Sorrow of Heart
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Numbers 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
I have been feeling a tug for a while that I needed to speak a little bit about depression.
In this first text we see that depression or discouragement came from the way their path of life was going. There will be sections of your life’s road that will lend themselves to discouragement and depression.
In the case of the Jews, they were going from a time of many miracles to few. From a quick exodus to a slow journey. From enemies being defeated by God, to battles they had to engage in. Some of them had enough knowledge to know they weren’t going in the “right” direction, but the long way around. Hopes for a new homeland were being dashed.
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
So today I just want to look at a couple examples of sorrow in scripture and then find some hope from the scriptures also.
Let’s look at the text where I got my title from:
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Nehemiah 2:2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid…
Nehemiah was very sad because of the suffering of others. He had just gotten a report of how bad things were in Jerusalem with both the people and the conditions they were living in. Sadness is not usually a good thing, but in his case, it was a good thing, because it was that which gave birth to his life’s ministry. Sometimes sadness about the condition of others is an arrow from God to point you in a direction. Sorrow of heart gives birth to prayer and action. For Nehemiah it led to him going back to Jerusalem and seeing it being rebuilt and restored. The pain God put in his heart, led to his life’s greatest work. We are told of Jabez, his mother bore him in pain. (1 Chronicles 4:9) Great things are born of pain!
Let’s make a few observations about depression in general. Depression can impact large swaths of people at the same time.
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Ezekiel 37:11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’
That is an example of national depression, it can also be regional.
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For example, our area needs to be wise about S.A.D. seasonal affective disorder. In winter months lack of sunshine has been clinically related to bouts of depression. So this type of depression impacts not a whole nation but specific segments of it.
Then there are groups who are especially prone to depression:
Sometimes advocates for the LGBTQ want to blame suicides on those who do not accept them, but there is a greater underlying truth that they have a hard time reconciling with, until they sear their conscience, and that is God doesn’t accept them. Or said a better way, He doesn’t accept their sin as acceptable. Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD. In some ways they carry a spirit of rejection, there is no resolving it no matter how much the world may celebrate them. Secretly, inwardly, they will always carry a sense of non-acceptance. It is not of them, but of their lifestyle. It is an inner wrestling they suffer with.
The same could be said of people who drink lots of alcohol.
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Proverbs 23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
Proverbs 23:30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.
The short of the matter is, if you live in a way that is opposite to the way God says we should, depression will be your roommate.
No One is Immune from Depression it’s not just the affliction of “sinners.”
The Bible shows that depression can strike anyone. Poor people like Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth, and very rich people, like King Solomon, suffered from depression. He had it all and all he kept saying is vanity, vanity all is vanity.
Prolonged difficulty can eat away at the best of us. Often, it’s not the whales that get us but the attacks of many minnows, chipping away at us. The bible says:
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Proverbs 25:15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Enough, let’s talk about help.
Be in church and be around some happy people
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For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn-conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. (2 Corinthians 7:5-7, NIV) Christian fellowship is a help for discouragement. The advice in Ecclesiastes 4:12 talks about the power of being with others, “And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him.” Then it goes on to turn it up a notch higher: “A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” This last portion is almost always to be understood as having others to stand with you, and to that add the presence of the Lord.
Pray. That is what David did.
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“I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word” (Psalm 119:25).
But He didn’t ask amiss. Some praying is nothing more than spouting all your negativit. Prayer needs to be soaked in faith and thanksgiving. Even in depression He didn’t abandon faith in God, or that He would bring him to better days. God will bring you to better days.
Job couldn’t do what David did, and later God rebuked Him:
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Job 7:6, 11 "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope...
"Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." Be careful how you talk to God in prayer.
Speak to yourself the right way.
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Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. …For You are the God of my strength…” (Psalm 42:5, 43:2—NKJV).
Above all remember His promises
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The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, NIV)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10, NIV)
Close: Prayer and communion
