Gloom, Despair, And Agony, On Me
By: C. Mason Davis
A doctor comes in and asks his patient, "where does it hurt?" The Man says, "everywhere, absolutely everywhere, I'm at my wits end, whenever I touch any part of my body it hurts a lot!" The doctor asks the man to point out the places the pain radiates from. So, the man pokes his knee, screaming as he does, and does the same thing on multiple points on his body, with each poke screaming in pain, Finally, the doctor gives him an examination, writes down a few notes and said "sir, you are almost completely fine" The man looks at the doctor in disbelief, poking his chest and arm and holding back agonized screams "how can you say this is fine? I'm in pain all over! I want a second opinion!" The doctor sighs and explains "I said you are almost fine, the problem isn't your body, it's just that you keep poking yourself with a broken finger!" You see, sometimes we remain in agony because we are so busy in our pain that we don’t stop to see what the root cause of that agony is, and meaning we continue to agonize.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Psalm 40:1-3, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”
How do you deal with gloom? How do you deal with despair? And how do you deal with agony? The truth is everybody here today is probably suffering in some way. What is this sudden elation after a pessimistic statement? It is the elation that comes when we recognize something we all share has been stated boldly. Our pent-up tension can be released in laughter if you allow it.
How many of you remember the “Hee-Haw” Show in the 70’s-80’s? Do you remember the quartet of men who sang about gloom, despair, and agony on me? Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
I still laugh when I hear this painful expression of despair and I am so grateful that laughter can cohabitate with deep gloom. Some of us have those kinds of days. So, what do you do when you have one of those days?
Ask yourself, “What is gloom?” Gloom is like partial or total darkness, a dark or shadowy place, a lowness of spirits, and dejection. It’s like an atmosphere of despondency that looms over your life. James 4:9-10 states: “Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” So, you have less fun in normal daily activities. You are not in the mood to go to work, to study, to exercise, or meeting with friends, and nothing can cheer you up. Do you currently live in a state of gloom? 2 Samuel 22:29 says, “For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.” Have you ever been in a state of gloom? Now that I’ve already got everybody thinking and/or feeling gloomy, let’s delve into the world of despair.
Despair is like a depression that can come in many forms. When life seems to become dark and depressing and you seem to be “in low spirits,” it tends to cause overall sadness by spreading your feelings and moods unto others. It can become worse as those around you tire of your negativity, so they start avoiding any contact with you.
What is despair? Despair is the utter loss of hope and faith. Is despair a sin in the Bible? Unlike other sins, despair is by tradition the sole sin that cannot be forgiven because it is the conviction that one is damned absolutely, thus a repudiation of the Christian Savior, and a challenge to God's infinite capacity for forgiveness. What does the Bible say about despair? The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Why is despair a sin against the Holy Spirit? To despair consists in thinking that one's own malice is greater than Divine Goodness. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 states “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” In other words, God won’t put more on you than you can handle. You just have to put your trust God and believe that He won’t and not let any issues or problems distract you from your faith in Him. Psalm 28:7 demonstrates that the warrior David draws both his strength and his physical protection from God. Knowing that God is with him allows David to face each challenge with courage and confidence. Why can’t each of us live like this? Are we just faint of faith? The Bible's cure for this is “justification by faith.” Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Agony is another word for gloom and despair, but it doesn’t end there. Agony can also describe the extreme pain caused by injury to the body or soul. Agony appears in the expression “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” which was used in the introduction of the long-running TV show titled, Wide World of Sports. What is an example of agony? When the weight fell on her foot, she cried out in agony. A biblical example about the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross can be found in John 19:28-30 said, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” While agony means "the state of being in great trouble," agony also suggests pain too intense to be borne. It is only used in the New Testament by Luke to describe our Lord's fearful struggle in Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 says, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Another example of agony can be found in the story of Job.
What is misery? Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind. Misery is fruit of vice reigning in the heart, as tares are the produce of tares sown in the field. Just as guilt can be a vice, as well. By the way, a tare is an injurious weed resembling wheat when young. Tares’ can also be classified as calamity; misfortune; or natural evils which are the cause of misery and mourn the miseries of human life. Christ was without sin, yet in Isaiah 53:3: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” All misery, including most pain, is the result of sin, but not all pain is the result of our own sin. Misery stresses the unhappiness attending sickness, poverty, or loss. But what is the main cause of misery? The main cause of misery in life is friction between our body and mind, our negativity and positivity, and in our faith and doubt in our faith. In most cases, we are at fault because we are the cause of our own miseries. We are the only one’s accountable for our own bad decisions and bad actions. Other’s may provoke us, but it’s our fault when we act against those others in negative ways.
Beware of those people who are always miserable and like to share it. Some people who are unhappy like to share their troubles with others as misery loves company. Proverbs 16:29 says “Wickedness loves company—and leads others into sin.” Miserable people mostly feel sorry for themselves and constantly look for sympathy. They feel like they’re not appreciated enough. They find themselves judging others. They frequently numb themselves with alcohol, drugs, sex, television, or excessive busyness. With that said, here are the sure-fire techniques to live a miserable life: Be envious.¬ Make excuses. Be unreliable. Refuse to change. Become the ultimate victim. Don’t learn anything new. When you get knocked down, don’t get back up. Do not observe other people’s mistakes. Worry about what other people think. Surround yourself with bad people. Get drunk and high all the time. ¬Be unhealthy. Spend all your money. Give up right before you are going to be successful. If everyone else is jumping off a bridge, jump with them. Follow the crowd. Let mass media sway you in its chosen direction with ease. Do not challenge conventional wisdom. But the most obvious way to live your life in misery is to not accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and live your life not knowing Him.
