Dealing with Depression
Depression is not God’s plan for you! God’s plan is peace that passes understanding, He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. Notice that David sees the opposite of his state in verse 5 and verse 11 as he says why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope in God! David then defines Hope as the opposite of Depression. A depressed person is a person without hope.
David further indicates that the only place to get help is from the Lord. Notice in verse 5 he says that he will praise him for the help of His countenance. Then in verse 11 David says that God is the health of my countenance. In other words, the health of my countenance is found in the help of His countenance. Drugs are not the answer for depression, they only mask the problem, they treat the symptom not the source. Drugs don’t give hope back to the soul, they only trick the brain. David knew that His only hope to escape depression was to get close to God that is why He started off the Psalm like he did, As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Now let’s take note that this is David, the mighty King of Israel, the conquer of all that he goes to battle with, the man after God’s own heart. Many times when we find ourselves in depression we think that we are the only ones who ever felt this way, and there must be something very wrong with us because we are like this, but even David found himself in this state. So to find yourself in depression is not abnormal, but it is a sign that you are in a spiritual battle. It could be that your depression is because you haven’t recognized that battle as such and turned to God for help, or it could be that you have given Satan access to oppress you because of sin.
Remember, whatsoever is not of faith is sin. To be without hope is really to be dwelling in a sinful state. While you might find yourself there a child of God should not stay there. David knows that it is not God’s will for a person to stay in depression. But he also is searching his soul to determine where he has fallen into this oppression of the enemy, notice how many times he asks why?
A depressed person will often ask themselves why do I feel this way, why, why, why. The answer is that you allowed your thinking to be co-opted by the oppression of the enemy. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he. What you think will determine how you feel, and how you feel will determine how you act. The key to overcoming depression is to identify where my thinking isn’t right, were did I believe Satan’s lie and deviate my thinking from God’s word. Once I have identified the error, then I must change my thinking. David gives us five answers on how to do this in this passage.
