Question 1:
What are some things that lift your spirits
when you’re feeling down?
THE POINT: God lifts us up when we feel down.
Sometimes we just get down. I’m not referring to clinical depression—that’s a whole different matter. Some call it the blues, the blahs, or the doldrums, but whatever it’s called, we’re not at our best.
January 18, 2021, has been identified as Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. For fifteen years now, the third Monday of January has been identified as a depressing day because the excitement of Christmas is well past; many have failed in their New Year’s resolutions by this time; they’re now facing the bills and debt accrued at Christmas; and the weather remains bleak.
Well-meaning family or friends will try to “talk us out of” our feelings. “What have you got to be sad about?!” “You just need to turn that frown upside down.” In my experience, those clichés don’t help. But the issue remains: what do we do when we have a bout of the blues?
King David wrote some amazing psalms of praise, but he also wrote psalms that reflected his troubled soul. Through his words in Psalm 31, we find the best answer to the blues.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Psalm 31:1-2
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
We’re not lacking for suggestions on how to beat the blues. Some advice focuses on connecting with others; for example, talk to a friend or play with a dog for an hour. Other suggestions center on the physical: engage in vigorous exercise, drink coffee, eat more seafood, and take vitamin and mineral supplements. (Let me stress again that clinical depression is very different from the moments of depression or the blues we can all experience. Medical supervision or the use of prescribed medications is necessary for many people dealing with clinical depression.) Many of these suggestions are sound ideas whether we’re feeling down or not. (I’m all for playing with a dog for an hour every day.) While many of these ideas may benefit some people but not others, I am confident that we can all practice and benefit from one task: trust in God.
In Psalm 31, David was not explicitly fighting depression, but he was facing circumstances that weighed heavily on him. Although we’re not sure of the exact circumstances, many scholars think King David wrote this psalm at the time his son, Absalom, was attempting to take over the kingship. It was evident from David’s instructions to his soldiers to treat his son gently that he loved Absalom deeply (2 Sam. 18:5). He wept bitterly when he heard Absalom was dead (v. 33). But earlier, David had to run for his life because of a threat from his own son, the very one he loved and cared for (17:21-22). Such circumstances were not just an external challenge; David surely felt heavy-hearted at his situation. I can only speak for myself and say that if one of my two sons rebelled and sought to take my life, I would experience more than the blues!
Question 2:
What are some circumstances
that tend to bring you down?
David didn’t seek comfort in talking to a friend or from petting a dog; he went to God. “In you, Lord, I have taken refuge.” A refuge could refer to a mountain, harbor, or city, but David knew God would provide the only shelter he needed. Elsewhere, David acknowledged that God was his constant shelter: “The Lord is the stronghold of my life” (27:1b). Nothing and no one else could offer David the protection from disgrace that God provided.
As he looked to God for safety, David also requested, “Deliver me in your righteousness.” We live in a world of unrighteousness. In another psalm, David mentioned this sad reality. “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (14:3).
When we find ourselves in the pit of misery, sometimes we can’t lift ourselves out. We have no righteousness of our own we can call on. But we can look to God. God brings His righteousness to all who choose to trust their lives to Jesus Christ.
David’s problems and concerns may have weighed heavily on him, but he looked to the God he knew and trusted. Whatever weighed him down was no match for a righteous God. Just as David cried to God for His help and righteous intervention, we can too.
Psalm 31:3-4
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
David’s request in verse 2 for God to “be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me,” also reminded him that God had already been his refuge. He declared in verse 3: “Since you are my rock and my fortress.” Looking to God for refuge was something David had experienced repeatedly.
From the moment we are introduced to David in 1 Samuel 16, we see a young man who trusted God. In fact, even before David entered the picture, God announced through Samuel, “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). When this young man with a heart for God stood before King Saul and offered to face Goliath, he said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (17:37).
God rewarded David with victory, and he quickly rose in the ranks of Saul’s’ men. But David’s trust would be continually put to the test. David knew he would be king—indeed, everyone knew David would be king!—so when David was presented an opportunity to quickly and easily kill King Saul, he refused to do it (24:1-22). David would not take matters into his own hands; instead, he trusted God to bring about his deliverance and kingship in His own timing.
