Today on the Verdict with Pastor John Monroe, Martin Lloyd Jones, in his book which I commend to you, Spiritual Depression, says that another frequent cause of spiritual depression is a reaction after great blessing. Do you realize, as you follow Jesus Christ, you are particularly vulnerable after a spiritual high, after a spiritual success. Welcome to the Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. It's a mistake to assume that followers of Christ are somehow immune to discouragement. Even David, who wrote many of the Psalms, struggled with dark moments.
But today on the Verdict, we'll expose the symptoms and the biblical cure for dealing with discouragement.
So, continuing the next part of our encouraging series with Wings Like Eagles. Here's Pastor John Monroe. Ever discouraged, ever depressed? I'm sure that many of you have certainly experienced discouragement. Who hasn't?
And some of you know firsthand the impact of depression in your life or in the lives of your loved ones. These are our subjects today as we continue to think about the series with wings like eagles, as we'll see from the Word of God. Being a child of God does not render us immune from discouragement and depression. Many people, both in Scripture and throughout history, including faithful followers of Christ, experience these challenges. We want to look at these problems and then look to the Word of God, so that whoever you are and whatever your circumstances, as you wait on the Lord, you can mount up with wings like eagles.
The great English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon suffered from deep melancholy from time to time. Here is an extract from a letter he wrote to his congregation: "Dear friends, the furnace still glows around me. Since I last preached to you, I have been brought very low. My flesh has been tortured with pain, and my spirit has been prostrate with depression." I am as a potter's vessel, when it is utterly broken, useless, and laid aside. Nights of watching and days of weeping have been mine.
What do you think of that? From one of the greatest preachers that this world has ever known, does that surprise you that a preacher would be depressed from time to time? Sarahs Kennedy Hill of the Kennedy family. Chronicled her own battles with depression in a piece in her high school paper. I quote, "We are all either struggling or know someone who is battling an illness.
Let's come together to make our community more inclusive and comfortable." She wrote, and then she died this summer. Of a suspected overdose, Patrick Kennedy wrote that her account of her depression is a powerful reminder of how so many people suffer alone and feel isolated. The reality is, some people—I'm sure some of you—have struggled with depression virtually all of your lives. A recent Pew Research study, on May 27, 2019, that was reported in the Observer, said that 70% of teens consider anxiety and depression a major issue among their peers. A 2017 American College Health Association survey reported that 40% of college students surveyed reported being so depressed they struggle to function, while 16% felt overwhelming anxiety during the previous year.
I find that absolutely astonishing. Going through school and university, yes, I knew some people struggled with some anxiety, had some friends like that, but nothing in terms of such high figures, rates of depression, suicide arising among all ages, including adults. And the causes are multifaceted, and they were told that the obsession by many students with social media is a factor. Instead of relating face to face with people, their emotional well-being is decided by the number of likes they receive on a particular posting. How sad.
Also, we're told increasingly, parents are micromanaging the lives of their children and students. That would also be my observation. Parents now want to solve every problem in a child's life, rather than letting them work out some of these problems for themselves. Therefore, making the child or student more resourceful and better able to cope with the realities of life. During the time at home, and certainly when they leave home, and so sociologists describe what we have in this country in the West as prolonged adolescence.
We have young men who may be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, who are really still adolescents in terms of their maturity. Even young children, we're told today, are stressed. I can't remember one child in my elementary school ever saying they were depressed, but now it is very, very common. Increasing numbers of young children in elementary school say they're stressed, and that can well lead to depression and other emotional problems. Incidentally, I found this very amusing.
That it was reported earlier this month. That high school students who don't date are less are less depressed than those who do.
So, high school students, if you don't want to be depressed, don't date. It's going to be depressed, depressing situation for you. The problems of depression, discouragement in our society are huge. There are, if these statistics are true, at epidemic levels. The reality is that all of us are sometimes discouraged, and many people are depressed.
Depression is that kind of feeling which brings a lack of energy, lack of interest in life, a weariness in life, being tired of life. Any of you feel that?
Some of you are feeling that right now. Everyone experiences a down day from time to time, but severe depression is marked by fatigue. Emotional and unrelenting pain or sadness, and sometimes both. Difficulty in thinking, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in falling asleep. Often a loss of appetite, and feelings of hopelessness.
