A Biblical Approach to Depression

Introduction

Tonight we’re going to examine a topic that is more prevalent in the book of Psalms than you might imagine. And it’s also a topic that effects a lot of people. The topic is Depression.

Depression is a subject that creates some controversy. Some will say that it’s simply a state of mind - and to that, you’re right… but it doesn’t make it any less real, nor does that make it any less difficult to overcome than any other compulsion that one might have.

That being said, I do want to say that I believe that it’s also something that CAN be addressed Biblically, without the use of pharmaceuticals. You see, I’m of the camp that God’s Word has every answer we could possibly need.

Now I’m not saying that it is easy, nor is it something that can be conquered overnight - it would certainly take time, dedication and effort, just like anything else. But I do believe that the Bible can help anybody in any situation.

One popular figure in the Bible that suffered from bouts of depression was a man by the name of David.

David as you know had great highs in his life:

He was king, giant killer, adored by the multitude, a man after God’s own heart

And David had great lows:

Committing adultery & murder, hunted by his own son, children dying directly because of his sin.

In Psalm 13, I believe we get a glimpse into an episode of depression that David was suffering. There’s no indication as to when David would have penned this down: It could have been in exile, it could have been when fleeing from Saul - it could have been any instance in life depending on how you interpret David’s ‘enemy’ in v4.

Best yet, I think this short Psalm can offer us insight on how to deal with a depressed mindset.

Let’s look first at David’s Complaint

I. David’s Complaint (v1-2)

It was Real Feelings

What I mean is that they are valid feelings. Whether there is good reason for them or not, they’re still valid - and because such, they must be dealt with.

David Felt Depressed

It’s very easy for people that rarely if ever suffer from depression to just say ‘shake it off’ or ‘get over it’. One might say ‘What do you have to be depressed about?’ - and they don’t understand it, so they dismiss it.

I think oftentimes (at least I have experienced this) that you can’t exactly put your finger on the exact reason why - but you still feel depressed / despondent.

Would it surprise you to know that another Psalmist felt this way, yet didn’t know why as well? (Read Ps. 42;43)

David felt Depressed

David Felt Deserted (v1)

David felt as though God had hid his face from him.

How many of us have experienced that? Where it feels like you’re all alone?

David’s saying ‘How long’ indicates that he’s felt this way for some time!

David felt all alone - and that’s a horrible feeling. Not only when you feel left alone by God, but when you feel left alone by others.

(Ill.) Sometimes it feels lonely in the ministry. As though no one understands and everyone is mad at you for something you preached or did… this too is not unique. Elijah felt this way in 1Ki. 19.

David Felt Deserted

David Felt Deluged (v2a)

That means ‘overwhelmed’

How many of us have felt that way before?

When we’re just overwhelmed by the demands of life, the demands of others, demands of job, spouse, children - you have all of these things bearing down on you, and it feels the weight of the world is on your shoulders?

David Felt Deluged

David Felt Defeated (v2b)

David felt that his enemy was running roughshod over him.

Now listen, some see this as Saul or Absolom - but I think maybe it’s neither. Maybe David is referring to his true enemy… that wasn’t Saul, Saul was his king whom he loved. It wasn’t Absolom, that was his son whom he loved. His enemy was Satan - the prince and power of this world!

And at this point in life, David feels like Satan is just having his way with him.

(Ill.) I’m not sure about you, but there are times in life when it feels like I got the tiger by the tail. Then there are other times when I feel like the lion’s got my in his mouth.

David felt Defeated - as though the enemy had won

So these were real feelings - but it mostly wasn’t rational feelings

It Mostly Wasn’t Rational Feelings

It’s one thing to recognize that what we’re experiencing is real, it’s another to recognize whether it’s rational or not.

(Ill.) Let me give you an illustration. Has any of you felt like no one loved you? Now do you honestly think that’s a rational feeling? I’ve felt that way, but I know that some love me - there’s no way in the world my wife would stay with me if she didn’t!

So though David was feeling certain things, they weren’t all rational feelings - in other words, there was really no basis for it.

This is important - as one of the major factors is doing the work of analyzing your feelings and determining which feelings have merit and which don’t.

Most of them weren’t rational

David Wasn’t Deserted

God hadn’t deserted David. Regardless of how David felt!

Psalm 125:2 “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, So the Lord is round about his people From henceforth even for ever.”

Paul wrote: 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”

Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

Though we experience hardship and trouble in this life, God will never desert us - and He never deserted David!

How do you rest in that? By faith.

Understand - Faith is like a muscle - it must be exercised in order to get stronger. If you have little faith, then begin exercising it!