MY REFUGE
Using the acrostic below, list some ways God has set you free
from things that caused you to feel down.
R - etirement fears
E - _____________________
F - _____________________
U - _____________________
G - _____________________
E - _____________________
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me
and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy
pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on
a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
PSALM 4 0:1-2
David wasn’t perfect. He sinned grievously when he slept with Bathsheba and then killed her husband in an attempt to cover up his sin (2 Sam. 11:1-27). David should’ve run to God as his refuge from temptation. David should not have tried to take matters in his own hands. His attempts to fix things only made things far worse. But when Nathan confronted David, the king was convicted of his wrongdoing (12:1-14) and remembered the Righteous One who was his refuge, and David came to God in repentance. He remembered God’s grace and faithfulness and humbly repented.
Now as David faced a new challenge, he turned again to God as his rock and fortress. He said with confidence, “Keep me free from the trap that is set for me” (v. 4). Sometimes it’s easy to be “prayed up” and trust God with the problems we see in advance coming down the road. But sometimes, we’re struck unaware. In those moments, it’s wise to remember that the God who loves us and has been our rock and fortress in the past is still the same refuge now.
Question 3:
What are some unhealthy ways
you see people respond to depression?
Psalm 31:5-8
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. 6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
We know we’re truly trusting God—not simply giving lip service to the idea of trusting—when our trust leads us to praise God. When David penned these words, he had not yet experienced the rescue he sought, but he trusted and knew God would deliver. David could “be glad and rejoice in your love” for four reasons:
- “You saw my affliction.”
- You “knew the anguish of my soul.”
- ”You have not given me into the hands of the enemy.”
- “You “have set my feet in a spacious place.”
In our moments of despair, we may feel no one sees or cares, but God sees and knows—and He cares. In those moments when we’re in a tight spot surrounded only by depressing thoughts and feelings, let’s remember that God will always deliver those who choose to look to Him in spite of circumstances. God will set us free from the tight space of depressing thoughts and bring us to a spacious place.
Question 5:
What steps can we take as a group
to lift up one another during difficult times?
LIVE IT OUT
How will you respond in trust to God? Choose one of the following applications:
- Worship. Trust is expressed as you worship because it keeps you focused on Christ. Make the decision to actively engage in worship both with your church and in your private devotional life.
- Study. Identify Bible verses that teach what God says about the issue of depression and sadness in our lives so you can share them with others.
- Seek help. Do a serious personal evaluation about what causes depression in your life. Admit that it is real and it is serious. It might be time to talk with a close friend, pastor, or counselor about it.
There are lots of clichés that sound good and that people want to share for all the right reasons. But the Lord is the One who can truly lift us up when we are feeling down.
LIVING FAITHFULLY THROUGH DEPRESSION
By Warren Kinghorn, MD, THD
Joy to the world! The voices of the praise team, with a huge Christmas tree behind them and red poinsettias on every side, filled the crowded auditorium. But Beth, who sat toward the back, felt no joy. She felt hardly anything at all, other than numb and sad.
Beth was sad in part because she remembered Christmas in the past as such a happy time, filled with friends and family. But this Christmas was different. It was her first year out of college, living in a new city with an exciting but challenging job with a ministry for at-risk youth. It had been harder than she had expected to find friends, and to plug into a church.
She hadn’t remembered a December that was so cold, dark, and gray. Nothing, including work, brought her joy. Her friends, family, and even God seemed far away. Thinking that she might be sick, she had seen Dr. Poole, a family physician who had heard Beth’s story, asked some questions, and ordered tests. The next day, Dr. Poole phoned Beth. “All your lab work looks okay,” she said. “Your thyroid and vitamin levels are normal. But you’re depressed. Let’s talk about some help.”
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Depressed wasn’t a word that Beth, as a committed Christian, wanted to hear. No one in her family had ever been depressed. No one talked about depression in her college Christian fellowship. Most of the songs she heard at church were about how Christians should be joyful. But a doctor had told her that she was depressed. What did that mean?