A feeling that there is no hope that things will not change, a kind of semi-paralysis where the individual just sits around staring. I've heard more than one account over the years of individuals saying and saying about people they live with, he or she just sits for hours on end, staring into the wall. Depression holds the individual hostage; it's in a prison. In extreme cases, these feelings of hopelessness lead to a total despair of life, and even to suicide.
Now, I am not an expert on depression. On chronic depression, I hasten to say that I'm not going to give advice to any of you who are suffering from physical, emotional, mental depression. I'm not an expert. You do need to see your physician for these things. You need to treat it seriously.
But I do want to talk about spiritual depression. I do want to talk about spiritual discouragement, and we're going to read. Two little psalms, that really one psalm, Psalm forty-two and forty-three. If you have your Bible, you can open there. And the psalmist is struggling; his soul, he says, is cast down.
And these two psalms share a common theme. In our series on wings of an eagle, our subject today is depression and discouragement. I am praying that you will soar high with wings. Like eagles soaring high above the challenges and struggles of life. Here is the word of God to us.
I'm going to read both of them. Many commentators think this is one psalm. It certainly has a similar theme because the refrain. Remember, these were sung in the temple, sung in the tabernacle, led by the choir directors. This was the hymn book of Israel.
Here it is, Psalm forty-two. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember as I pour out my soul.
How I would go with a throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 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. My soul is cast down within me.
Therefore, I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 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.
Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man. Deliver me. For you are the God in whom I take refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with a lyre, O God, my God.
Now notice. He's going to say what he's already said in verses five and eleven of Psalm forty-two. The same thing. Here's the chorus. Here's the refrain.
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. Let's think. Of the way dying.
Let's think of some of the symptoms of depression that we see here in verse three. We see sadness and tears. My tears have been my food, day and night. There's this sense of deep emotional pain, of feeling overwhelmed. There, there is turmoil.
We saw that in the chorus in verses five, eleven, and verse. Five of Psalm forty-three. Why are you in turmoil within me? The individual is crying a lot. This individual is in turmoil.
There, there is a sense of being overwhelmed. They're in deep emotional pain. There's a loss of appetite and sleep. In fact, the psalmist is saying, "He's only appetite for his tears. My tears have been my food, day and night." He also, in verse four, remembers the time when he was leading the people in procession in the house of God, the time of worship.
There's been a change. He's no longer there, and isn't one of the things that causes us a lot of disappointment, and even depression. Is a change of situation, a loss of a job, a loss of employment, a loss of a spouse, a loss of a family member. A change of location, when life changes, when life is no longer routine and something that we've done and something we have enjoyed now comes to an end dramatically, that can often plunge people into depression. There is this then in the psalm, as you read it, this deep anxiety, this turmoil, this cloud of darkness and despair.
Now you say, what causes depression?
Well, many many things, but I'm dealing with spiritual depression. One is sin that can cause depression. Turn back in your Bible to Psalm 32. Remember, David committed a great sin as he committed adultery with Bathsheba, and he is in turmoil. And you could say rightly so.
He tried to cover up his terrible sin. Psalm thirty-two, verse three: For when I kept silent, he didn't repent to me. Judah, he tried to hide it. Do you know the story in Second Samuel eleven? When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up, as by the heat of summer. You've experienced that. I hope, to some extent, all of us have. We we've sinned and we've not repented, and our conscience tells us that we've done wrong.
The word of God tells us we've done wrong. But instead of confessing it, instead of repenting from it, we cover it up. That's what David did. And he knows better. He's the king.
He knows the law of God. He knew what that he had done wrong even before he was confronted by Nathan. But during that time, he's in terrible, terrible turmoil. He says he's wasting away. He's groaning all day long.
Have you ever been in a situation where you have been so depressed that you have a loss of appetite?
So, if you are down, if you're cast down because of your sin, what's the answer to that? The answer is to repent. The answer is to bring it out to the light, to repent of your sin, to turn from it, to confess it, and to put it right. But all depression isn't caused through sin. Depression is often caused through suffering.
Turn back to the book of Job, chapter thirty. No one in the scriptures, other than our Lord, suffered like Job, and here he is, Job thirty, verse sixteen. He's gone through extreme suffering. He's experienced deep emotional pain. If you know the story of Job.
His family, his business are wiped out. He has this terrible boils on him. Who wouldn't be discouraged? Job thirty verse sixteen. And now my soul is poured out within me.
Days of affliction have taken hold of me. The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest. He just can't get away from it, day and night. He's in great, great turmoil because his whole life has been turned upside down. He's suffering.
