Freedom from Depression
Climbing Out of the Valley of Gloom
Matthew 26:36-46
INTRODUCTION:
I hope this doesn’t depress you but here are some interesting facts about depression:
• Nearly 19 million Americans or about 10 percent of the US populations age 18 or over will suffer some form of depression each year.
• Everyone will at some time in their life be affected by depression—either their own or someone else’s.
• PRESCHOOLERS are the fastest market for antidepressants! Over 1 million preschoolers are clinically depressed. The annual rate of increase for depression among children is 23%
• Depression results in more absenteeism than almost any other physical disorder and costs employers more than US$51 billion per year in absenteeism and lost productivity, not including high medical and pharmaceutical bills.
• Antidepressants work for 35 to 45% of the depressed population, although more recent figures suggest as low as 30%.
• Standard antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, come with serious risks, and are linked to suicide, violence, psychosis, abnormal bleeding and brain tumors.
• Antidepressants medications work only as well (or less) than placebos.
[Depression Facts and Stats By Bob Murray, PhD and Alicia Fortinberry, MS http://www.upliftprogram.com/depression_stats.html]
ILLUSTRATION: The story is told how the great preacher and reformer Martin Luther once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife brought him mourning clothes to put on.
"Who’s dead?" Luther asked her.
"God," she replied.
Luther rebuked her, saying, "What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die."
"Well," she replied, "the way you’ve been acting I was sure He had!"
How can we find freedom from depression? What does it take to climb out of the valley of gloom? This morning we will look at six practical steps we can take to find freedom from depression, and we are going to find these steps out of the valley of gloom in an unlikely place—the life of Jesus. But before we look at the six steps to finding freedom from depression, let’s start by looking at six general causes of depression
I. Causes of Depression
1. PHYSICAL Many times our depression is the result of physical causes.
a) Sometimes we just get caught up in the maddening pace of life. Things that are supposed to make our lives easier sometimes only add to our ‘to do’ list, and when the computer or other gadgets don’t work like they are supposed to it just adds to our stress.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION: Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 18-19 is an example of depression brought on by physical exhaustion. Elijah had won the battle with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Then when he was threatened by Jezebel, Elijah ran for his life over 100 miles from Jezreel to Beersheba. There Elijah sat down and just wanted to die; his prayer was simple; “Lord I’ve had enough, just kill me because I’m no better than my ancestors. What did Elijah need? Food and rest, God sent an angel to minister to Elijah and, then God took Elijah on a 40 day journey to Mount Sinai. When Elijah got there he again sat down depressed and full of self-pity, “Lord I’m the only one left who is faithful to you.” A major part of Elijah’s depression was brought on by physical causes. If you are familiar with Elijah’s story then you may recognize some other causes of his depression as we continue.
b) Illness can be another physical cause of depression. How often when we are sick do we find ourselves feeling depressed and wanting to isolate ourselves from others?
• Psalm 88:15, 18 (NIV) From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair . . . You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.
c) Sometimes we make the mistake of searching for an emotional or spiritual cause for our depression. What we may need to do is first look for a physical cause. Are we just exhausted? Are we eating right? Are we getting some exercise? If we take the necessary steps needed to keep our bodies physically healthy we may also alleviate our depression as well.
2. SENSE OF LOSS Depression can also be cause by a sense of loss.
a) The aging process can bring both physical pains and a sense of loss for the missed opportunities and regrets that can flood your mind. By just about anyone’s standards Solomon had it made; he had everything. Yet as he closes the book of Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 we find venting some of his depression caused by his sense of loss as he reflected upon his life. “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
b) Loss comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes and happens in lots of different ways. My loss seems rather small compared those experienced by others.
