Spiritual Depression

Q: What does the Bible say about spiritual depression?

The Bible acknowledges spiritual depression as a reality, seen in David's lament in Psalm 42. Spiritual depression is addressed in the Scriptures, particularly in many of David's psalms, such as Psalm 42. In this passage, David expresses feelings of deep sorrow and inner turmoil, questioning his own state of being. He asks, 'Why art thou cast down, O my soul?' signifying the internal struggle every believer may face. This condition isn't uncommon among God's people, and the Scriptures encourage bringing these feelings to God in prayer, demonstrating reliance on Him as the source of strength amid depression.

Q: How do we know God is with us in times of spiritual struggle?

God's presence is assured even in our darkest times, as emphasized in Psalm 42. In times of spiritual struggle, it’s crucial to remember that God remains present with His people. Psalm 42 illustrates this by demonstrating David's faith amidst despair. Despite feeling abandoned, David confidently expresses hope in God, saying, 'Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him.' This shows that even in moments of spiritual depression, God commands lovingkindness and is ever faithful. Additionally, the scriptures affirm God’s unwavering nature, ensuring that our trials are not an indication of His absence but rather an opportunity to deepen our trust and reliance on Him.

Q: Why is trusting in God important during times of sadness?

Trusting in God provides the believer with hope and assurance during sadness. Trusting in God during times of sadness is essential as it anchors the believer’s soul amidst emotional turmoil. Psalm 42 vividly illustrates the conflict between faith and fear. David asks himself, 'Why art thou cast down, O my soul?' yet chooses to affirm his trust in God. This trust is not based on feelings but on God’s promises, which remain steadfast regardless of circumstances. The psalm encourages believers to remember God’s past faithfulness, to hope in His nature, and to seek the Lord in prayer, all of which help restore the believer’s joy and peace.