Another part of the Hee Haw song is: “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” According to the Bible, there is no such thing as luck, good or bad. We live our lives thinking in terms of having good luck or bad luck all the time. What does the Bible say about bad things happening? Why does God let bad things happen? The Bible tells us that one day, all evil will be done away with. Until that day we can rely on God's grace. He doesn't always prevent tragedy, but his grace will always see us through it. Meanwhile, the members of the "Bad Luck Club" become bitter and accuse everyone else but themselves, and also blame God. Have you ever met people who are professional victims? They think they have been wronged by everyone in their life and are never to blame for what they determine is: ”bad luck.” You can pity yourself. You might even believe you are the only one suffering. But in Psalms 119:71, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes." "Why has this happened to me? What did I do to deserve this?" When trials or troubles come into your life, the first thing you need to ask yourself is "did I cause this because of my actions?" Constant sufferers, or complainers, are more like pessimists. “Woe is me!” They make everything about themselves. This leads to counterfeit suffering which is suffering for a lie. How do we deal with this kind of suffering? Avoid it. Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without murmurings or disputings. That ye may become blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without refute, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”
The Corrective Suffering, which is the suffering as a result of our own actions or suffering for a wrong choice. For children, this comes in the form of discipline. As adults, we’re also disciplined, but fortunately, not by way of the rod. Maybe it’s a result of a bad decision we make. When we mess up and fall into sin, our Heavenly Father disciplines us. The word "discipline" comes from the root word, "disciple," meaning someone who follows. So, the purpose of the discipline of God is to lead us back into fellowship with Him. He allows trials and tribulations and troubles into our lives to steer us back onto His path. In Hebrews 12:11, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. If you’re a believer, you can guarantee discipline of some kind when you sin.”
Cultural Suffering is what we’re mostly exposed to today as it is the consequence of living in a fallen world. This is inevitable because our whole culture is fallen. We can’t escape cultural suffering. It’s a fact of life. Some face it more than others. Life is 10% circumstances and 90% perspective. John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” I can’t understand how unbelievers deal with this stuff. They have no real hope, no real answers, no one to really lean on. But you have an Advocate, an Anchor. You have a Source of Strength, a Shield. It’s Jesus Christ! He knows your pain. He’s been there. And He’s here now for you. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Jesus never promised to keep us from the storms, but He did promise to keep us through the storms. Go to the eye of the hurricane. That’s where you’ll find His perfect peace.
Suffering gives us hope and hope can overcome all through faith! You may be going through some severe issues, but it’s only temporary. There is hope. More Christians have been killed for their faith in this last century than in all the previous centuries combined! Suffering for our faith and suffering in a fallen world is a reality of life. For all believers today, Jesus says, “Don’t give up.” “Hang in there.” “This, too, shall pass.” “And the future will be infinitely better than the present.” “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” In Revelation 21:8 we read: " But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Suffering is a reality in this fallen world. There’s no escaping it, especially if we live like a believer. How do we deal with it? If it’s our own fault, we avoid it. If it’s because of our fallen world, we accept it and deal with it as best we can. If it’s because of our faith, we embrace it, because we have a hope that goes beyond the suffering, beyond the grave, all through faith in Christ Jesus.
Nothing will reveal the content of the heart like suffering. God allows trials to see how much we have learned. He already knows, but it’s each of us who need to know how much we’ve learned. If you belong to Jesus, you are in His school. God may allow afflictions for our own good. In Ephesians 4:20-21, Paul said, concerning Christ as a teacher, “But ye have not so learned Christ. If so, be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus." What better teacher to have than Jesus Christ?
What is the opposite of gloom, despair, and misery? It is a state or feeling of great contentment, pleasure, paradise, or heaven. How do you deal with misery? Some steps that one can take to be less miserable are: recognize the unhappiness you are experiencing, offer yourself some compassion, give yourself permission to be happy, when possible, experience pleasing and healthy distractions, hold tightly to your self-care program, seek out creative and meaningful activities, and try compartmentalizing negative issues. Misery, sadness, and loneliness are universal experiences of our human lives. Like all emotion, when we learn to recognize and effectively use them, they provide us healthy motivation and direction to resolve our problems and meet our needs. When someone close to you like a spouse, a family member or best friend is suffering, it can be painful. You want to help, but you may not know how. Ask questions, listen and be present, but don’t try to take on their pain. But above all else, pray! Talk to Jesus. Share your life with Jesus. Put your burdens on Him. Let him be your teacher, your councilor, your best friend, and your Lord and Savior.
One way to Cope with Despair is to take your despair for a walk. Once a day, try your best to get out of the house for some fresh air, give your sorrow words, honor your despair, seek out fellowship, and avoid toxic positivity. No matter what, be sure to carry Jesus with you everywhere you go. No matter what you’re doing or who you’re with, keep Him close. Keep Him in your heart. Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." While depression can make you feel lonely, God is still there with you. Instead of trying to pinpoint all the things that will make you happy, just think about all the things that will make you unhappy, and simply avoid doing those things. Give them over to God without any strings or entanglements. Give them to Him and let them go!
Christians are the richest people on earth! You may feel as if there’s no end to your suffering, but there is. Jesus gives them the best advice in the midst of suffering. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Don’t give up, even to the point of physical death and I will give you the victor’s/overcomer’s crown, the crown of eternal life. Our present suffering is nothing compared to the eternal suffering of the ungodly in the second death. “To die under the wrath of man is small compared with the prospect of suffering the judgment of God,” and he who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. If you’re a believer and you don’t give up, the second death cannot touch you!
We know that our temporary sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that awaits us. So, let’s make the most of it. Make it a point to dwell in the eye of the hurricane, where Jesus dwells and where His perfect peace is present. Remember that hope begins when you are standing in the dark, looking out at the light.
It is my prayer for all of you that you believe that you can make it because there is hope and your faith, and that help is on the way. Amen!