• a mother and father who lost a child to cancer
• the husband who stands at the grave of his wife having been killed by a drunk driver
• the employee who is let go due to downsizing just months before his retirement
• the husband or wife who just found out their spouse has been having an affair
• the individual looking at a pile of bills with an empty checkbook
• the empty nest when the last child leaves home.
c) The list of losses goes on and on. Whether big or small in comparison to what others may have lost your loss is personal and causes you pain. What loss have you experienced that may be causing you to be depressed? Maybe your loss isn’t even tangible; maybe it’s just the loss of a dream.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION: Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, is grieved by the loss of Israel’s homeland through their captivity and exile into the nation of Babylon. Jeremiah’s overwhelming depression, sadness and tears are poured out in the book of Lamentations. The book has 5 chapters; the first two and the last two all have 22 verses. The Hebrew alphabet also has 22 letters and each verse of these opening and closing chapters of Lamentations begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 of Lamentations is 66 verses long and Jeremiah repeats his alphabetical pattern 3 times in this middle chapter. So all together Jeremiah goes through the Hebrew alphabet seven times! It is Jeremiah’s way of mourning his loss—from A to Z—over and over again. (George Wood, Enrichment, Summer 2006 page 60.)
3. ENVIRONMENT AND CIRCUMSTANCES
Your environment and circumstances can be another cause of depression.
a) Some people have a hard time living with clutter; people actually become depressed living in a cluttered environment. Someone came up with the idea of a 10 minute clean up (it’s amazing how much you can get done when everybody works for just 10 minutes putting things away). When you are all done the house looks and feels better.
b) A stressful environment can also contribute to depression. Family dysfunction, etc.
c) Job is an example of how depression can overwhelm us because of our environment and circumstances. In a single day his 10 children are killed in a terrible accident and all of his wealth is taken away from him. Then the next day Job gets sick; he develops boils on his skin that he scrapes with broken pottery. His wife tells him to curse God and die, and his three friends and a smart-mouthed youngster have nothing but bad things to say about him. It’s no wonder that Job says, “Why did I not perish at birth and die as I came from the womb?” (Job 3:11 EMTV)
-A friend of mine said, “Disappointment can be a symptom of our need to understand which is often contrary to faith” (Rick Steigman).
4. POOR SELF CONCEPT
Another common cause of depression is having a poor self concept.
a) Some people suffer from stinkin’ thinkin’! They are unhappy about everything, but if you can get them to be honest for just a minute they are probably most unhappy with themselves; they have a poor self concept or self esteem.
b) A healthy self concept is made up of three things:
• Your sense of IDENTITY. We are satisfied with who we are as a person.
• Your sense of WORTH. Without being boastful or proud we know that we are valuable to God and other people.
• Your sense of COMPETENCE. We have the self confidence to know we can succeed and do what is asked of us.
c) Many people struggle with 1 or more of these aspects of self esteem. They may be okay with their identity as an individual, but lack any sense of worth or confidence. Some people have competence but lack worth or identity because they have associated this with their job and the things they can do, but are not happy with that.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION: Naomi is a perfect example of how a poor self concept breeds depression. You can read it in the opening chapter of Ruth, where Naomi gives up on life and on God. Her identity was stripped from her through the loss of her husband and sons. She feels utterly worthless and feels helpless to do anything to make things better. When Naomi returns home to Bethlehem she asks her relatives and friends to start calling her MARA (bitter) instead of Naomi (pleasant, lovely, delightful). (Ruth 1:20)
d) Maybe you would like to change your name too. Perhaps you would like to be known as Brother (or Sister) Bitter. Life has thrown you a curve ball and you no longer feel that you are worth anything. Such a perspective is a breeding ground for depression.
5. SPIRITUAL FAILURE
Sin or spiritual failure can make us depressed.
a) Another name for this kind of depression is guilt. The depression associated with guilt can be good when it is caused by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Some people never sense a freedom from sin because they have never let themselves grieve over their sin with a godly sorrow. Such godly sorrow or depression leads to repentance that brings God’s forgivingness and a renewal of joy. Unfortunately, too many of us run from anything that feels bad and we never grieve over our sin.
b) David wrote a description in Psalm 32 of the depth of his depression brought on by his sin with Bathsheba.
• Psalm 32:3-4 (MsgB) [3] When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. [4] The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up.
c) If your depression is brought on by lingering guilt, please understand that you can find Freedom From Guilt. Don’t let your guilt drive a wedge between you and God; that’s Satan’s purpose for guilt to separate you from God. Run to God and find freedom from your guilt and the depression that comes with it.