I asked Brother Cecil if he would
read the 73rd Psalm, which he so effectively did. I'm blessed by the reading of
God's Word, aren't you? I do, do, do before God as my
witness. As I sit there, I'm blessed by
the reading of the Word of God, aren't you? who read it for us and to us.
Thank you. But I ask you to read that because
I believe that's a companion psalm with Psalm 42. I don't know where they were
written at the same time. It doesn't matter. But when I
decided to preach tonight on Psalm 42, I immediately thought
of Psalm 73 because they're companion psalms. And I asked Brother Cecil
if he'd read it. But I'm going to read this Psalm
42 and then come back to my comments. Psalm 42, As the deer, the heart
is a deer, panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul
after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for
the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God? My tears have been my meat, day
and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is your God? Where is your God? And when I
remember these things, I pour out my soul in me. For I had
gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God,
with a voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept Holy
Day, kept the Sabbath, Why art thou cast down? Why art thou
bowed down, O my soul? Why art thou depressed, disquieted
in me? Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise him for the help of his countenance, his presence
in salvation. I shall yet give thanks for his
presence in salvation. Verse 6, O my God, My soul is
cast down within me. Therefore will I remember thee
from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, and from the
hill Miser. Deep calleth unto deep at the
noise of thy water spouts. All thy ways and thy billows
are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command his
loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall
be with me in my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say
unto God, my rock, why hast thou forsaken me? Why go I mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in
my bones, my enemies reproach me. while they say daily, continually,
unto me, Where's your God? Where's your God? Why art thou
bowed down, O my soul? Why art thou depressed, disquieted
within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God. Now, there's no question that
this is the voice of a true believer. There's no doubt about that.
This man, this is the cry of a man whom God owned, whom God
anointed, whom God called a man after my own heart. This, is
it not, is the psalm of a believer. And this is the voice of a believer
under great spiritual depression. And that's what I'm calling this
message tonight, spiritual depression. And most of God's people experience
these times of spiritual depression, some to one degree and some to
another. And I don't know why or what
causes these times of emptiness and spiritual depression. I do
not know why. And I don't guess David did either
because he kept asking why. Why are you cast down? Why are
you depressed? Speaking to his inner self, he
said, why are you disquieted within me? Why? I don't know
why these times of spiritual depression occur. And I don't
know why these times of emptiness come upon us. I just know that
they do. I know this. These are times of doubts, many
doubts and fears. Listen to what he says in verse
3. My tears have been my meat day
and night while they continually. Who's they? Well, I don't know.
Maybe it's the voice within him. Maybe it's people without. I
do not know, but they continually say, where's your God? Where's
your God? Where's your profession now?
Where's your peace? Where's your rest? Where's your
confidence? Where's your assurance? Where's
your hope? He repeats it down in verse 10. He says the same thing. It's
like a sword in my bones. being twisted. My enemies reproach
me while they say daily unto me, where's your God? Where's
your faith? Where's your profession? Where's
your happiness? William Cowper. I just jotted
down a few of the verses of song written by these men, great men
of God. William Cowper one of the great
hymn writers and preachers, but he wrote this, where is the joy
that once I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is that soul
refreshing view of Jesus and his word? Isaac Watts, no one
here needs for me to tell you who Isaac Watts is, you know
about Isaac Watts. Listen to what he wrote one day.
Why is my heart so far from thee, my God, my chief delight? Why are my thoughts no more by
day with thee, and no more by night? And of course you're familiar
with that well-known hymn by John Newton, who wrote Amazing
Grace. He was one of the great preachers.
He said, "'Tis a point," he must have been in a state of spiritual
depression and emptiness when he wrote these words, "'Tis a
point I long to know, and often it gives me anxious thought.
Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not? If I love
him, why am I thus? Isn't that what David is asking?
Why are you cast down, my soul? Why are you depressed? If I love
him, why am I this? Why this dull and lifeless frame? Hardly, hardly sure could there
be any worse who never heard his name. So there are times, and I know
some of you have experienced them. If you haven't, you probably
will. Times of doubt, depression, and fear. And then there are
times when there are more tears than there are joys. Look at
verse 4. He said, When I remember these
things, I pour out my soul in me, For he said, I had gone with
the multitude, I went with them to the house of God. I haven't
always been like this, he said. I went with them to the house
of God with a voice of joy and praise, with the multitude that
kept the holy day. He said, I had joy rejoicing
in praise all the time. But now, verse 3, he said, my
tears, my tears have been my meat. Now I feed not on joy,
but on tears, night and day. I'm sad, I'm lonely, and I'm
discouraged, and I'm depressed, and my soul is bowed down. You know, what he's saying here
is how changed is my present state from what I once knew. How changed. One old writer wrote