He's alone. Whatever way he looks, there seems to be disaster. And the night racks my bones. He's overwhelmed. By the difficult situation, many of you can relate to that, haven't you?
Some terrible disaster has come to you and to your family. It's not because of sin; it's in the mysterious purposes of God. But you have experienced this, and you don't see a way out. And it has plunged you not just into disappointment, but into great heartache, into great emotional pain, and that may even lead to depression. Martin Lloyd Jones, in his book which I commend to you, "Spiritual Depression," says that another frequent cause of spiritual depression is a reaction after great blessing.
Do you realize, as you follow Jesus Christ and you're living for the Lord, you're particularly vulnerable after a spiritual high, after a spiritual success. Think of Elijah, he has this tremendous success in First Kings eighteen. He takes on all of the false gods of Baal. You remember they're cutting themselves, the prophets, and he challenges them. He is alone against all of the false prophets of Baal.
And God vindicates Elijah, and there's this great triumph on Mount Carmel. But then, right after it, in the very next chapter, he's running for his life, not because he's chased by the false prophets, but because of a woman, Queen Jezebel. And his great faith that we see in First Kings eighteen is replaced by fear of Queen Jezebel, and he prays, "O Lord, take away my life, for I'm no better than my fathers." After this great triumph, this great prophet Elijah, we would say, "What are you doing?" Is it that bad? You think you're all alone? You're thinking it would be as well as if you were dead.
And of course, we know from Scripture there were many other people of faith. But the point is, falling—can we say—to spiritual pieces after a great spiritual triumph is not unusual. There can be nervous spiritual exhaustion. This causes can cause great discouragement and anxiety, and unresolved conflict and anger. All of these can lead to depression.
Interesting, isn't it? As you read the Gospels, that right after the baptism of our Lord, if you're reading through Matthew's Gospel, for example, the end of Matthew three, the Lord Jesus is baptized. What happens in the next chapter? He's led into the wilderness where he's tempted by Satan.
Now, of course, the Lord is triumphant; he gets the victory over Satan. But isn't it the case? Have you found it? I have certainly found it that after being used by God in a mighty way, it's as if all hell breaks loose in your life, and that can lead. To depression.
Now, what's the impact of depression? What was the impact as you look back at Psalm forty-two? What was the impact of depression?
Well, the psalmist experiences a terrible thing. He experiences a famine of the presence of the Lord. Look at verses one and two of Psalm forty-two. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? The psalmist has this spiritual thirst, but is not satisfied. He's like a deer, desperately wanting water, but It's panting to slake its thirst, but there's no water anywhere. The usual watering holes have have dried up, and without water, this deer will eventually die. Obviously, now the psalmist knows God.
He's not a pagan. He's a man of faith. He knows God. He's experienced God. He loves God.
But the reality of the presence of God and the reality of the power of God in his life. Seems to have forsaken him, and this is why his soul is cast down. Have you ever been there, or are you one of these unusual people who always goes around saying praise the Lord all the time? Personally, I can't relate to these people. They're at a spiritual level I guess the vast majority of us have never reached.
It's not reality, is it? The reality is that all of us sometimes experience this. We love God, but but where is He? And the psalmist is longing for the psalmist's presence. He's longing for the the power of God and the grace of God in his life.
And he feels, verse nine, that God has forgotten him. Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the of the enemy? His his his enemies are taunting him and saying, "Well, where is your God?" The psalmist saying, "I really don't feel it. Has God forsaken me?" He knows what it feels to be to be rejected by God, to feel abandoned by God. Have you ever been in such a situation?
So devastating that you wondered where God was. Your theology instructs us and tells you that God is everywhere. You you know that intellectually, but emotionally, you don't feel it.
Now. These emotions don't mean that the psalmist is living an ungodly life. There is no mention of sin in Psalm 42 and 43. Don't make it that easy.
Now, the reality is, there are times in our Christian life of people of faith that we feel cast down when we feel God is distant, when we feel God is remote. You're listening to The Verdict with the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. John will be right back with more on today's message.
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Well, what's your verdict? Are you facing discouragement or being impacted by depression today? I certainly can't solve all of your problems, but isn't it true that as we look to the Word of God, we're encouraged to know that others before us experienced disappointments, discouragement, and depression? Today, once again, wait on the Lord. Trust Him.
May you be renewed in spirit. And don't forget to tune in next time, as we continue to look at the biblical response to discouragement and depression. Thanks for joining us today on the Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