6. SPIRITUAL WARFARE
One often overlooked cause of depression is spiritual warfare.
a) Many doctors and psychologists won’t think of spiritual warfare as a cause for your depression. However, spiritual warfare may be the primary cause of your depression. It is not the only cause; Satan will use these other causes to try to beat you down. However, when we know the cause of our depression and recognize how the devil will try to use these things against us, then God can give us wisdom to know how to break free from depression. God want to show us how to climb out of the Valley of Gloom.
b) We discover freedom from depression by learning to follow the footsteps and example of Jesus. Some of you might say, “But Jesus was never depressed!” In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was engaged in perhaps His greatest spiritual battles with Satan. Jesus’ struggle with the devil in Gethsemane was greater than His temptation following the forty days in the wilderness. This was the deciding moment for Jesus. Would he be obedient to the will of the Father and go to the cross or would Jesus try to find a way to escape death? In His struggle Jesus was depressed.
• Mark 14:33 (NIV) He [Jesus] began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. (The Message)
Jesus began to be horror-stricken and desperately depressed. (JB Phillips)
• Matthew 26:37 (Dar) He began to be sorrowful and deeply depressed.
c) In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus not only battled depression, but He also shows us how to climb out of the Valley of Gloom. Jesus show us how we can be free from depression.
II. Jesus’ path to freedom from depression.
Six steps to climb out of the Valley of Gloom.
1. Jesus did not isolate Himself.
• Matthew 26:36-37 (NIV) [36] Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane . . . [37] He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
a) Jesus did not try to win His battle with depression all by Himself. Jesus let others in on the sorrow and grief that filled His heart that night. Jesus surrounded Himself with friends.
b) How often do we do the exact opposite? Too often Christians are imprisoned by themselves because they believe the lie that their depression should be kept as a secret—a deep dark shameful secret that we hide from everyone. When we get depressed we isolate ourselves from other people and try to ‘pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.’
• Galatians 6:2 (NLT) Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
c) Paul’s primary focus was for us to reach out to others and help them in their time of need, but there is a flip side to this verse. Those in need must be willing to share their pain with others! We are not encouraged to go it alone or to be strong and make it in our own strength. We are to join hands with a friend and share our difficulties with each other.
d) Jesus was open and honest about the trial He was facing; He did not let His depression isolate Him from others. Will we follow His example and not isolate ourselves from others? Sharing our depression with someone else is the first step out of the Valley of Gloom.
2. Jesus did not put on a mask and pretend everything was okay.
• Matthew 26:38 (NIV) Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
a) Jesus not only was with His disciples, but He let them in on the struggle He was going through. Jesus avoided the temptation to put on a mask and say, “I’m the Son of God. I can’t let anyone know I’m hurting because they all look up to me. The disciples just can’t know the truth.”
b) Jesus didn’t just put on a happy face. He did not say He was fine when His heart was being broken in two. Jesus simply shared with His disciples His need.
c) Notice too that Jesus didn’t just tell everyone about His need. Jesus used wisdom about who He shared His need with. Jesus asked His disciples to pray, but then He pulled Peter, James and John aside and shared more openly with them. It was Peter James and John who went with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and saw Jesus in all of His glory and heard the voice of the Father say, “This is my Son; listen to Him.” Now Peter, James and John are the ones brought into Jesus’ Valley of Gloom. It was the disciples who knew Jesus best that He shared more of the details of His depression and the hardship He faced there in Gethsemane.
d) Use wisdom as you share your depression and heartache with others. That doesn’t mean you put on a mask and tell folks who don’t know you as well that you are just fine. Ask them to pray for you; tell them you are in need of God’s strength. But find a trusted friend that you can be open with who will really pray with you about your need.
3. Jesus prayed and was honest with God.
• Matthew 26:39 (NIV) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
a) Jesus told the Father about His heartache. Understand that Jesus did not come to God with just a two sentence prayer. Jesus spent an hour in prayer pouring out His heart to God. Jesus didn’t hide anything from the Father; instead Jesus was honest and let the Father know exactly what caused His heart to be heavy.
b) It seems that some Christians want to try to keep a secret from God! They go through the motions of a worship service, singing songs, offering up lukewarm prayers, and suffer through a sermon, only to leave with the same problems and difficulties that they came to church with. Same happens with prayer life. BE HONEST WITH GOD.