this about that, he said, I sigh, I sigh to think of happier days
when thou, O Lord, was nigh, when every heart was tuned to
praise and no one was blessed more than I. Isn't that something? That's what David's saying here.
Here he was in this state, I don't know how long it lasted, a day
or two or ten or a month, a year. But he said, I haven't always
been like this. He said, I've gone with them to the house of
the Lord, full of joy and praise, but now I'm feeding on tears. My tears have been my meat, my
nourishment, day and night. Well, they said, where's you
got? Where's your happiness? Where's your peace? Where's your
joy? Where's your rest? Where's your assurance? Where's
that confidence? And that old writer said, I sigh
to think of those happier days when thou, O Lord, was nigh,
and every heart was turned to praise, and no one was blessed
more than I. And then, down here in verse
5, you know the Scriptures command us to rejoice in the Lord. And
I'm sure David knew that as much as anyone, because who wrote
more psalms of praise than David? He knew that. He longed to do
that. And that's the reason he keeps
asking, verse 5 here, why are you cast down? Why am I so troubled? Why am I so depressed in the
light of all of his promises? Why are you cast down, O my soul? Look at verse 11. Why are you
cast down, O my soul? Turn to Psalm 43 verse 5, one
page over. Why are you cast down, my soul? He just keeps on asking that.
Why? He sounds like two men talking,
doesn't he? Does it sound like that to you,
Charlie? It sounds like two men talking. Two men within one man. His faith is reasoning with his
fear. Why are you fearful? Hope thou
in God. Why are you fearful? His hope
argues with his sorrow. Why are you cast down? Why are
you disquieted? Why are you depressed? His love
questions his doubts. Why? Why are you like this? You're not supposed to be like
this. I think all of these religious organizations and preachers and
evangelists and psychologists or whatever they are that carry
on all this whoopee, I believe they give the wrong impression
of a relationship with God. I really do. I think here's reality. This is reality right here. David's
dealing with reality. He's not dealing... I know how
we should be, but I know how we are. He remembereth our frame. He knoweth that we're dust. And
so David seems like two men here. His faith reasons with his fear. His hope argues with his sorrow.
And his love questions his doubts. And he keeps asking himself,
why are you like this? Why are you like this? And listen
to verse 7. This one some of you are acquainted
with. I thought of some of you when
I was reading this verse right here. Deep calleth unto deep,
at the noise of thy water spouts, that all thy waves and thy billows
are gone over me. You know what this deep is? Deep, the waters below and the
waters above. deep and deep. And the water
spouts, you who have been to sea, you have been on an ocean
in a ship and have seen the waves actually that look like water
spouts reaching the heavens. They're way above the ship. You
remember? They just come crashing down on it. It looks like the
waters of heaven when it's pouring rain and the waters of earth
are joined and you're in the middle. I was in a typhoon in
Okinawa one time. And I didn't know if I was going
to get out of there or not. Some of you might have been there
in August 1945 when that typhoon hit Okinawa. And it looked like
that the whole world was numbered water. The skies and the ocean
and everything. And what this is a picture of,
what Dave is describing, deep calleth unto deep. At the noise,
and oh, the noise is unbelievable, the wind, the rain, the waves,
and all these things. Deep calleth unto deep. What
you've got here is a picture of a small vessel at sea. And
the deep, the waters above and the waters beneath seem to have
declared war on this little vessel. And the sea tosses it, and the
waters fall upon it, and the wind drives it from beneath and
from above and all around. And some of you have been right
there. When trials from heaven and trials from earth, trials
from below, trials from above, like he says here, it just looks
like in verse 7, all your ways and billows have gone over me.
It looks like that I've been marked out to be oppressed and
tried and tested above all men, like a little ship at sea. And here's the capstone in verse
9. Here's the capstone of this spiritual
depression. We have the doubts and the fears,
and we have the time of more tears than joy, and we have the
deep calling unto the deep, and the trials coming into our lives
that just choke us. Verse 9, then here's the capstone.
I will say unto God my rock. You know, David often says, the
Lord is my rock, the Lord is my salvation. He owns my rock. He owns my refuge. I'm going
to say to the Lord who is my rock, why have you forsaken me? Why have you forgotten me? You
know, David says, is he clean gone? Isn't that what he said?
Is he clean gone? Will he never hear me again?
Will he ever hear me again? Why have you forgotten me? I
can understand the desertion of men. I can understand that.
I can understand the forsaking of men, but why have you forsaken
me? Why? Look across at Psalm 43,
verse 2. Psalm 43, verse 2. You are the
God of my strength. Why do you cast me off? Why have
you cast me off? Somebody else said that one time,
why hast thou forsaken me? Somebody else said that one time.
You're not the first one that said that. David's not. Somebody
else said that. God's only begotten son said
that one time. Why hast thou forsaken me? And we're quick with an answer
for his cry, aren't we? I know why the Lord God forsook
His Son. My answer to the inquiry of His,
of the Lord Jesus Christ, He did all that for the good of
His people. That's why you're enduring this
trial, to accomplish His purpose and His glory and for the good
of His people. I understand that. Well, to my
inquiry, he answers the same thing. It's for your good and for my
glory. I can show you that. Turn to
Psalm 119. Psalm 119. It didn't keep him
from asking it. It doesn't keep us from asking
it. Why hast thou forsaken me? Why, my God, my rock, have you
