The Reality of and Remedy for Spiritual Depression
Last week I
mentioned a link between sin and depression. That comment generated a lot of
discussion among you and with a couple asking me to clarify the remark.
Ultimately, all
depression, including grief, comes from the entrance of sin into the world.
That is the ultimate cause of all depression, especially those types that are
linked to sin.
There are also
proximate causes that come from the use of medicines, chemical imbalances in
the system and other related items. However, though sin found in sinful
patterns of living or thinking may not appear to be the ultimate cause of being
downcast, they are a proximate cause. The reason someone might be on medicine
for a long-time may be related to patterns of sin in the life. One such is High
Blood Pressure. It may be difficult to discover, but often the reactions to
life's stimuli go way back to a series of bad responses over many years that
through stresses and autonomic functions in the body produce the chemicals that
bring it about. Many of these go back to issues in our youth and childhood that
are bad habits we have picked up. These habits make us to respond to the
stimuli of sin in contrary ways. These sins might be our own, they might be our
responses to the sins of others, or they might be manifestations without any
apparent cause on the surface--like post-partum blues.
Yet, depression is a real thing and difficult for those who
are depressed. Psalm 130 is the clearest statement about the reality of and
remedy for depression. It is a fascinating and useful Psalm, if we understand
it rightly. So, as we are between 1 & 2 Thess, I wanted to address this
topic this week.
Please turn to Psalm 130, a Psalm of David. 3,000 years
old, but still full of spirit inspired wisdom….
Psa. 130 An Honest Plea:
A Song of
Ascents.
1. The Request
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; 2
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my
supplications.
2. The Realization
3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could
stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
3. The Right Longing
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do
hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the
morning — Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
4. The Return to Hope
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is
mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
8 And He shall redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.
What Christians
often forget is this: God already knows all about and all about our trials.
When we pray to him, he already knows not just what we are going through, he
knows the reason for the trial and he knows what effects the trying times will
have in us or in others. As the old Negro spiritual is sung, Jesus knows all
about my troubles.” Many times in the Gospels, especially John, we find that
Jesus knows all about the people he ministered to. Nothing takes him by
surprise.
He knows where
we are, what we think, and what we say to others in order to isolate ourselves
fearfully from what they might think of us. If we were to be honest, the lion’s
share of us would have to admit that at some point in our Christian walk, we
have felt depressed or downcast about one thing or another or many things that
got to us altogether. It is okay to be honest about these realities. It is
alright to seek help in these times. But, the help should be sought from a
source that can truly help.
As we read the
Psalm did you notice how the writer links his state with sin? In verse 3, he
mentions iniquities and in verse 4 forgiveness. He says if the Lord should mark
iniquities--if he were to keep track of all our sins, and we were somehow aware
of them, we would not be able to stand in his presence. Our place would be on
our hands and knees in repentance. But, that is one of the hardest things for
depressed people to do. They can see their sin and be overwhelmed by it but
also have no hope of forgiveness. But verse 4 is linked intimately to 3, to
show how they go together. Depressed people need to be reminded of the
graciousness of God in forgiving his peoples many sins.
Let's look at
the text:
The great hymn
writer William Cowper suffered from melancholy--the old world word for
depression. He made plans one day to take his own life. He hired a carriage,
gave directions to the coachman to bring him to a certain bridge. A terrible
fog rolled in making it impassible for the carriage driver to find the
designated spot. So, unable to deliver Cowper to his destination, he was
returned home with apologies.
Cowper went back
into his dwelling, saw this as a remarkable providence of God, came to his
senses, repented and soon thereafter wrote a hymn:
God moves in a
mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
He plants his
footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable
mines of never failing skill
He treasures up
his bright designs and works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful
saints fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread…
Are big with
mercy and shall break in blessings on your head
Judge not the
Lord by feeble sense But trust him for his grace,
Behind a
frowning providence he hides a smiling face.
His purposes
will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour,
The bud may have
a better taste but sweet will be the flower
Blind unbelief
is sure to err, and scan his work in vain,
God is his own
interpreter and he will make it plain.