• Psalm 51:16-17 (MsgB) [16] Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. [17] I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.
• Psalm 18:6 (NIV) In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
c) Jesus showed us how to climb out of the Valley of Gloom by [1] not isolating himself from others; [2] by resisting the temptation to put on a mask, [3] by being honest with the Father in prayer and,
4. Jesus did not get trapped by bitterness or blame.
• Matthew 26:40-41 (NIV) [40] Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. [41] "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
• Matthew 26:43-44 (NIV) When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. [44] So he left them . . .
a) The failure of His closest friends to stay away and pray with Him did not keep Jesus from climbing out of the Valley of Gloom. Jesus did not become bitter with His disciples; He didn’t hold a grudge or push them away. Jesus let them sleep and He continued to pray! He not only continued to pray about His need for strength, but He also prayed for His disciples. John 17 is Jesus longest recorded prayer; it is filled with His desire for His disciples and it is prayed in the midst of Jesus depression and sorrow. Jesus didn’t blame the disciples for His problems. Instead He prayed that God would help them!
b) Will we follow Jesus example or will we make mountains out of mole hills? Will we make a big deal over the faults and failures of our friends and make them bear the brunt of our depression, or will we avoid the trap of bitterness and blame? May God help us to have a sweet spirit toward imperfect people even in the midst of our most difficult and discouraging times.
5. Jesus PUSHed through and received strength from God.
• Matthew 26:42, 44 (NIV) He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done" [44] . . . he . . . went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
a) Some of us may not know what it means to pray through. Our older saints need to tell us what it was like to come to God at an altar of prayer and just keep praying until you knew God had answered.
b) PUSH means Pray Until Something Happens. When Jesus started praying He got on His knees to PUSH; Jesus was going to Pray Until Something Happened.
c) As Jesus prayed, God the Father answered Him. God didn’t just say, “Sorry Jesus there is no other way; you will have to go to the cross, but I’m too busy to help so you’re on your own.” God answered Jesus and gave Him the strength He needed to endure the suffering, shame and pain he would endure on the cross.
• Luke 22:43 (NIV) An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
d) Pray through! PUSH—Pray Until Something Happens! God will answer you when you come to Him in prayer and honestly pour out your heart. God will give you the wisdom and strength you need. He will direct you and show you the way to go. God will answer your prayer.
6. Jesus faced His crisis and took action in God’s strength.
• Matthew 26:45-46 (NIV) [45] Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. [46] Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
a) Jesus got up from His time in prayer and confronted His difficulty head on. Jesus didn’t run from His problem; He didn’t head for the hills and try to hide. Jesus faced Judas and the soldiers who had come to arrest Him. Jesus was ready to face the agony of the cross with God’s power.
• Philippians 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
b) God will strengthen you to overcome your depression and move forward with His freedom and liberty. Don’t let depression freeze you in your tracks; let God thaw your icy emotions and warm your heart with His love. Move forward with His strength.
c) What would you do if you were not depressed? Is there someone you would call or go to visit? Would you be motivated to do something that you have been putting off? Is there a habit you would break? Today is the day to do it! Let God help you break free from your prison of depression. Climb out of your Valley of Gloom.
III. Will you follow Jesus’ example and find freedom from depression?
• 1 Peter 2:21 (MsgB) This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
1. Jesus would not isolate Himself from others.
2. Jesus would not wear a mask and pretend everything was okay.
3. Jesus prayed and was honest with God.
4. Jesus did not get trapped by bitterness and blame.
5. Jesus PUSHed and received strength from God.
6. Jesus took action and moved forward with God’s strength.
a) Jesus has shown us the steps to take to break free from depression.
b) Will we follow His steps and climb out of our Valley of Gloom?
[Portions of this message are adapted from Greg Ebie on sermoncentral.com and from the article “Crossing a Deep River; Biblical and Practical Advice for Dealing with Depression,” George Wood, Enrichment; Summer 2006.]