A week later, Beth sat in the office of Elaine, a Christian psychologist whom Dr. Poole had recommended. Beth had been nervous, but Elaine’s warm style immediately put her at ease. It felt good to be able to talk with someone who listened and cared. After they had spoken for a while, Beth asked her what it meant that she was “depressed.”
“Depression is a curious word,” Elaine responded. “People sometimes use words like depression as if it’s something that you get like influenza. But major depression is actually defined broadly. If you feel sad or joyless for at least two weeks, and also experience appetite changes, exhaustion, guilt, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much, or thoughts that you might be better off not alive, there’s a good chance you’d meet the criteria for depression. But not all depression is the same. For some people, depression can come out of the blue and be so debilitating that people have a hard time getting out of bed. For others, depression happens when people go through major life changes or a loss. For others, depression is living under stress. For most, it’s a mix of a lot of things.”
CHALLENGES
Beth felt confused. “But what about me?” she asked. “Isn’t this something that’s happening in my body? Dr. Poole told me that depression was a medical condition, and that I might need medication for it.”
“Well, sure,” Elaine responded. “Your depression is happening in your body because your life is happening in your body.
And in your case, it may be that you’ve inherited some genes that make you more vulnerable. But depression doesn’t have to do with your body only. It also has to do with patterns of thinking that you’ve developed over years. You’ve told me, for example, of how all through college you worked hard and fed off the praise of others, and now that you’re working, that’s a lot harder to do.”
Beth smiled a little. “Yeah—maybe so.” “And depression also has to do with your relationships with others. It can be triggered by tensions in relationships—or the lack of them—and it can also make close relationships harder to sustain.
GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS
“Wow,” Elaine said. “That’s a heavy load you’re trying to carry. You speak as if anyone who feels like you do right now must be doing something seriously wrong in God’s eyes.”
Beth looked up, a little surprised. It sounded silly, but she did believe that, if she were honest.
“Do you know the hymn ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness?’” Elaine asked.
“Well, sure,” Beth answered. “We sang it all the time when I was younger. ‘Morning by morning new mercies I see. . . .’”
“It’s a great hymn,” Elaine said, “taken from the Book of Lamentations 3: ‘He filled me with bitterness, satiated me with wormwood. He ground my teeth on gravel and made me cower in the dust. My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is.’ and then the verses that you’re familiar with.”
Beth sat quietly before speaking. “That’s it,” she said. “That’s how I feel.”
NEW MERCIES EVERY MORNING
Beth continued to see Elaine weekly for talk therapy, focusing on her patterns of thought and action, and came to trust her deeply. She also met several times with a pastor who prayed with her, and for her, and talked with her about her life with God. She realized that even people who love God, and are loved by God, can feel low, and God understands that.
She learned that being depressed wasn’t her fault. She learned that living with and overcoming depression was hard work—but not the sort of work that she could do alone. It required the hard work of being vulnerable before others and before God, of taking the risk to join a small group at her church, of paying more attention to her sleeping, exercising, and eating habits, and of setting limits with co-workers at her job.
In the midst of all of this, as the gray winter gave way to the warm spring, Beth’s sadness gradually lifted, and she was grateful. But Beth didn’t consider herself “cured.” She still felt sad and bleak from time to time, and knew that the dark pit of depression could come again. But she knew that even if her depression returned, she wouldn’t be alone.
Warren Kinghorn, MD, ThD is a psychiatrist and theologian at Duke University. He is co-director of the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative at Duke Divinity School. Growing up at Edwards Road Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., Warren now lives in Durham, N.C. with his wife, Susan, and their two young children.
Teacher Notes:
Weathering the Blues
The Passage: Psalm 31:1-8
What are some things
that lift your spirits when you’re feeling down?
Sometimes we just get down. I’m not referring to
clinical depression—that’s a whole different matter. Some call it the blues, the blahs, or
the doldrums, but whatever it’s called, we’re not at our best.
January 18, 2021, has been identified as Blue
Monday, the most depressing day of the year. For fifteen years now, the third
Monday of January has been identified as a depressing day because the
excitement of Christmas is well past; many have failed in their New Year’s
resolutions by this time; they’re now facing the bills and debt accrued at
Christmas; and the weather remains bleak.
