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people he loved rebelled against King… in the wilderness… crowds of people around him… yet he felt alone, isolated, withdrawn.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.
Stop spending time in the Word and prayer… if are praying consumed with ourselves… lash out at God that He doesn’t care, doesn’t love us, failed us.
2) Continual Weeping (3)
Depressed = legitimate sorrows or grief to become self-sorrow… throw a party and we are the only one invited… vicious cycle of self-pity. The old woe is me syndrome!
3) Lingering Memories (4)
Grieving a loss… loved one, job or livelihood, marriage, relationship, health… guilt over past sin or failure.
Stuck in the memories of the past and fail to live the blessings of the present.
4) Overwhelming Circumstances (6-8)
Circumstances, problems of life caved in on him.
Mt. Hermon = highest spot in Israel… snowcapped peaks towering over 9,000 ft high
Jordan River = fed by the springs from Mt. Hermon winds its way down to Dead Sea… lowest spot-on earth 1,300 ft below sea level.
Jordan = starts Mt. Hermon and flows down to the Dead Sea never to rise again… imagery of despondency David felt.
v.7 – “Waterspouts” = boiling waters underneath the waterfall – life like a torrent coming at him… washing over him… overwhelmed him… no-where to turn, didn’t see a way out.
5) Shameful Defeat (3, 9-10) – “Where is thy God?”
Depression = tool of Satan – marginalize, paralyze, and neutralize the people of God.
Satan = is not the root cause of depression but he sure does use it! Comes to us at a vulnerable moments of life …down, discouraged, depressed…
Where is your God? Why isn’t He helping you? Bragging on your God, victory! Where is the victory???
Take you down further, defeat us, and if possible, even destroy us!
1Pet. 5:8
Satan = keep us in a place of emotional and spiritual despondency… doesn’t want you to enjoy God’s blessings, live God’s purposes, know God’s victory!
2. Deliverance is Possible Through the Power of God!
Quote: “when it comes to dealing with how we feel, if we are not careful, we will overcomplicate things.”
Severe Forms of Depression = need specialized attention, medical care… exception and not the rule! Even then full victory only come through God’s power as we respond to His truth.
Christian = truth is that through God’s overcoming power we can get up when are down!
A. Revitalize Ourselves Physically, Emotionally, Spiritually!
Look: v.1 – “As the hart panteth” = deer running for its life – tired, weary, thirsty.
David = spiritually, emotionally, and physically worn out – needed rest! Physical rest, emotional rest, spiritual rest.
Not talking about cowering in a corner… or covering up our heads in bed… withdrawn from those who love us… hoping all our problems and feelings will go away.
Tired = running on empty – makes problems become bigger than what they are… overwhelmed.
Quote: Winston Churchill – “Fatigue will make cowards of us all.”
Get proper rest, nutrition, exercise – get up, get out and get going.
Elijah = under juniper tree – God didn’t scold him, touched him… fed him, revitalizing him for journey ahead.
Christian = we don’t need to just nourish our bodies and our minds… nourish our soul!
v.2 – David = didn’t keep distancing himself from God… began drawing near to God!
Look: v.8
Objection = I don’t feel happy, I don’t feel encouraged, I don’t feel like getting out, I don’t feel like working, I don’t feel like going to church, reading Bible, singing praying!
Sanctify Feelings = emotions will lie to you!
Stop listening to our feelings and start speaking God’s truth into our lives! Responding to Him!
Look: vv.5,11
B. Refocus Our Trust in the Living God!
David = lost his focus!
Look: v.5 – “Hope thou in God”
Illust: Martin Luther once spent three days in a deep depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes. She was decked out in a black dress, black veil, black gloves.
“Who’s dead?” he 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 died!”
Quote: Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones – “Unbelief is the root cause of depression in the life of a Christian.”
Depressed = lose the reality of God! Lose reality of His presence, power, faithfulness.
Look: v.8 – Depressed = doesn’t mean that God has forgotten us, not abandoned us, stopped loving us, caring for us, doesn’t mean that He no longer has a purpose for our lives.
Promised = Comes to us! Comforter = Holy Spirit speaks sweet peace to our hearts. Gives us songs in the night!
Col. 4:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Rest > Refocus > Rejoice
C. Realize that With Jesus There Is Hope!
v.5,11 – “hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him.” (doesn’t seem like he is doing anything.)
“Hope” = to wait, to trust, to expect – not end!
Jesus = Lord of Life! Forever Faithful! See us through!
1John 5:4,5 – “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Same resurrection power that enabled Jesus to overcome in life is the same power that enables us to overcome in life!
**If not CAREFUL our FEELINGS will overwhelm our FAITH!!!
Feelings don’t produce faith! Faith produces Feelings!!
Go = forward by faith in obedience to Christ… He will release His overcoming power in our lives… bringing victory!!!
Victory = not a feeling. Victory = living in the power of the risen Christ!
Gal. 2:20
Lingering guilt, confession of sin, absorption of self, Live in God’s forgiveness, be a blessing to others.
Jas.1:22 – not the hearer but the doer that is blessed of God!
Happiness = is a choice! Every day of our lives in obedience to Christ we step out in faith and do! Joy comes! Victory comes!
Conclusion:
Want to get up when you are down????
Revitalize yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Refocus your trust in the living God.
Realize that with Jesus there is hope!