cast me off? me in, but why you? Psalm 119,
verse 71. Listen. It's good for me that
I've been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. The law of
thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me and given me understanding
that I may learn thy commandments They that fear thee will be glad
when they see me, because I have hoped in thy word. I know, O
Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness
hast afflicted me." And then, you know, Hebrews,
Paul said, Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. He scourgeth every
son. If you be without chastening,
then you're not sons. And then Paul wrote, tribulation
worketh patience. Patience, experience, and experience,
hope and hope make it not a shame. But that doesn't keep us from
asking, does it? Verse 9, I will say unto God,
my rock, he is my rock, why hast thou forgotten me? Why do I mourn
him? Why do I mourn because of the
oppression of my enemies? Well, enough of that. Enough of our trials and troubles
and depressions, but enough of it that we recognize it. Enough
of it that we acknowledge it. Enough of it that we admit it.
Now what does the psalmist do? What does the psalmist do? What
shall I do in these times of spiritual depression. And as
David laments his depression, his spiritual depression, and
the fact that his soul is bowed down, he gives us the answer. So let's start with verse 1. And here's the first thing. In these times of spiritual loneliness,
emptiness, and depression, Regardless of my need, regardless of my
condition, regardless of my state, there's but one source of strength. There's but one source of grace
and help, and that's God, the living God. He's the fountain
of all grace. It's like our Lord, when the
multitude left Him, He turned to the disciples and said, will
you leave too? And they said, to whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And that's the
reason David writes here then. You see, his depression and his
knowledge is all in the same person. It's all right here. It's interchangeable. He's talking
one time of his confidence and another time of his fear. See
that? That's where we are. So he says here, as the heart,
as the deer, the thirsty deer, The weary deer, chased by the
hunter, chased by the hounds, chased by the dogs. He's panting. He's so weary and tired. He's
gone through the woods running. And finally he's eluded his pursuers. But he's so weary and tired and
thirsty. What does he yearn for? What
does he pant for? He pants for the water books.
He pants for the stream of water. And as that weary deer, chased
by the hunters and chased by the dogs, as he pants for that
water book, so panteth my cast down, bowed down, disquieted
soul for thee. For thee. Not for your house. Not even for your ordinances.
For thee. for thee. If I'm a weary traveler
in the wilderness and my water supply is depleted, there's no
substitute. Water. No substitute. Water. And that's what he's saying
right here, verse 2. And my soul thirsteth for God. Not just for religion, not for
a god, for the what? Living God. That's the one for
whom I thirst. The living Blessed are they that
hunger and thirst there be filled. Oh, when shall I come and appear
before God? And then the second thing, that's
the first thing, even in this time of emptiness and depression,
don't look anywhere else. Don't read a book on the power
of positive thinking. Don't do that. Don't go to some
class of of depressing anonymous or something,
you know. Don't go to, don't do, don't.
Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord. Go back to Bethel. Go back where you started. Go
back to your foundation. Go back to Calvary. Isn't that
right? Don't look for any shortcuts. Don't look for any magic wands.
Don't look for anybody with a power of positive thinking to get you
back on top again. David said, My soul panteth for
thee, the living God. When shall I come and appear
before thee? And then his second thing is this, verse 5. While
you cast down, O my soul, while you are disquieted, do what?
Hope thou in God. Hope in God. I read this, Mr. Spurgeon said this, a loss of
the present sense of God's love is not a loss of that love itself. Did you hear that? A loss of
the present, right now, sense of God's love is not a loss of
that love at all. Thank God. If we're not faithful,
he is. If we're not consistent, he is. If we're changeable, he's not. You understand what I'm saying?
He's not changeable. I want to show you that in an
example. Look at this Saturday. According to 1 Corinthians, Paul
said this. What I'm saying is, hope, hope,
you know, hope. We're saved by hope, but hope
which you sing is not hope. That's not it at all. He said,
I'm the Lord, I change not. Therefore you sons of Jacob are
not consumed. He's not going to change in his
promises to you and to me, in his relationship with you and
me. We do. If I'm down, he's not. If I'm
weak, he's not. If I'm depressed, he's not. And Paul here in 2 Corinthians
1, listen to this. Verse 15, And in this confidence
I was minded to come to you before that you might have a second
benefit. I intended to come see you, Paul
said. I intended to pass by you into Macedonia, to come again
out of Macedonia to you, and of you to be brought on my way
towards Jerusalem. Now that was my intention, that
was my plan, and I said that to you. Now verse 17, when I
therefore was thus minded, when I told you I was coming to visit
you, did I use likeness? Or the things that I purpose,
do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me they should
be yea, yea, and nay, nay? Well, Paul didn't come. He said,
I'm coming, but he didn't come. But he's trying to tell them.
He says this, it's not because I didn't intend to. I wasn't
being hypocritical. I wasn't saying yes and no, yes
and no. I was saying I'd come, but I
don't control the circumstances. I don't control the circumstances.
But I'll tell you this, he said, but as God is true, our preaching
towards you was not yea and nay. And no doubt about that. In other
words, I might tell you I'm coming, and I'll never make it. But don't
