Fighting the Flesh #17: Depression
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”
—Psalm 42:11
—Psalm 42:11
Depression. Many of us struggle with depression. And the frustrating thing is the Bible doesn’t say much about it. Or does it? While the word “depression” is never found in Scripture, the idea of sin and its devastating effects on the body and spirit readily is. The body and spirit are intimately connected, both of them having passed through the fall. If there is a problem with us physically, then it may affect us spiritually. We must make sure not to compartmentalize our spiritual life so much that it is completely separate from the body. The two are intimately and intrinsically connected, with each one greatly affecting the other. For example, if we have a chemical imbalance (which is caused by the fall, as is every disease), then our chemical imbalance can and will affect our spiritual life—we might get down, depressed, and even have suicidal thoughts. The same can be said with exercise, eating right, and sleep. If we fail to exercise, eat right, or get sleep, we are much more vulnerable to the effects of stress and depression.
How then can we deal with and overcome depression? There is no one set answer, but there are some tangible things that we can do. We can exercise, eat right, and get some sleep. We can also preach to ourselves as today’s Psalm demonstrates. The Psalms invoke almost every emotion imaginable: anger, joy, jubilation, sorrow, etc. In today’s passage, we see the Psalmist going through a very difficult time. And what does he do? He preaches to himself. He reminds himself of who he is in God. He identifies his condition as “cast down” and “in turmoil.” He then identifies the remedy to his soul’s condition, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God”—Psalm 42:11.
Today, outside of the aforementioned practices I just named, we need to practice soul-self-preaching. We preach to ourselves the fundamental truths of God’s Word. We need to remind ourselves that we are more than the sum of our parts and beneficiaries of a salvation beyond our wildest dreams. And not only that; we are children of the one true King of the Universe in whom are contained all of life’s great mysteries. We may not understand why we are going through a dark night of the soul, but we do know that God does, so we continually look to Him in faith and hope. We must be continually reminded that He is God and He is sovereign over our present circumstances. God will be there for us and help us, His Spirit working through His Word for His glory and our joy. Amen.
Please do not discount the difference medication can make in a person's life. For many people, medication is an answer to their healing from depression. I'm not saying that it's the only answer...but for some it really is. The after effects of depression will be impacting on a Christian's spiritual life, and then some of the things that you talk about in this blog can be directly applicable.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, any person who is suffering from depression and doesn't have a clear idea why should make a doctor's appointment. Many other medical issues present itself first with the same symptoms of depression. Even after that, a person should really see all of their options available to them. People should never have to struggle through depression alone.
But please...when you feel like Job and can honestly say, "But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him,"...if you feel like God has totally left you, no amount of soul preaching is going to save you from depression.
There are going to be different ways of treatment for people. For some, counseling. For some medication. For some, both. For some, other ways.
But please. I know that you get a lot of views on this blog. To not mention the idea of professional help is completely leaving out a very viable, very possible option for people.
I didn't mean to downplay medication whatsoever. I believe that people should be evaluated by a doctor for certain issues of depression in order to see if there is a chemical imbalance, or something even more serious. My point is that we all too quickly turn to medication for problems with spiritual roots. Spiritual problems cannot be cured by physical medication. As a matter of fact, spiritual causes can have physical ailments, and physical choices can have spiritual consequences. One needs medical attention (physical problems that manifest themselves spiritually) while the other needs biblical attention (spiritual problems that manifest themselves physically). Make sense?
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