Sometimes do you feel blue, low, and cast down? In a mild form that is depression. You’ve got a severe case when it persists from days to weeks to even months. Why do we feel this way? Is it normal?
It is normal not to feel your best every day. There are times of mood swings and emotional changes. Depression is a symptom which indicated that something isn’t working correctly in our lives. In the Word of God we find great men who became despondent and depressed. Such as David, Job, and Elijah. Let’s see what they wrote. Psalm 42:5 &6, “Why are thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me.”
King David took counsel with himself and sought divine help. Job 10:1, “My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in bitterness of my soul.”
Wasn’t Job a good Christian? One of the best, but that didn’t exclude him from depression.
I Kings 19:4, “But he himself went a days journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my father.”
Elijah was having a pity party and it was so bad he wanted to die.
One of the common causes of depression is unrealistic expectations. We expect too much from life and other people. What we hope for and what we get doesn’t always match. We set ourselves up for disappointment. The feeling of unfulfillment plunges us into a depressed state. Even when things are good, we had hoped for better.
Another form of depression is caused by self-pity. Feeling sorry for ourselves is thinking we deserve better. I’m just glad I don’t get what I deserve. A thankful heart is a good remedy for self-pity.
Unconfessed sin will lead to guilt, which can lead to depression. Sin is the root of all problems whether we want to admit it or not. When we commit a sin and try to minimize it, rationalize it, or justify it; we step out of a right relationship with God. He will not allow us to grow or enjoy our Christianity until we confess our sins.
When depression knocks at your door, ask yourself, “How did he get here and how did he know my address?” You will become your own counselor. Talk to yourself, count your blessings and confess that sin. Remember depression is a symptom not a cause.
We will be cast down from time to time, but let’s take the preventative medicine before we slip too far, where we cry out to God, “I want to die.”
Anchor Baptist Church
456 Jamison Rd
Washington Court House, OH
(740) 333-7777