Being in the
depths even with degrees of despair is a part of life, even as believers.
Consider the Psalmist who penned this song of ascents. Even though in the
depths, the Spirit of God was with him, inspiring him to pen these words, that
we might use them for our spiritual improvement 3,000 years later.
This Psalm was
sung by the pilgrims on the way to the feasts in Jerusalem as they made their
way up to the city on the Hill. From whichever direction you travelled to the
feasts, the perception was going up to Jerusalem. That’s why these psalms are
called the Psalms of Ascent. They prepared the pilgrim for the feast and
worship in the Temple.
1. The Request
1 Out of the depths...
Have you ever
felt down in the dumps, in the pits, in a rut, in the depths of despair? Have
you ever thought you had one foot in the grave because you felt so bad?
That is the
place this Psalmist was at the beginning of this prayer. The word is used for
the depths of the sea or the depths of the earth. It also means abyss. It is a
place where you don’t want to be and we don’t want others to know that’s where
we are or even have been. But, God already knows and the fact of the matter is
that we can be honest about these things as well. Honesty to see the problem
and to seek God’s remedy. That’s what the Psalmist does.
There are many
ways to be brought to the depths of spiritual depression, the dark night of the
soul, as some Puritans called it.
The problem is
always related to sin that is either our own or our response to the sin of
others. As a sinful response to the transgressions of others, that too, is our
sin.
Our own sin can
be of two kinds: 1. Occasional sins that bring great grief and guilt. 2.
Habitual sins and their detrimental effect on our spiritual lives over time.
The first kind are easy to see and often easier to deal with. The second are
difficult to see and harder to change.
There is also
the effects of others sins. People disappoint regularly. Those we love in our
families, others among our friends and acquaintances, the people at work or
school or even church can get to us at times. Even the ‘best’ among men have
the capacity to let us down.
We looked at
Psalm 118:8-9 last week. It is always better to trust in the Lord. People have
the capacity to let us down.
Cowper
continues: Judge not the Lord by feeble sense But trust him for his grace,
Behind a
frowning providence he hides a smiling face.
Like the
Psalmist of old, we too, can from the depths pray to God while trusting in him.
The Psalmist no longer wallows in the muck of despair, he comes to his senses
and does something, he prays.
I have cried to You, O LORD; 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be
attentive To the voice of my supplications.
It is as if God
is far away from him. Can any of you relate to that? It is as if the Psalmist
screams, then begs, for God to hear and to take up his cause.
The story is
told of a couple back in the days of bench front seats in autos. Cars today
have two front seats one on each side. At one point they had front seats that
were like many rear seats. On a front bench seat, you could fit three people.
Couples would often have the man driving and his girlfriend or wife sitting
next to him all cozied up against him. A wife was sitting over by her window
remembering a day when their love was full of passion and the feelings of being
in love. She looked over to her husband to say, “Honey, do you remember those
days when we were so much in love, that I would sit over right there next to
you? We were inseparable. What happened to us?” The husband looked over at her
and said, “I never moved.”
Do you see the
important point this illustrates. Jesus has his bride. He loves his bride and
seeks close fellowship with her. He can be counted on to be where he has always
been. Yet quickly or slowly, believers can move away from him as their first
love. They can find themselves in the depths, in need of crying out to him. It
is as if God has gone on vacation, yet in reality, he has never moved--he is
everywhere, present and powerful working in his people, the church and the
world.
Actually, not
only is he present to hear and minister to us by virtue of his omnipresence, by
his spirit he indwells the believer. He is in us to help us in every way.
The Psalmist
realizes the cause of all of this. He does not blame others. He does not see
himself as a victim of circumstances, which is a phrase used to deny the
providences of God. He doesn’t put the blame on anyone else for not feeling
Happy, happy, happy, all the time, time, time....He has....
2. The Realization
3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could
stand?