Well-meaning family or friends will try to “talk
us out of” our feelings. “What have you got to be sad about?!” “You just need
to turn that frown upside down.” In my experience, those clichés don’t help.
But the issue remains: what do we do when we have a bout of the blues?
King David wrote some amazing
psalms of praise, but he also wrote psalms that reflected his troubled soul.
Through his words in Psalm 31, we find the best answer to the blues.
The nature of David’s troubles is unclear. He
may have been ill or wrongly accused. He felt alone and forsaken. Although
emotionally distressed and physically drained, the psalmist chose not to let
his situation get him down. In Psalm 31 David conveyed unwavering trust in the
Lord.
Psalm 31:1-2
1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me
never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
As a child would cry out for a parent, David
calls out to God for assistance. He wants God to listen to him. David wants to
be rescued quickly; this is no time for delay in his mind. He feels he is in an
emergency.
God is our refuge.
· An admission of need and
affirmation of trust
· When life circumstances
weigh heavy on your mind, turn to the Lord
· Live by faith so you
will never have to be ashamed to stand before the Lord
· To choose to trust the
Lord, then not do so, in essence, means you didn’t really choose or trust Him
at all
· The Lord is a strong
fortress and a constant refuge in times of struggle.
Suggestions on how to beat the blues:
· Some advice focuses on
connecting with others; for example, talk to a friend or play with a dog for an
hour.
· Other suggestions center
on the physical: engage in vigorous exercise, drink coffee, eat more seafood,
and take vitamin and mineral supplements. (Let me stress again that clinical
depression is very different from the moments of depression or the blues we can
all experience. Medical supervision or the use of prescribed medications is
necessary for many people dealing with clinical depression.)
· One sure task: trust
in God.
RECAP: When we find ourselves in the pit of
misery, sometimes we can’t lift ourselves out. We have no righteousness of our
own we can call on. But we can look to God. God brings His righteousness to all
who choose to trust their lives to Jesus Christ.
David’s problems and concerns may have weighed
heavily on him, but he looked to the God he knew and trusted. Whatever weighed
him down was no match for a righteous God. Just as David cried to God for His
help and righteous intervention, we can too.
Psalm 31:3-4
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the
sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set
for me, for you are my refuge.
David recognizes who God is and has been to him.
Each of us should take the time to reflect on our relationship to God. He is
our foundation and our source of security. It is for God's own name's sake that
David trusts God to lead and guide him. Like David, we must understand that our
relationship to God is built upon the strength of His character.
Take your concerns to
God and have confidence in His protection.
· David repeats himself to
reinforce and emphasize his conviction and testimony about the ability of the
Lord
· If we truly depend on
the Lord, we need to be willing to give ourselves over to His leadership and
guidance
· God is greater than the
evil devices employed by others who would seek to harm us
· The Lord is our refuge
Looking to God for refuge was something David
had experienced repeatedly.
From the moment we are introduced to David in 1
Samuel 16, we see a young man who trusted God. In fact, even before David
entered the picture, God announced through Samuel, “The Lord has sought out a
man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). When this young man with a heart for
God stood before King Saul and offered to face Goliath, he said, “The Lord who
rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from
the hand of this Philistine” (17:37).
What are some unhealthy ways you see people
respond to depression?
Psalm 31:5-8
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver
me, Lord, my faithful God. 6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for
me, I trust in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw
my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the
hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
Depression may cause us to feel hopeless and at
the mercy of our circumstances. David resists this and recognizes that he is in
the Lord's care. He yields himself entirely to God's activity and will. Jesus
quotes this psalm as He offers His final words on the cross (Luke 23:46). We
must place ourselves in God's hands as well, expecting him to bring something
good out of what we are facing.
Trust God to carry you
through and rejoice in His mercies.