David wasn’t Deserted - that was an irrational feeling that had no basis

David Wasn’t Defeated

Satan hadn’t won the victory over David.

David might have been getting rallied on at the moment, but Satan hadn’t won the victory.

Church - we’re the victors!

Our LORD won the victory when He rose from the Grave!

Jesus said: John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

The Apostle John tells us: 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

David wasn’t defeated - that wasn’t a rational feeling. Not that it wasn’t real, but it wasn’t rational

David Was Deluged

Do you know what - David was Overwhelmed. David was nose-deep in sorrow and demands of life.

There’s a prevalent teaching in Christianity that is not correct.

(Ill.) I remember not long after I was born again that someone said ‘You know, God will never put on you more than you can handle’. I thought ‘I like that! That’s great!’ So I told others that. Then I looked up the Scripture and I thought - oh my… The Scripture actually says: 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

That’s not talking about burdens, it’s talking about temptations, which gives it a MUCH different meaning

The fact is we DO get overwhelmed - but God has made provision for that when we do:

David said this: Psalm 61:2 “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

That Rock is Christ! He said: Matthew 11:28–30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

So David had some rational feelings, some irrational feelings. The question is - what did David do?

We see David’s Complaint, but what did David do? We see David’s Cry

II. David’s Cry (v3-4)

He Cries Unto the LORD His God (v3a)

Two things we need to understand here:

David went TO God instead of FROM God

All too often, we see when souls are hurting, they rebel against God. They use other means to try to pacify the hurt. Whether it’s from:

Alcohol

Drugs

Worldly Pleasures

You’ll never get satisfaction from those type sources. It’s like putting a band aid on a cancerous tumor - it’s an inadequate and just plain wrong treatment for the disease!

David Went to the LORD

It was David’s God - ‘my God’

(Ill.) I could go to a multitude of doors in St. Marys crying out ‘Daddy, I need help!’ Do you know what they’re going to say to me? Who are you to me?

The same problem exists with many people today. They know of Jesus, but have no relationship with Jesus - therefore they come unto the Father’s door and cry out for help, but they get no help because they have no relation!

If you want help from God, He must be YOUR God! Not only that, but sin must not be prevalent in your life: Isaiah 59:1–2 “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

He Cried to the LORD His God

He Craves Understanding (v3b)

David desired to understand what was happening.

This gives us indication that David didn’t understand OR that he understood that the way he saw things wasn’t really the way it was.

He desired understanding - to see things clearly

He Considers His Testimony (v4)

Now we see the enemy mentioned once again - and David is concerned.

He doesn’t want to be moved

He doesn’t want his enemies to have opportunity to rejoice in his calamity

This is one thing that we need to be aware of, is that people are watching us. We need to be cognizant of our Testimony!

I don’t want to be a stumbling block for people to get to Jesus. I don’t want them using me as the reason as to why they see no need for Jesus.

David Considers His Testimony

We see David’s Complaint, but what did David do? David Cried out to the LORD, He Craved Understanding and Considered His Testimony. But here’s where we see things change.

III. David’s Commitment (v5-6)

After David Cried out unto the LORD, David Committed Himself to the LORD.

He Committed to Remember God’s Mercy

To Remember God’s Mercy (v5a)

David’s Trust was in the LORD!

Church, if your trust is in me, I might let you down. If my trust is in you, you might let me down - but God will never let you down!

He’s a merciful God who loves us and cares for us!

Paul said: Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

He made the distinction between us and others: 1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

Hebrews 6:18–19 “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

David commited himself to remember the mercy of God - He was a child of God! And with that came hope!

To Rejoice in God’s Providence (v5b-6a)

David says ‘my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation’. In other words, David was choosing to rejoice

I had spent the first part of the message speaking about various feelings and how they are real, though some are rational, and others irrational. But the truth is, we choose the power our feelings have over us.

(Ill.) I wrote down a saying the other day ‘My attitude is my choice’. And that’s true.

You see, we will choose whether to allow our lives to be dictated by our feelings, or our feelings to be dictated by our lives.

To say that we have no control over them is just wrong. It’s one thing to validate our feelings, it’s another to empower them!

David CHOSE to Rejoice in what God has done for him!

To Recall God’s Blessings (v6b)

David was going to think on God’s goodness toward him.

This goes in line with what Paul told the church at Philippi: Philippians 4:8–9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Peace comes by:

Thinking on the Good and Godly

Learning, Hearing and Receiving the Godly

And then DOING the Godly

Our feelings are a State of Mind - and upon what our mind rests largely dictates our peace. And we have some control over where our mind rests - and the more we think with purpose, the easier it gets.

David Recalled God’s Blessings

Conclusion

I wonder how many have struggled with this? Understand - God can help!