February 9, 2020
Adrian Rogers
Scripture Reference: Psalm 42:1-12
King David shares his inner turmoil in Psalm 42:5 saying, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me?” It is evident in this passage that David was going through a serious bout of depression.
Depression isn’t just feeling sad. It is a passive feeling, a continual feeling of sadness that seems to linger. It is an attitude that nothing feels good or is worth feeling good about; compounded by a state of constant hopelessness. Depression is a serious problem. It is a health crisis, completely valid, and, at times, very dangerous.
Christians can struggle with depression. David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet, in Psalm 42, he admits to spiritual dryness, feeling shame and defeat, overwhelmed by his circumstances. But there is an answer. We can learn how to deal with our depression by analyzing David’s very honest and broken prayer.
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” Ask yourself why you are cast down. Close the door, learn what happened. Find out what it is, and get it out there in the open so you can look at it and understand its grip on you.
Psalm 42:8 says, “Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”
No matter what’s happening to you, it is not God’s final plan. Verse 11 says, “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
This is the sure promise in the midst of your depression: My God will see you through. God has not forsaken you; He never has and He never will.
Are you down, feeling hopeless, or battling depression? Look inward, upward, and onward. There is hope, and it begins with trusting Jesus, even when things don’t make sense. Choose to praise Him, even when it hurts.
