HOW TO GET UP WHEN YOU ARE FEELING DOWN

Transcription

1 HOW TO GET UP WHEN YOU ARE FEELING DOWN Psalms 42 and 43 Return To Psalm Master Index Page Like Psalms 9 and 10, Psalms 42 and 43 were originally one Psalm. Some ancient manuscripts put them together; also, Psalm 43 has no title. The key verse is the same in both Psalms and is found three times Psalms 42:5, 11; 42:5. This Psalm was written by David evidently during the time of his exile brought on by Absalom's rebellion. Notice that it was written to be sung by the sons of Korah. Most think that the children of Korah perished in the awful rebellion of their father against the leadership of Moses when the earth opened its mouth and, as one man put it, many of Korah's family members dropped into Hell with their clothes on because they dared to stand against Moses, God's man. But Number 26:11 says, Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not. The heading of this Psalm indicates it is a maschil, which means a psalm of instruction, given to make wise or to direct wisely. There are eleven maschil psalms and all of them teach us a spiritual lesson. In Psalm 42 and 43 (which go together) the Psalmist was in the pits. He was Depressed, Disappointed, Discouraged, Down in the dumps, stressed out, and feeling mighty low. Have you ever felt down or just flat out depressed? We all get the blues. Sometime being depressed is a normal part of life. David wrote many of the Psalms during times of depression. This is where most Americans are. Depression is epidemic. There are at least 2,000 suicides every day in the world. In the United States alone there are more than four million people who require special medical help for depression every year. Believe me, depression is a normal part of our lives. Rain for instance, is absolutely essential for health and life on this planet, but we don't want rain all the time. Right? When there is too little rain, parching drought is the result. When there is too much rain, there is flooding. Yet, we need some rain. We can't have all sunshine. Lucy is complaining to Charlie Brown in one of the Peanuts comic strips. She says, Sometimes I get discouraged. Well, Lucy, Charlie responds, Life does have its ups

2 and downs, you know. Forcefully, Lucy answers, But why? Why should it? Why can't my life be all 'ups'? If I want all 'ups', why can't I have them? Why can't I just move from one 'up' to another 'up'? I don't want any 'downs'; I just want 'ups'. I don't know of anyone who wants downs, but the truth is that life does have its down experiences, and one of them is called depression. We need to understand that Christians get depressed too. Great men in the Bible like Elijah, Moses, David, John the Baptist, and Paul were depressed at times. But, the Christian has supernatural resources the non-christian does not have. When an unsaved person comes to discouragement, despair, and depression, he may turn to drugs, alcohol, recreation, or sex as escape valves. But the unbelievers finds that when he tries to escape into these devices, he has not escaped himself and he must face himself. But the Christian does have resources he can call upon. - Making us feel guilty because we are discouraged or depressed is not the answer. It only drives us further into depression. - Our emotions cannot change on demand. If I tell you, Don't feel depressed, that is an impossible command. Feeling bad because we feel bad, or becoming depressed because we are depressed is not the answer. All of that just compounds the problem. There are times when our depression has physical causes and ought to have medical attention. For example, certain forms of illness can cause depression. Some people are more prone to depression than others because of their temperaments. If they tend to be introspective there is more chance of their getting depressed than if they are extroverts. Satan wants us to be discouraged and he works to that end. Many Christians add to their guilt by feeling they should not be depressed. But we do need to realize that depression is very relevant to our fellowship with God and so we need to know how to get up when we are feeling down. I. David's Desire 42:1-2,4 David's basic desire was to have a heart for God. Within his heart was a consuming passion to have spiritual intimacy with God: To feel Him; To Sense His Presence. David craved for the communion of the Eternal one:he longed for fellowship with God. David had been driven into exile because Absalom wanted to kill him. That meant that he was away from home and the Tabernacle of God. His trials were great and he felt that he had temporarily lost the sense of His Divine Presence and favor. He not only felt exiled from the Tabernacle, but from God Himself. David desperately missed the worship and presence of God in his life and he felt emptiness and dissatisfaction in his heart because he was no longer close to God as he once was. He felt isolated from God. David desperately missed the worship and presence of God in his life and he felt

3 emptiness and dissatisfaction in his heart because he was no longer close to God as he once was. He felt isolated from God. Do you yearn for the Lord in you life? Do you have a craving for Him? David describes his thirst for God by using the panting of a deer as an illustration. The word panteth means to long, to crave, to bray. It refers to the intense desire of the deer for water in the heat of the day because it has been hunted and hounded until it is spent and ready to drop. Unfortunately, many Christians don't have that kind of thirst for God in their daily life. Look at David's example of thirsting for God: Psalm 63:1-2; 84:2; 122:1; 143:6-7. Listen to the words of a great song: As the Deer As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after Thee You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship Thee. You alone are my strength, my shield To you alone may my spirit yield You alone are my heart's desire And I long to worship Thee. You're my friend and you are my brother Even though you are a King I love you more than any other so much more than anything. I want you more than gold or silver only you can satisfy You alone are the real joy-giver And the apple of my eye. When you have that kind of thirst for God, Jesus becomes sweeter and sweeter every day! There's within my heart a melody Jesus whispers sweet and low Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still In all of life's ebb and flow. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know Fills my every longing Keeps me singing as I go.