Consider your
own sins. Think about just the sins of your mind over this morning or the past
couple of days. All the wicked thoughts of envy, jealousy, pride, covetousness,
lust, and the like would be enough to damn us forever. If the Lord were to take
note of each sin and judge it immediately with righteous judgment, nobody could
stand in his presence, no one would remain alive. But, God does not extract
immediate justice on each and every occurrence of sin. He does not mark
iniquities in that way. He never does. He has hardly ever taken a life
immediately, though He has and he can. He usually does something else....
The Psalmist
tells us what the Lord does if it is sought. It is his nature to do this....
4 But there is forgiveness with You,
In the depths,
because of his sins, he realizes the glory of what he does not deserve because
of his sins. In the place of condemnation he finds forgiveness.
Spiritually
depressed people often see themselves as miserable and worthless and unworthy
to approach the presence of God in prayer. That is a denial of character of
God--which adds sin to sins. God stands ready and willing to forgive. To
release us of the guilt of sin and to work in us that we might be released to
the bondage of it, as well.
There is an
unexpected purpose accompanying the forgiveness of God. It is, in the words of
the Psalm:
That You may be feared.
In Luke 5:17-26
there is a story about a paralytic who was brought to Jesus to be healed. When
Jesus mentions the forgiveness of this man’s sins, the scribes and Pharisees
accuse him of blasphemy. Jesus knew what they were reasoning in their hearts.
Jesus speaks their thoughts, 22b ““Why
are you reasoning in your hearts? 23
“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your
sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise
up and walk’?” Jesus did both. The man got up, took what he had been lying on
and went home. The effect this had on all of them is given in 26 And they were all amazed, and they
glorified God and were filled with fear....
This godly fear
in those who believe isn’t a shaking and terrible fear, but an awesome respect,
a reverencing, a holy and solemn lingering realization of something profoundly
unique and special.
When we consider
all that we have been forgiven, we should be amazed, filled with awe, wonder at
the overwhelming grace of God alone, who could do for us what we need to stand
in his presence. When we consider our own forgiveness by God, we should have
that lingering realization of a holy work in us. Only God can forgive sin.
The realization
of even the possibility of forgiveness lifts the Psalmist further out of the
depth. He shows that he has come to his senses and the work done deep within
has given him....
3. The Right Longing
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
He is not
waiting for some sort of pious experience or a mystical zap, he is actively
engaged in preparing his soul. This waiting is coupled with his activity And in His word I do hope.
He is no longer
focused on himself, as spiritually depressed people are, he longs for God and
starts by preparing himself by calling to mind what he knows about God and the
works of God. He trusts in what God has revealed, the promises given, a certain
expectation that it will come to pass. He is waiting for that to occur.
He is like a
waiter who has been trained and stands at the ready to do what it right and
needed. He is actively engaged with a spirit of anticipation. Look at Verse 6:
He repeats the first phrase and then illustrates this sense of active
anticipation:
6 My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for
the morning — Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
The watch before
dawn was the hardest and most demanding. Physically, it is just difficult to be
vigilant in the dark. Even if the moon were full, it is difficult to just look
out into darkness as one sat on the walls and protected the city. The pre-dawn
hours were the time for armies to move in and attack, for thieves to enter the
city, for traitors to escape. The watchman would long for the daylight to come,
to see little glimmers of light on the horizon. What a beautiful picture.
This ought also
to be contrasted with the darkness of the abyss, the depths to which we are
prone to go. In the depths, there is no light. It is like the underworld with
no light and all gloom.
The Psalmist has
this anticipation that God will give light to him. In KJV language it is the
light of God’s countenance. The token of his presence. The Psalmist is looking
for this. He longs for God to work in him, to raise him further out of the
depths, more than the watchmen wait for the beams of the sun in the morning
hours. The Psalmist wants to be delivered of this trial, but in God’s good
timing. He makes no demands upon God for a timetable. He waits, with an
informed mind, an inflamed heart and a will that s ready to change.
