How To Get Up When You're Down Series

How To Get Up When Your Down!

Psalm 42:5

Introduction:

Text Verse: v.5 – repeated 2x’s – (v.11) and in (43:5)

Not told exactly who the penman is! Many believe King David!

David = having more than a blah day… fleeting moment of discouragement… he was in a time of deep emotional crisis…

v.5 – “cast down soul” = burdened, broken… state of ongoing discouragement, depression, and despair.

Quote: Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England during WW2 – Never, never, never, never give up! – wrote, that depression was like a black dog that trailed him all his life.

Setting: 2 Sam. 15 – David fled from his own son Absalom… exiled to the Judean wilderness… future uncertain… away from home in city of Jerusalem… away from the sanctuary… worship of God.

Think about it: his own son has turned against him… closest friends have betrayed him… people he loved rebelled against King… in the wilderness… crowds of people around him… yet he felt alone, isolated, withdrawn.

Depression = serious problem in America.

Statistics: National Institute of Mental Health

• 300 million people worldwide.

• 21 million adults in the US (8.4%) have exp major depression.

• Women are 2x’s more likely to struggle with depression than men.

• 50% of college students have mental health struggles.

• 71% surveyed indicate that they struggle with issues such as stress, anxiety and depression.

• Suicide 2nd leading cause of death among y people ages 10-34.

• Leading cause of depression in US is loneliness and isolation which was exasperated by the Covid19 lockdowns and has had a lingering effect on American society.

Quote: Robert J. Morgan in his blog post, “When Darkness is Your Only Friend,” identified 6 basic causes of depression:

1) Biological in nature = having to do with hormones and chemical imbalances.

2) Medical = 200 different prescription drugs that have side effects that may contribute to depression.

3) Philosophical = non-biblical worldview – the teaching of atheistic evolution that pervades our culture and has devalued life, nothing more than a cosmic accident… no reason or purpose for existence… can only bring hopelessness and despair.

4) Sinful nature and wrong choices in life.

5) Demonic = we’re engaged in a spiritual warfare with a diabolical enemy that seeks our destruction.

6) Circumstantial = overwhelmed by the pressures and problems of living in a fallen world.

Bible = God never glosses over the struggles of His saints – people who faced challenges in life – God brought them through! Overcomers!

Learned = Overcomer is not some super saint, SC on painted on their chest… saved you are an overcomer!

1John 5:4 – “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world…”

You can overcome discouragement, depression and despair! You can get up when your down!!!

Preach: “How to Get Up When You Are Down!”

1. Depression Can and Does Afflict God’s People!

Cf. depression is an equal opportunity malady… affects saved as well as the unsaved.

Moses = Numb. 11:15 – “Kill me, I pray, out of hand.”

Elijah = man of like passions – won great victory for God on Mt. Carmel… next scene finds him running for his life… goes out into the wilderness… flings himself down under a juniper tree… withdrawn, down, depressed, and wishing God would just take his life.

1Kings 19:4 – “O LORD, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

Apostle Paul = 2 Cor. 1:8 – “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:”

David = warrior, King, sweep Psalmist of Israel, the man after God’s own heart – depressed!

A. He Shared His Condition

1) Depressed Spirit (vv.5,6,11)

“Cast Down” = to be bowed down, prostrated, in the dust… not in body but soul… in a place of discouragement, depression, despair.

2) Disturbed Heart

“Disquieted” (vv.5,11) = a noisy soul – deep inward groans of an agitated, troubled heart. Churning inside!

3) Deepening Sorrow (9b)

“Mourning” = to be dark – in a dark place emotionally and spiritually.

4) Desperation of Soul (9a)

Sense of hopelessness

Depression affects us…

- Emotionally (6) = disquieted

- Spiritually (9) = Felt forgotten, abandoned and alone – even God!

- Physically (10) = bones

B. He Shared Its Cause

1) Spiritual Dryness (1,2)

David = away from God – geographically, spiritually – shriveled in his soul.

Depressed = if not careful we can begin to neglect the very things that we need… lose sense of the reality of God, presence of God. Distant… instead of allowing our situation to draw us close to God… allow our feelings to drive us away.

Distance ourselves from the people of God…fail to rejoice in the Lord… quit participating in the worship of God.