judge my preaching by that. Because providence is not under
my control. But I do know this, look at verse
19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and
Timothy, that was not yea and nay, but in him yea, for all
the promises of God in him are yes, in him amen, to the glory
of God. He says, God's not changing. His promises are yes and sure. I've changed. I change. I'm subject to change. But thank
God He's not. And that's the reason we can
go back to our psalm now, and he said, You hope in God. You
hope in God. You hope in God. Verse 5, You
hope thou in God, I'll yet praise Him. He's my help. And down in verse 11 it says,
He's my health. H-E-A-L-T-H. He's my help, and
he's my help, and he's my salvation. And then the next thing he does,
he seeks the Lord, and he hopes in the Lord. God doesn't change. God's promises in Christ are
yea, so be it. Amen. He doesn't change. I change,
but he doesn't change. I can hope in him. There's a
sure hope in Christ Jesus, if I believe Christ. Thirdly, I'm
going to remember some things. Now look at verse 6. Oh my soul,
oh my God, my soul is cast down within me, therefore I will remember. I'm going to do some remembering.
I will remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites,
and from the hill Mizer. Now, I don't want to sidetrack
here, but I tried to find out what the land of Jordan and the
Hermonites, and Miser was, and different people offered different
things. Some of them talked about Israel crossing the Jordan, and
the defeating of the kings in a certain place, and the giving
of the law on Sinai. But you know what I believe David
is saying here? He's picking out some times back
yonder, back yonder in his life, when the fellowship with God
was especially Don't you think that, John? I remember the Jordan. I remember the land of the Hermonites. I remember when you protected
me and lifted me and helped me. I remember when I sat down that
day and wrote, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. I
remember that. I remember that. And that's what
he's doing here. He's saying, I remember these
things. I remember that. I remember that you are my God
and my Savior. Though I am weak, thou art strong.
Though I am poor, thou art rich. Though I am changing, thou never
changest. Though I am a sinner, you died
for sinners. I remember that. And I remember your word and
your promises to me. Martin Luther wrote this, Now
feelings come and feelings go. and feelings are deceiving. My
warrant is the word of God, and naught else is worth believing.
Though all my heart should feel condemned for want of some sweet
token, I know one greater than my heart whose word cannot be
broken. So I trust in God's unchanging
word till soul and body sever. The words of men will pass away. God's word abides forever. I'm going to remember all those joys and happy experiences
and promises of God. I'm going to remember. Call to
mind how precious the Lord has been to me. And then I'm going
to remember that He's my God and my Savior. And then I'm going
to go to his word. You know, let me find this and
read it to you. You just listen here. Keep that passage there. Over
here in Psalm 119, David wrote this. My hands also will I lift up
unto thy commandments which I have loved, and I'll meditate in thy
statutes. And I'll remember the word unto
thy servant, thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast
caused me to hope." All right, here's the last thing
now, verse 8. I'll seek his face. When I get in this shape, I'm
going to seek his face. I'm going to hope in him. And
I'm going to remember his tender mercies. I'm going to remember
his promises. I'm going to remember his word.
And then firstly, I'm going to pray. He says in verse 8, verse
7, deep calleth unto deep, all right, we're going through this
trial, and all thy ways in bitterness, yet, verse 8, yet, the Lord,
yet, in his own time, in the fullness of time, yet, The Lord
will command his lovingkindness in the daytime. You know, there's
a word there that seems to be the wrong word, that command. You'd think you'd say, yet the
Lord will bestow his lovingkindness. Well, I tell you, his lovingkindness
is free and his lovingkindness is gracious, but his lovingkindness
is sovereign. He commands his lovingkindness.
He commands it, and if He commands it, who can hinder it? Who can
separate me from the love of God? Tribulation? Trials? Pestilence? The soul? Death?
Life? Any other creature? Nothing can
separate me. He commanded it. Yet He will
command His loving kindness. In the daytime, when I can see,
and in the nighttime, when I can't see. In the daytime, when things are
going pretty well. And in the nighttime, when all
is dark. But in that nighttime, He'll
give me songs in the night. His songs shall be with me. And
my prayer will be to the God of my life. My prayer will be
to the God of my life. I'll give thanks and I'll pray. And I'll call upon God. So that's what I believe David
is saying there. I believe he's going through
a time of great spiritual depression, which we experience also. And
he's giving us, along with the reality of it, he's giving us
the answer to it. I'll seek the Lord, and I'll
hope in Him. That hope's not going I'm going
to diminish my hope in Him. He's my hope. And I'm going to
do some remembering. Remember His mercies, remember
His grace, and remember His Word. And then I'm going to pray. I'm
going to pray. My prayer shall be to the God
of my life. Deliver me for Thy glory. Alright, I hope that's a blessing.
Mike, give us a closing.

Spiritual Depression

What does the Bible say about spiritual depression?

How do we know God is with us in times of spiritual struggle?

Why is trusting in God important during times of sadness?

Sermon Transcript

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Spiritual Depression

What does the Bible say about spiritual depression?

How do we know God is with us in times of spiritual struggle?

Why is trusting in God important during times of sadness?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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