· Whatever we face, we can
feel safe in the arms of the Lord
· God is faithful to
redeem us from that which enslaves us, even our emotions
· Don’t choose a worthless
course – trust in the Lord
· God will act in mercy on
our behalf
Listen to the absolute and total trust in
David’s words: “Into your hands I commit my spirit!” David had chosen, quite
literally, to place his life in God’s hands. Whatever came and whatever
happened, David’s life was in God’s hands—and there was no better place to be.
In the midst of his circumstances, David is able
to look toward the future. Depression often strips away our ability to do this
and restricts our view to the problems of the present. In changing
circumstances, God's love remains constant. Depression may make us think that
no one understands or cares, but David recognizes that God knows and
understands him thoroughly. Difficult circumstances will not last forever, and
God will bless us in the end.
In our moments of despair and depression, we may
feel no one sees or cares, but God sees and knows—and He cares. In those
moments when we’re in a tight spot surrounded only by depressing thoughts and
feelings, let’s remember that God will always deliver those who choose to look
to Him in spite of circumstances. God will set us free from the tight space of
depressing thoughts and bring us to a spacious place.
There are lots of clichés that sound good and
that people want to share for all the right reasons. But the Lord is the One
who can truly lift us up when we are feeling down.
A Non-Scientific Study:
We all have those days when we’re a little down.
Maybe it’s a sad, cloudy day, your team lost, or you just feel weary of the
routine of the work week. Sometimes we experience an onslaught of hassles and
problems. We call it the blues. A deep funk. The dismals. The mopes. Whatever
you call it, what do you do when that mood sets in?
(This is different from a seemingly never-ending
depressed state. If the blues come and never leave, talk to a medical doctor or
a Christ-centered counselor. Clinical depression is something quite different
from just being in an occasional funk.)
In a highly non-scientific study, I asked
friends what they do when the blues set in. Here’s what I discovered.
· A change of scenery. Over half the group
referred to walking outside—and if a dog was involved, all the better. Some
mentioned yardwork as therapeutic. A medical doctor would point out this
involves exercise, which is good for our disposition.
Surrounding ourselves
with God’s creation is a good thing. The beauty of God’s creation draws us to
awe, wonder, and worship.
“The heavens declare the
glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands” (Ps. 19:1)
· A change in the
conversation. Talking with someone else is beneficial. I’m not referring to
talking to a counselor (although for some, that might be helpful), but getting
with a friend. Maybe it’s talking about what has you down or it may be talking
about how to keep squirrels out of your bird feeder. The point is that, instead
of being by yourself and letting a depressing monologue play in your head,
conversations with friends take the focus off just ourselves.
A conversation with a
child or grandchild works too! Talk to
them and live in their world for a moment, because seeing life through their
eyes can really be uplifting.
“Anxiety in a person’s
heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up” (Prov. 12:25).
· A change in actions. Many people fight the
blues by serving someone else. I had a pastor friend who used service to others
as his go-to therapy. Helping someone else—meeting a need—took their minds off
their own need.
“In every way I’ve shown
you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than
to receive’ ” (Acts 20:35).
“Everyone should look
not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).
· A change in perspective. Reading Scripture made
the list, and some mentioned specific passages they found helpful: Psalm 55:22;
91; Romans 8:38-39. Frankly, I think this weapon to fight the blues is the strongest.
Yes, God ministers to our hearts through His creation, the friends He has
brought our way, and the service we do for others, but there’s something
about God’s Word that is especially powerful and therapeutic.
“The word of God is
living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as
far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
Through Scripture, we discover the heart of God.
We encounter His love, grace, and care. Perspective changes for the better as
we soak in His Word and gain His perspective on the world and on life. If
you’re not in the habit of reading Scripture, start. Make it a habit—a daily
habit. And in those moments when you feel down, read out loud the psalms. God’s
grace-filled perspective seeps in as you see it, speak it, and hear it.
There’s a common element in all these ideas:
· By walking in God’s
creation, I’m taking my eyes off myself.
· By conversing with those
He’s brought into my life, I’m taking my attention off myself.
· By serving others in His
name, I’m serving others rather than myself.
· By reading Scripture,
I’m taking my focus off myself.
When I lose myself in
Christ, I truly find myself—and there’s nothing depressing about who I am in
Christ.
