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Fighting Depression

Scripture reading for September 3: Psalm 42:7-11 “Deep calls to deep at the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands His steadfast love, and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my Rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my Salvation and my God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

Another common malady of our day is depression and anxiety. When we don’t have God at the center of our life, our problems loom over us as giants that taunt us by day and by night. When we focus our minds on our problems, even believers can begin to question God as David did in this psalm of worship. He felt God had forgotten him and his enemies also taunted him with “Where is your God?” These questions, doubts and fears brought David down in his soul and there was turmoil.

To combat this attack of unbelief, David had a conversation with his soul. He asked himself why he would be in such turmoil and downcast? He spoke an encouraging word to his own soul: ‘Hope in God!’ He began to praise God for Who He was to him, his Salvation and personal Lord. This deliberate confrontation of his inner turmoil brought his soul back out of the mire of self-pity and doubt.

In the New Testament, Peter tells believers to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God by casting all their anxiety on Him. They are reminded that God cares for them and knows how to carry them through whatever trial is causing them turmoil. God will exalt them in the proper time. He is never early and never late, even though our soul feelings may say otherwise!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I humble myself to cast all my load of cares on You because You care for me! I will praise You for Your great salvation! You are my Hope! Amen!