Series: Healing For Damaged Emotions
#9 How Depressing Is It?
Apr 26, 2009
On the heels of celebrating the greatest event this world has ever known in the resurrection of Jesus, we focus on the human experience of depression. Do you think the disciples and followers of Jesus were a bit depressed following Jesus’ crucifixion? So much so that they went into hiding fearing for their very lives.
There is much in our world today that causes us to feel depressed. The economy, job losses, the devalued dollar, the decline of the market along with our pension funds and investments, the growing anti-Christian sentiment in our country, the rise of militant Islamic influence and power, the rise of crime in our streets, the constant chaos of news reports, the lack of moral standards, the graphic violence and sex in the entertainment industry, the failure of politicians and government, et al. And then we have our own personal issues to deal with that often cause us to feel depressed.
Listen to the words of David in Psalm 42.
We are talking about healing for our damaged emotions. We have learned that we are all damaged emotionally to varying degrees. We have discovered that our damaged emotions influence how we relate to other people, how we see the world, how we make decisions, how we handle responsibility, how we see our future, and what we do with our relationship with God and Jesus. We have also discovered that just because we are Christians does not exempt us from these damaged emotions. One of the problems with damaged emotions is that they don’t fit into a neat little package where they can be systematized or organized. Damaged emotions are very individualized and personalized. No easy fix here at all!
In our study we have come to realize that one of the primary functions of God’s Holy Spirit is to work in the depths of our souls and lives to begin the work of cleaning up the buried junk and garbage of life that is polluting and poisoning us, and thereby keeping us from experiencing God’s very best. The good news, the hope and promise, is that there is healing for our damaged emotions.
Depression is a normal occurrence for every living, breathing person. It is a part of the natural ebb and flow of our emotional life. Like all emotions the normal emotion of depression can get out of whack, become extreme, and wreak havoc in our lives. In fact major depression affects some 14 million adults each year in America.
One of my favorites books in the Bible is Psalms and the reason is because this book runs the whole gamut of human emotions. It doesn’t sugar-coat life’s reality, nor does it gloss over the hard stuff, presenting only the positive, joyful, uplifting aspects of our walk with God. The reality and truth of God’s Word is that God’s people are not immune from depression.
Look at Psalm 42. In verse 3 “My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” In verse 5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed within me?” Verse 7 “Deep calls to deep… all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” Verse 9 “Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
Is this depression thing just a David thing? Listen to Elijah, “O Lord, take away my life.” (1 Kings 19:4) Or Jonah, “It is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:3) Or Jesus in the Garden, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” (Matthew 26:38)
The saints of God down through the ages also were honest about struggling with some times of deep depression. John Wesley’s heart was strangely warmed that night on Aldersgate Street in London, and yet he writes that the whammy of doubt, depression and despair at times were overwhelming. Samuel Logan Brengle, the great holiness saint of the Salvation Army, struggled with depression. Once he wrote, “My nerves were ragged, frazzled, exhausted. And such gloom and depression fell upon me as I have ever known, although depression is an old friend of mine.”
As we have learned that in order to find healing for our damaged emotions, we have to first acknowledge that we have a problem. Without confession there are no follow-up steps taken to deal with the problem and to find health and wholeness.
Please know that depression is not necessarily a sign of spiritual failure. Take a look at the prophet Elijah. He had had it with God’s people being lured away from Yahweh into worshiping the god, Baal. It was time for a showdown at OK Corral, which just happened to be atop Mt Carmel. [1 Kings 18-19] For once and for all Elijah was going to prove the reality of Jehovah God and the impotency and fakery of the god, Baal. He challenged the prophets of Baal to build an altar and he would also build an altar. On each altar a sacrifice would be placed. The real God would then rain down fire from heaven and burn up the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal went first. All day long they prayed to Baal to send down fire. They danced, they begged, they began to cut themselves. All the while Elijah mocked them. In utter exhaustion these prophets of Baal gave up. Elijah then had 12 large jugs of water poured over the sacrifice and the altar. He then simply lifted his eyes toward heaven and prayed a simple prayer. 1 Kings 18:38 records, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” All the people fell on their faces in repentance crying out, “The Lord—He is God! The Lord—He is God!”