Considering the
character of God, the forgiveness of his Lord, the mercies that will surely
come, he turns from himself, to God and then to a consideration of all God’s
people. He is at a place where he can encourage others. Based on what God has
done, he can speak about the future.
4. The Return to Hope
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD;
He started in
the depths, in a hopeless situation, and as he emerges from the pits, he tells
all of God’s people to have hope. This is not the sense of hope that is
accompanied with doubt--I hope the Patriots with the Superbowl. This sort of
hope is a certain expectation of the work of God. This is what I know he is
going to do....because I now understand the character of God. The Psalmist
says,
For with the
LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.
The Lord looks
down from heaven and sees us wherever we are and he known what’s going on
inside our minds. He knows if there are chemical imbalances and he knows
whether they are the cause or the effect of the choices we have made.
Regardless, he knows all about us. When he looks at us, even in the depths, he
pities us and always remains ready to shower us with mercy.
God is
compassionate. Mercy is what he gives to his people. But, when someone gets
spiritually depressed, these are the very things they forget. Like Cowper, they
know the scriptures, but they start to think of themselves as exceptions to the
rule God has revealed. They do not trust in his word. They forget the very
character of God and often see him as a judge ready and eager to break them
into pieces. Towards those who are his sheep, he is a tender shepherd.
Psa. 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of
compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Writing further
about his expectant hope, he writes not of proximate and earthy deliverance
from the things of this life in a fallen world, but anticipates the greatest
deliverance that will even be known....
8 And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.
There is an
Israel after the Flesh and there is an Israel after the Spirit. The latter are
the people of God wherever they are and whenever they lived.
All who are
God’s elect throughout all of time will surely experience the redemption from
sin purchased for them by the Lord Jesus Christ. Those living before him who
trusted in what was to come and those after him who trust in his saving work.
They will know the redemption of God.
Redemption is a
term taken from the world of commerce, it means to buy something back. In Mass,
we have two kinds of redemption centers. The first are those places where we
bring back bottle and cans for the deposit of $.05/each. They buy back the
containers.
The second kind
of redemption centers are local churches who preach salvation in Christ alone.
They proclaim that we had a debt owed to God that we could not pay because of
our sin. Our sin had us in a pit so deep we could not comprehend the depth to
which we were fallen. But, the Father sent his unique and only son to come to
earth as a man, in order that he might live a sinless life, giving himself as a
payment in blood upon the cross to assure the eternal salvation of his people.
Knowing the
fullness of and the end of the story of redemption, these thoughts should help
us when we are in the depths:
And He shall
redeem all of his people From all their sins. Even those that put us in the
depths, that keep us in the pits, that we enjoy in the rut, etc. From all their
sins: even those when we fail to let our love cover the multitude of sins
others commit towards us. Even those times of doubt and unbelief. Even those
that come from failing to forgive others. Even those that are ours because we
mismanage personal relationships. He
shall redeem all of his people From all their sins.What better news is there
than that?
It is True!
God moves in a
mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
He plant his
footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.
Deep in
unfathomable mines of never failing skill
He treasures up
his bright designs and works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful
saints fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread
Are big with
mercy and shall break in blessings on your head
Its alright to
be honest with God and with each other. On this side of glory nobody is immune
from doubt and spiritual depression. But, we are all responsible to not stay in
the depths, but to seek God’s remedy.
1. The Request--To call out to him.
2. The Realization--Realize we are there because of our own
sin.
Understand the
forgiving nature of God.
3. The Right Longing--Get ready for him to work through and
in his word.
Remember the
mercy that God delights to give.
4. The Return to Hope
Be overwhelmed
by his undeserved grace lavished upon you in the salvation Jesus purchased for
you.
Those clouds of
gloom and doom in the hands of God can be the means of his refreshing grace in
his time. At least it can make you more sympathetic to others who go through
the vallies of life. Actively wait on him as you seek his mercy. He is a
faithful God despite our feelings. He has never moved away from us, but we from
him. His arms are open calling us to come to him. He loves his people. He
enjoys their worship. He delights to do them good.
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