The Prayer Of A Depressed Saint

April 25, 2006

Title: The Prayer of a Depressed Saint

Scripture Reading: Psalm 13:1-6

Introduction:

The Psalms gives us a record of the life of God's people, Israel.

It tells us of their dealings with our heavenly Father and with other nations.

In the Psalms, we find great worship experiences in which praise is offered to God

But we also find sorrow and grief.

We find puzzling ques­tions and expressions of faith.

But we also find expressions of despair.

Psalm 13, for instance, presents the prayer of a man in deep depression.

I’ll bet that most, if not all of us are depressed from time-to-time.

Today, we know that depression may be the result of many different fac­tors.

Some people have a tendency toward depression because of heredity factors.

For example, my mother fought depression late in life, especially after my father died.

When a spouse dies many people go through a period of depression.

Usually a person will come out of it, but sometimes they don’t.

I believe I may have inherited at least the tendency toward depression from my mother.

Today, my son, Mike, and my daughter Mary, take medication to ward off depression.

Where did they get the depression.

From me.

People also experience deep depression because of a chemical imbal­ance.

That’s my problem.

I take a medication called Welbutin, and it helps a lot.

My depression began when we moved to South Carolina, and I have figured out that it was caused by a couple of things.

First, my son refused to talk to me and our relationship ceased to exist for almost 5 years.

And second, Sierra and I didn’t have any medical assurance; we were having a hard time getting approval for disability, and I wasn’t sure that my insurance company would keep paying me.

Now, let me brag a little on the Lord.

He straightened it all out; I am talking with my son, Michael, again.

Sierra and I both have insurance.

I am still receiving a monthly check from the insurance company.

And I am receiving disability.

It is true, if you love and serve Jesus, God will bless you.

There’s another possible source for depression, and that’s mistreatment by someone near and dear.

Dr. Nicholi, who is a psychiatrist from Harvard, remarked that current studies reveal that American parents spend less time with their children than do parents in almost any other country.

It’s easy to see why that’s true.

In most American homes both parents work.

We have a nation of latch-key kids, because they get home from school before their parents get home from work.

Add to that, that there is only one parent in many homes.

Moreover, Americans are so busy with work, hobbies, sports, and entertainment that they spend very little time with their children.

They may say, “I make sure I spend QUALITY time with my kids.”

But that’s not enough, children need to be with their parents more than they need things.

Children want all the time you can give them.

When that doesn’t happen that’s abuse that leads to a depressed child.

James Dobson said, “Nothing can replace the precious commodity of time spent with your children.”

We may also experience depression because of a negative way of thinking.

Negative thinking says, “The glass is half empty;” whereas positive thinking says, “The glass is half full.”

You’ve probably heard that old saying before.

What it means is that it makes a big difference how you look at things.

Anyone that constantly thinks in negative terms develops a “woe is me” attitude.

Depression is likely to enter the life of those who think negatively.

Did you know that studies have shown that at any given moment, up to 5 percent of the United States population is depressed?

That is a lot of people and every one of them find it hard to get along in the world, because they always feel down in the dumps.

There’s another cause for depression.

It’s often the result of weariness and physical collapse.

I should know all about this one, since it recently happened to me.

I had to give up some of my duties at church, and the devotions I was doing, before I began to feel better.

I had taken on too much and it finally caught up with me.

I was tired all the time, so tired that I began to think that I could not go on unless something changed.

Moreover, my depression was worse than ever.

I feel much better now that I have reduced my responsibilities; but the depression is still there, and I have to face it every day.

We’re not done yet, because there are some other causes for depression.

Some experience deep depression because of their utter helplessness.

Depression often accompanies illness.