of despair is not a quick elevator ride. It’s more like slow progress up several flights of stairs. We can see the progression here.

First the psalmist says: “I remember the past”. Look at verse 4: “These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.” — what does he remember? — “For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.”

You might say the psalmist is remembering the “good ‘ole days”. It’s good to revisit the past. It’s bad to go back there in our minds and stay.

Are you living in the past? Do you constantly find yourself looking back to the better days? Do you spend most of your mental energy there? I gotta admit, I find myself doing this. If you find yourself doing this, let me give you two pieces of advice:

[SLIDE: MEMORIES]

Memories & grief

Remember that the good ‘ole days weren’t as good as you think

Allow yourself to visit, but don’t move in

Let me give you two things to keep in mind:

First, those days weren’t as good as you think they are now.

And second, change your approach. Memories are good. Until we reach heaven, memories are our connection with the people we love who are gone. But think of it like an old house you used to live in. How many of you have an old home place you think of alot? Maybe you ride by there every now and then. But wouldn’t it be weird to move in?

Treat your memories the same way. Go back there occasionally; drive by there every now and then. Spend your time there. But give yourself a limit. But don’t try to move back in.

Enjoy your memories. But remember that memories are just that — memories. They aren’t reality.

]The psalmist seems to understand that. Because “I remember the past” gradually becomes I remember God. We see this in verse 6: “O my God, my soul is in despair within me; therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.”

[SLIDE: MT. HERMON]

As the psalmist is near Mt. Hermon, he’s also near the headwaters of the Jordan. There are waterfalls there.

When I was in high school, my church youth group went rafting on the Occoee River in TN. That river has a class four or class five rapid. I remember the guide telling us this: “Now, guys, listen — there’s a good chance we’ll get turned over as we go over this, and some of you are going to fall out.”

And he actually says this: “That waterfall may suck you under the water. If it does, don’t fight it — it’ll eventually spit you out. I can’t emphasize this enough. Don’t fight it. And when it pushes you out, here’s something else — keep your feet in front of you. If you don’t, you’ll get your feet caught under a rock on the bottom of the river. The current will push you down and you’ll drown.”

Well, as we’re coming up to the rapid, I was 17 years old and trying to play it cool like I wasn’t about to have a coronary out of fear of drowning. And yes, our boat did turn over. I found myself among whitewater with a 50 foot tall brick powerhouse towering above me and whitewater churning all around me.

Water is important for life. Earlier the psalmist said he thirsted for God like the the deer pants for streams of water. But now the water he thirsted for is about to overwhelm and kill him.

The sound of the Jordan River thundering through the crevices of the rock at Mt. Hermon and down the mountain remind the psalmist of his sorrow. His sorrow, his despair, his depression, it’s piling up on him like waves of ocean, pushing him under just as he manages to get above water to get some air. He feels like his depression will be the end of him. Eventually it’ll become too much and he’ll be pushed under, unable to get back to the surface.

But in the midst of this, the psalmist says “God, my soul is in despair within me; therefore, I remember you from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon…Deep calls to deep at the sound of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have rolled over me” (Psa 42:6-7 NASB).

And for the psalmist, the light begins to break through — slowly, gradually, infrequently at first. But it’s there. And he begins to move from “I remember the past” to “I remember God” to “I will praise God again.”

This is the refrain that holds these two psalms together. It occurs three times in these two psalms.

Psalm 42:5 NASB 95

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Church, when you feel in despair, talk to yourself. Yes, I said talk to yourself.

You see, we all have a tape or an mp3 running through our minds most of the time. We’re listening to ourselves. “I’m worthless. I can’t do anything right. I’m a bad person. Once people get to know me, they can’t stand me. I’ll never amount to anything. I’ll never change. I can’t forgive myself.” Do you realize those things are shaping your thinking and your behavior?

Sit down today and identify these things: what are you saying to yourself? What lies are you telling yourself and believing?

Stop listening to yourself. Start preaching to yourself. “Why are you downcast, o my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him.” Note that word, “again”. No suffering lasts forever. If you’re not suffering now, the day will come when you are. But if you’re suffering now, the day will come when you’re not.

Repeat that to yourself. Change the narrative in your mind. Switch the tape to something else. Remind yourself of the truth. Write Scripture on cards and place them in places where you’ll see them. The battle against depression is in many a ways a battle of the truth of what God says about you against the lies that we are telling ourselves.

The psalmist has done that and it has helped. Notice how the psalmist moves from apathy to action. One of the hallmarks of depression is lack of motivation. It’s hard to get out of bed. It’s hard to get off the couch. It’s hard to turn the TV off. It can be hard to know what you want God to do for you, much less to actually pray for it.

In Psalm 43, he has been strengthened from apathy to action. Note the confidence and resolve in verses 1-2: “Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

Here’s the thing to realize about this situation for the psalmist. There is no indication from this psalm that the pain and suffering has gone away. Nowhere does he break forth into joyous praise saying that the cause of his despair is gone. It’s not. The pain is still there.

So what’s changed? His situation hasn’t changed. But God has changed the psalmist’s outlook on the situation. He’s confident now that God will not forever leave him in this dark place.

Finally, the psalmist knows what he needs. Verses 3-:5 “O send out your light and your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling places. Then I will go tot he altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise you, O God, my God. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”

Call for response

In 1993, the country of Armenia was desperate for electricity. It was cold. And for the third year in a row, they were about to enter the winter season with no oil or gas. Conflict between that country and other former Soviet republics had resulted in oil and gas being cut off. The country became so desperate that they began considering a dangerous possibility. There was an old, run-down nuclear plant built in the 1970s. They started thinking about restarting those old reactors, despite the fact that that plant was located in an earthquake zone, and there were no safety measures in place in case of a meltdown. And the plant was located near the capital city of Armenia, so if a meltdown occurred, hundreds of thousands of people would be in the line of fire.

The point is that in times of depression and despair, in desperation we’re tempted to turn to substitutes for God to ease the pain.

Don’t do that. Friends, let me tell you that God is with you in your suffering.

You remember the story of the footprints? Two sets of footprints on the beach — one belongs to the sufferer and the other belongs to Jesus. But when the suffering reaches its lowest depth, there’s only one set of foot prints. Did Jesus go away when at that point, when the suffering was at its height? No. You only see one set of footprints, and they belong to Jesus, and He is carrying you.

It is when you feel His presence the least that He is with you closer than ever. And if you can’t believe that right now, that’s ok. Look around you — we believe it for you. That’s part of why we come to church — to be reminded by others that all of this is true when we’re suffering so much we can’t feel it or believe it ourselves.

And not only is God with you in your suffering. The news is better than that. It is precisely in your area of greatest suffering where God will make the biggest change in your life. It is precisely in your area of greatest pain where God will use you to make a greatest impact in someone else’s life.

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