The Baggage Of Depression || Teenage Summer Baggage #2
TEENAGE SUMMER BAGGAGE #2:
The Baggage Of Depression
In Psalm 34:18, God's Word encourages the troubled and broken hearted with this promise, "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
This message addresses those who are depressed, those who have the tendency to get depressed and those who are looking to help those who are depressed. May God give great rest and victory to those with mental struggles of depression.
Psa 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
NOTE THREE CAUSES for DEPRESSION WITHIN THIS PASSAGE (they all are related but slightly different):
- Trouble: adversary, adversity, anguish, distress, tribulations.
- Broken Heart: a heart break within the inner man...it's what going on inside of you. Broken hearts happen by how one thinks and reacts toward situations and broken hearts can happen due to outside influences.
- Afflictions: bad, evil, sadness, sorrow, calamity
Thankful, God has created a way for us to overcome the "depressions" of life!
SELF DEFENSE TENDENCIES:
- FIGHT
- FLIGHT
- FREEZE
WHAT MIGHT DEPRESSION DO TO YOU? (If we refuse to receive help...)
If we continue in depression studies show it will:
- Cause a loss of good and necessary sleep. (which leads to other greater physical and mental problems)
- Cause a "run to" and "abuse of" addictions. (which leads to others actions and reactions)
- Cause to contemplate suicide. (which ends the life of one of God's beautiful creations and causes extreme pain in the lives of loved ones still living)
WHO CAN GET DEPRESSED?
Simple Answer: Anyone.
Let's consider a few Bible characters who faced things that could have led them to depression or did lead them to depression:
1. David was troubled and battled deep despair.
In many of the Psalms, he writes of his anguish, loneliness, fear of the enemy, his heart-cry over sin, and the guilt he struggled with because of it. We also see his huge grief in the loss of his sons in 2 Samuel 12:15-23 and 2 Samuel 12:18-33. In other places, David’s honesty with his own weaknesses gives hope to us who struggle today:
Psa 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Psa 42:11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
2. Elijah was discouraged, weary, and afraid.
After great spiritual victories over the prophets of Baal, this mighty man of God feared and ran for his life, far away from the threats of Jezebel. And there in the desert, he sat down and prayed, defeated and worn:
1Ki 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
3. Jonah was angry and wanted to run away.
After God called Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach to the people, he fled as far away as could. And after a storm at sea, being swallowed by a giant fish, and then being saved and given a second chance, he obeyed. He preached God’s message to the people of Nineveh. God’s mercy reached out to all people who turned to Him. But instead of rejoicing, Jonah got mad:
Jon 4:3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
And even after God reached out to Jonah again with great compassion, he responded, Jon 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.
4. Job suffered through great loss, devastation, and physical illness.
This righteous man of God lost literally everything. So great was his suffering and tragedy that even his own wife said, Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Though Job maintained his faithfulness to God throughout his life, he still struggled deeply through the trenches of pain:
Job 3:11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I notgive up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
Job 3:26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.
Job 10:1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Job 30:15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.
Job 30:16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
Job 30:17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
5. Moses was grieved over the sin of his people.
In his feelings of anger and betrayal from his own people, Moses, as a leader, was about ready to quit. He came down from his mountaintop experience with God, commandments in hand, only to find the Israelites in complete chaos and sin. His heart-cry to God on their behalf was desperate:
Exo 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
6. Jeremiah wrestled with great loneliness, feelings of defeat, and insecurity.
Also known as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah suffered from constant rejection by the people he loved and reached out to. God had called him to preach, yet forbidden him to marry and have children. He lived alone, he ministered alone, he was poor, ridiculed, and rejected by his people. In the midst of it, he displayed great spiritual faith and strength, and yet we also see his honesty as he wrestled with despair and a great sense of failure:
Jer 20:14 Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.
Jer 20:18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
7. Even Jesus Himself was deeply anguished over what lay before Him.
He knew what was to come. He knew that God had called him to a journey of great suffering, he knew what must happen in order for us to live truly free. Our Savior and Lord was willing to pay the price on our behalf, but it wasn’t an easy road. Isaiah prophesied that Christ would be "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Isaiah 53:3
We can be assured, that in whatever we face, Jesus understands our weakness and suffering, our greatest times of temptation and despair, because he too traveled that road, yet without sin.
In the garden, through the night, Jesus prayed, all alone, calling out to His Father, asking Him for another way:
Mar 14:34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Mar 14:35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
Mar 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things arepossible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
The Bible says that so great was his anguish, that he sweat “drops of blood.” Luke 22:44
What’s true about all of these stories and many others is this: God was with them. Close. Near.
He was there in the good days and in the dark days too. He didn’t condemn them for their questions and pain. He didn’t tell them to just tough it out. He reached down to their deepest pit of suffering, and lifted them out.
He cared.
He showed compassion. He offered mercy. He brought hope. He instilled purpose. He gave victory.
And He still works in the same way today.
We all experience true emotions and feeling of pain during hard times, but...
QUOTE: FEELINGS ARE NOT FACTS. BOOM!
The fact is: Gods cares, and he wants to minister to us through our pain.
When we study these characters it reminds us that anyone can face depression, BUT God doesn't want us to stay in depression. HE wants to lift us out of it. God knows the limitations and destruction the depression leads to in a person's life. He doesn't want us to live DEFEATED...HE wants us to experience HIS VICTORY that overcomes the WORLD through faith!
IS THERE A WAY TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION?
Most certainly!
Psa 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
NOTE AGAIN THE THREE CAUSES for DEPRESSION WITHIN THIS PASSAGE (they all are related but slightly different):
- Trouble: adversary, adversity, anguish, distress, tribulations.
- Broken Heart: a heart break within the inner man...it's what going on inside of you. Broken hearts happen by how one thinks and reacts toward situations and broken hearts can happen due to outside influences.
- Afflictions: bad, evil, sadness, sorrow, calamity
NOTE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DEPRESSED:
THE RIGHTEOUS. IN THIS PASSAGE there is only one thing the righteous DO...CRY...
NOTE WHO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO TURN TO WHEN WE ARE DEPRESSED:
THE LORD.
NOTE WHAT THE LORD IS ABLE TO DO WHEN WE TURN TO HIM:
- HE HEARS. vs 17
- HE SAVES. vs 18
- HE DELIVERS. vs 17,19
The greatest truth is this, we have a Saviour who understands our pain, who knows about every weakness and hurt, and reaches out with compassion and hope.
He is Healer. Redeemer. Restorer. And friend.
He will never waste the seasons of suffering we face, but will use it, in some way, to bring good, to instill purpose, to help others, and to make us stronger.
Depression is a common, yet very treatable condition that affects many people in our world. Yet statistics tell us that only about one-third of those who are depressed actually receive treatment. This is unfortunate since 80-90% of those who do seek treatment often report feeling better within just a few weeks. (Now, just imagine if those that sought treatment went to the great healer! EVERYTHING would be totally different.
It’s also known that depression is the linked cause for over two-thirds of suicides reported each year.
Help is available. Don’t feel the need to try to hide your pain, or struggle through on your own. Talk to a friend or counselor.
If you find yourself in dark places today, know that you’re not alone. Not ever. God knows your way, is with you always, and has good still in store.
Rom 8:35-39 "35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Thank you for reading,
Justyn Smith - aheartforrevival.com
Comments
Post a Comment