Scripture:
Psalm 13
For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will you look the other way?
2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.5 But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
6 I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.
Observation:
Read this. Really read this. Read it from your own perspective. Read it as you were crying out to God and these were your own words. Now tell me that the writer of these words was not depressed; did not feel absolute despair; did not feel as if God was taking a trip to Hawaii and left him to deal with his problems on his own. Tell me that because he felt this way, he lacked faith. David, the author of this outcry, was a man after God’s own heart. He was a man of faith, yet he suffered greatly from depression. As a matter of fact, if you really study the Bible, you will see that most great people of faith suffered from depression or anxiety at some point in their lives. So why then, do so many “Christian” people and organization perpetrate the lie that it is because of LACK of faith? I myself have been told that God has healed me and then when I continue to have symptoms, it is because I lack faith or because there is unresolved sin in my life. That’s BULLSHIT, and a very destructive lie directly from the enemy. Did David lack faith when he said, “BUT I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice [despite the fact that I feel horrible and I can't feel Your presence anywhere in this universe] because you have rescued me.” He goes so far as to “sing to the Lord” in the midst of his pain and anguish. How can it be a LACK of faith to believe God is good, even when you don’t FEEL Him? David hadn’t felt the goodness of God in his life “forever”!
Application:
This verse has been very close to me for many years. It has been a comfort to know that I am not alone. I have cried these words and felt this kind of despair for so long, it really does feel like “forever”. I have cried out to God these same words (stronger, even) and not heard of felt a thing.
I recently went to a conference on depression called, “Breakthrough: Journey out of Depression”. I have struggled with depression and anxiety since adolescence and have read many books by Christian and secular authors. This was the best I have ever seen of combining the Physical and Spiritual together. I have always believed we are 100% spiritual beings AND 100% physical beings and there is no way to separate the two. Luckily, I am on the mend and I feel better than I have felt for many years, but I continue to study and learn. I am continuing to arm myself with tools that will help me if/when I struggle again. Gary H. Lovejoy, Ph.D. and Gregory M. Knopf, M.D., who put on the conference, have the best tool out there. I strongly recommend their book, “Light on the Fringe” to anyone who has depression, who knows someone with it, or who works with people who have it. It is the one tool I have that makes sense from a medical view as well as a spiritual view.
Please visit their website www.depressionoutreach.com It has some wonderful tools, their book, and a great video on how the brain works. There are many psychologists and doctors who believe the way they do. I have been seeing two of them for the past 5 years, and I am very grateful to them. It was a pleasant surprise to see the clinic they work at listed in the appendix of the study guide!
Prayer:
Father, thank-you so much for bringing hope into our lives. Thank-you for giving us tools to live a life of righteousness and faith, even when we don’t feel it. Thank-you for people like Drs. Lovejoy and Knopf, who listen to You and share what You have taught them. I pray that people who suffer from depression will find Your light and Your joy as I have, and not guilt that will drive them deeper into despair. Thank-You for loving us so much.
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