Dealing with Depression
The next thing that we see David do is to seek his commandments in the day. Consider the following scriptures. Psalm 119:50 “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” Psalm 119:81 “CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.” Psalm 119:114 “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” David delighted himself in God’s Word and there he found strength and encouragement. Psalm 119:130 tells us, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
Notice what David did when he had come to a place of depression in 1 Samuel 30:6, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” To strengthen your faith listen the Word.
You can get a copy of the Bible and keep it playing in your home, it will strengthen you. It will do a lot more for you than Ellen or Oprah I guarantee. When in times of depression read the Psalms, they are encouragement to the soul.
David goes on from this and says that to recover from depression you should Sing songs in the night. All through the Bible we see a strong connection between the spirit and music, Saul when he was troubled by an evil spirit had David play on the harp and sing, and the evil spirit would depart. Samuel when seeking the Lord had them play music, David was the sweet Psalmist of Israel, Solomon wrote also Psalms and had a great choir that sang at the temple.
Music is an expression of the soul, thus it can not only bring sorrow, but joy. A person who is struggling with depression should surround themselves with Godly uplifting music.
The last of the five steps that David took was to spend time in prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
When in a state of depression many times the last thing that we want to do is pray, when in reality it should be the first thing that we do. Revelation 12:11 tells us, ‘And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” To plead the blood, and speak of the testimony of what God has done for us is how we see the enemy being defeated over and over again in the Bible.
This is the place that we find David at the beginning of Psalm 43, He is praying. In Psalm 42 David deals primarily with what the depresses should do, but in Psalm 43 we find out what God does in response to our obedience in these five things.
You see Psalm 43 begins with an honest prayer for God to examine Him. He says, “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”
The word judge here is not a cry for condemnation, but for examination and help. It is the thought of one who might inspect and item that is imperfect so that it might be corrected. The last thing that a person who is in depression wants is judgment, but it is the thing that they need, not the judgment of people, but the honest examination of God in their lives.
This is accomplished by two means in this passage.