When Queen Jezebel heard what had happened, she threatened to kill Elijah on the spot. What happened to Elijah after this great spiritual victory? Out of fear, Elijah ran to Beersheba, went out into the desert and prayed that he might die. “Lord, I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Elijah had just seen the power of the living God and here he is so depressed that he asked God to let him die! You can have victory in Christ and still be depressed.
Depression can come from sin and the guilt of that sin. Judas who betrayed Jesus is a prime example. So filled with remorse and so depressed Judas went out and hanged himself. This kind of depression caused by sin can usually be linked to a specific transgression against God. A real act of sin leads to real depression and real guilt that God then uses to lead us to real confession, real repentance and real reconciliation.
For many people including Christians depression is often the more vague, unspecific, broad and general feelings of condemnation and anxiety, especially for the perfectionist. Sin can lead to depression, but all depression does not come from sin.
We also need to understand that some people by their temperament and personality are more susceptible to depression than others. Sometimes our Christian friends can be our worst enemies, much like Job and his friends. As you recall Job was the beneficiary of Satan’s full arsenal of difficulty, loss, pain, sickness, and depression more than any other human being. His friends insisted that for him to suffer so much meant that he had to have sinned somewhere down the line. Job insisted that he had not sinned and that he had been faithful and true to God. As the story ends, we discover that indeed Job was right and his friends were wrong.
Somehow we have gotten this notion in Christian circles that if you suffer depression you must not be right spiritually, that you are weak in your Christian commitment, that you are not where you should be in your relationship with Christ.
CS Lewis commented that about half the time when we credit ourselves with virtue, it is really just a matter of temperament and constitution and not spirituality. Like all of our emotions the roots of our damaged emotions can run deep and be quite complicated. Depression is related to many aspects of our lives including our temperament, physical makeup, body chemistry, glandular functions, emotional patterns, and learned behavioral feelings and concepts.
Now you may say, “But doesn’t the Bible teach that in Christ we are new creatures and brand new people?” We are brand new people in many ways, but God does not change our basic personality, nor our DNA when we are born again. Paul was still very much Paul after his conversion—a go-getter focused on his mission. Peter was still impetuous Peter. Barnabas was still the encourager.
In fact Paul wrote (2 Cor 4:7), “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” By nature some people tend to be more nervous, some cool and calm, some very sensitive, others strong-willed, some bold while others are more timid. Those who are the most sensitive and introspective tend to have more problems with depression as far as temperaments go. For some of us the first step to healing of our damaged emotions to accept us as God created us and in order to do that we need to understand how God created us. We need to understand our basic temperament. One of the tools I used is the animal personality evaluation of the four basic personality types—lion, otter, golden retriever, or beaver. Which ‘earthen treasure’ animal do you tend toward?
How did David in this Psalm deal with his depression, which he described so vividly here? He begins by comparing himself to a thirsty deer. As the deer pants for water, “so my soul pants for you, O God.” Depression can lead us away from God or can lead us to God. He then even as he acknowledges his depressed feelings, he does something interesting in verse 4, “These things I remember….” What are they? Worship and being with God’s people along with the joy, thanksgiving and festive experiences. Verse 5—even in the midst of being downcast, he says, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God…. I will remember!” Verse 8, “By day the Lord directs His love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”
In the midst of his depression David seeks God’s presence. He remembers God’s blessings, and those times of joy and gladness. Even when he doesn’t feel like it, he praises God, His God. David affirms God’s love by day, and at night relishes in God’s song that comforts him.
Make no mistake. Satan will use your depression or your proclivity to depression to defeat and destroy you. Here is where like David you need to remember the goodness of our God. And here is when you sometimes have to square up in Satan’s face and boldly declare, “Satan, you don’t control me. I don’t belong to you anymore. Get behind me and be gone. I will not listen to your lies and deceit.”