4 Though sometimes He leads through waters deep, Trials fall across the way Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep see His footprints all the way. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Sweetest name I know Fills my every longing Keeps me singing as I go. Remember our Lord's invitation: If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37b-38). Billions have cried, thirsting for Him, and He has met their needs and He will do it for us today! Notice 42:4 David thirsts for the Lord as he remembers his past commitment to Him. His heart broke as he remembered how things USE TO BE! David, in the past, had walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading the procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of great celebration! That's all in the past now. He longs for those days of joy and gladness; those days of worship at the Tabernacle. Oh, to have those days back! Perhaps you are having these same thoughts. At one time in your past you lived your life for the Lord Jesus Christ. You walked with God and had the joy of the Lord in our life, but now it's missing. You were faithful in church, read your Bible all the time, prayed, and told others about Christ, but that fire is gone. Maybe sin robbed you of your fire and joy or maybe you got so busy, you just gradually drifted away from the Lord and His church. Was there a time that you were closer to the Lord than you are now? Listen: God uses the great memories of our past dedication and commitment to create a thirst in our heart for Him. Memories cause us to want the joy we use to have back in our lives; to want the closeness with Christ that we once had. God can use the memories of our past to bring victory in our lives again. II. David's Despair 42:3, 5-6a, 9-11a; 43:5a A. The Characteristics of Depression

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul Why are you in despair, or bent over as if the wind is knocked out of you? David felt like he had been kicked in the gut. Why are you disquieted within me? Why are you troubled within, experiencing all kinds of emotions, including worry, discouragement, rage, bitterness, confusion, and a lack of inward peace? Notice that David is preaching to himself; rebuking himself. He is not talking to others about their spiritual failures. He is holding himself accountable for HIS spiritual failure. Why are you cast down, O my soul? Did you know the Bible encourages us to preach to ourselves; to rebuke ourselves; to correct ourselves; to exhort ourselves; to encourage ourselves? Psalm 103:1-2 Psalm 139: I Corinthians ll:28, 31 David admits he had lost the joy of the Lord. He is suppose to have peace in his heart, but he does not. Philippians 4:6-7 John 14:27; 15:ll; l6:24 Isaiah 26:3 Romans 14:17 There is sadness and often weeping 42:9 Depression causes molehills to look like mountains. B. The Causes of Depression 1. Self-centeredness David uses the personal pronouns, me, my, and I 37 times in the 16 verses of Psalms 42 and His absence from public worship 42:2; Hebrews l0:25 3. The taunts of unbelievers 42:3, His absence of Peace 42:5 5. Overwhelmed by the trials of life 42:7 6. The seemingly failure of God to act quickly on His behalf 42:9-10 III. David's Delight 42:5b, 8, 1116; 43:5b How will we face our depression? Endure it? Escape it? Or Learn from it?

6 The important thing about depression is NOT THAT you get out of it, but WHAT you get out of it. What did you learn from it? God's Word gives practical instructions for us when we are depressed. 1. Rely on the Lord to help you face depression. The Lord is close to those who are broken-hearted and discouraged Psalm 34:18; Exodus 15:2; 2 Samuel 22:33; Psalm 28:7: Jeremiah 33:3. 2. Cast ALL your cares upon the Lord I Peter 5:7 3. Remove your guilt by repenting of the sin that may be causing you problem I John l:9 4. Refuse fellowship with negative, bitter, and angry people or their traits will spread to you. Proverbs 22: Forgive your offenders Ephesians 4: Have confidence in God that He will do what He says He will do 42:5b The word hope means not only to hope, but to trust, to wait, and to put your expectations in Him. How do we reclaim our joy and close walk with the Lord? Jeremiah 19:13 There is an ancient tale from India about a young man who was seeking God. He went to a wise old sage for help. How can I find God? he asked the old man. The old man took him to a nearby river. Out they waded into the deep water. Soon the water was up just under their chins. Suddenly the old man seized the young man by the neck and pushed him under the water. He held the young man down until the young man was flailing the water in desperation. Another minute and he may well have drowned. Up out of the water the two of them cane. The young man was coughing water from his lungs, wheezing, and still gasping for air. Reaching the bank of the river, he asked the man indignantly, What did that have to do with my finding God? The old man asked him quietly, While you were under the water, what did you want more than anything else? The young man thought for a minute and then answered, I wanted air. I wanted air more than anything else. The old man replied, When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find Him. Return To Psalm Master Index Page

7