Renewing Your Mind (Victory Series Book #4): Become More Like Christ (9 page)

The pain is unrelenting, and what makes the condition intolerable is the foreknowledge that no remedy will come—not in a day, an hour, a month, or a minute. If there is mild relief, one knows that it is only temporary; more pain will follow. It is hopelessness even more than the pain that crushes the soul. So the decision-making of daily life involves not, as in normal affairs, shifting from one annoying situation to another less annoying—of from discomfort to relative comfort, or from boredom to activity—but moving from pain to pain. One does not abandon even briefly, one’s bed of nails, but is attached to it wherever one goes.

—Novelist William Styron in
The
Darkness Visible
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Daily Readings

Psalm 38:1–22

Key Point

Taking a pill to cure your body is commendable, but taking a pill to cure your soul is deplorable.

Key Verse

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

E
very population group is experiencing a blues epidemic in this age of anxiety. The number of people seeking medical treatment for depression has doubled during the last decade. Depression is often called the “common cold of mental illness,” because it is so prevalent. Like anxiety disorders, depression arises out of a state of disconnection from God. After the Fall, Adam was fearful and anxious (see Genesis 3:10), while Cain, his son, was angry and depressed (see Genesis 4:5). Depression is often the
response to losses in our lives, and humankind’s greatest loss has been our relationship with God.

In Psalm 38, David records nearly every symptom of depression. In verses 1 through 8 he reveals the suffering of separation, and in verses 9 through 14 he reveals the loneliness of separation. Depression is a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, and David wisely turns to the God of hope and help (see verse 22). Determine your state of depression by circling the numbers that best represents you in the following symptom scale (1 for very low energy and 5 for very high energy):

If you circled mostly ones and twos, you are
severely depressed
. If you circled mostly twos, you are
depressed
. If you circled mostly twos and threes, you are
mildly depressed
. Note that depression affects your body,
soul, and spirit, and recovery requires a wholistic answer. There are biological and neurological causes for depression that you should consider in order to have a comprehensive answer. In such cases, medication may be necessary. However, most causes of depression are psychological and spiritual. Medical doctors and Christian caregivers need to work together in order to provide a complete answer. Taking a pill to cure your body is commendable, but taking a pill to cure your soul is deplorable. May God give you the wisdom to know the difference.

Why do you think so many people today suffer from depression?

Why do you think that 50 percent of those suffering from depression never seek treatment?

Why should we consider treatments other than drugs for depression?

What did you learn about yourself from the symptom scale?

Do you think depression is a sin and taking medicine shows a lack of faith? Explain.

“Sing with jubilation to God, all the earth.” The prophet was troubled for the faithful people in case they believe they are to serve the Lord with gloomy anxiety, so he began at once with jubilation, for ministering to the Lord with happiness of mind constitutes the perfect devotion of the just man. As Paul warns us, “Always rejoice; pray without ceasing; in all things give thanks.”

Cassiodorus (AD 490–585)

Psalm 13:1–6

Key Point

Hope is the present assurance of some future good.

Key Verse

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5

A
merican sociologist Lewis Mumford once said, “Without food man can survive for barely 30 days; without water for little more than 3 days; without air hardly for more than 3 minutes: but without hope he might destroy himself in an even shorter time.”
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Hope is not wishful thinking; it is the present assurance of some future good. Depression is a sense of hopelessness born out of a negative and often false perception of ourselves, our circumstances, and the future. The resulting emotional state may not be based on reality nor perceived truthfully from God’s
perspective. Remember that if what we believe does not reflect truth, then what we feel does not reflect reality.

In Psalm 13, David exhibits many of the classic symptoms of depression including hopelessness, negative self-talk, thoughts of death, and sadness. David is depressed because he is focusing on his circumstances, sees no future hope, and has a false perception of himself and God. Even though he believes in God, he is depressed, because what he believes about God is not true. How can an omnipresent and omniscient God forget him for even one minute, much less forever? Depressed people often have a distorted concept of God and of themselves. If you believe that God has forgotten you, then you have no hope. If you think you have lost your salvation or never had it, then you have no hope.

David’s wrestling with his thoughts (see Psalm 13:2) is the endless rumination of self-talk. There is no answer in that squirrel cage. Turning to God is the answer, and that is what David does (see Psalm 13:5–6). So does the oppressed psalmist when he repeats the following verse three times: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5).

David overcomes his depression in three ways. First, he places his trust in God’s unfailing love (see Psalm 13:5). He had always trusted in God, but he had allowed his negative circumstances to draw his attention away from the Lord. The light of God’s eternal love illuminates his dark, temporal, and fleeting circumstances. God is the only constant in this ever-changing world.

Second, David’s heart rejoices in his salvation. He remembers that he has a covenant relationship with God—and so do we. God hasn’t changed, and His Word hasn’t changed (see 1 John 3:2–3). When we find our hope fading, we should recall again who God is and who we are in Christ.

Third, David sings to the Lord. Singing is one of the key ways to focus our minds. One of the main determinants of whether a depressed mood will persist or lift is the degree to which we ruminate. Worrying about what is depressing us makes the depression more intense and prolonged. Singing hymns of praise can help us stop wrestling with our thoughts, and it is something we can choose to do. There is also a spiritual dimension of music we shouldn’t overlook. When David played the harp, the evil spirit
departed from Saul (see 1 Samuel 16:21–23), and the hand of the Lord came on Elisha when the harpist played (see 2 Kings 3:15). Martin Luther also struggled with depression and wrote the classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

How can the present assurance of some future good help the depressed person?

In Psalm 13, what are some of the symptoms of depression that David exhibits? In what ways is David’s concept of himself and God distorted?

In what three ways does David overcome his depression?

How can a true knowledge of God and a true understanding of who you are “in Christ” be a defense against depression?

What can you do when you find yourself caught in negative self-talk?

We shall see Him [Jesus] as He is, because we shall be like Him. This is our hope for the future, our love in the present and our faith in both the past and the present.

Hilary of Arles (AD 403–449)

Hebrews 6:13–19

Key Point

Proven character is hope realized.

Key Verse

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hebrews 6:19

T
here was a man who was abruptly awakened by a bright light in his room. The heavenly encounter was accompanied with a clear impression on his mind. When he woke up the next morning, he knew what his calling was. He had to speak out against the slaughter of unborn children. The task was formidable. Many states had laws that needed to be overturned, but that seemed unlikely since the Supreme Court had legalized abortion. The liberal press favored the “rights” of mothers to abort their children. So where should he start?

First, he needed to educate himself. So he read volumes about reproduction and medical ethics. He wrote letters to the editors of magazines and newspapers. He worked to elect local politicians who shared his views. He marched for pro-life and picketed abortion clinics. He worked tirelessly for years, but he grew more and more disillusioned with his progress. He fought off bitterness against his perceived adversaries and the flaming darts of the enemy, who was relentless.

Look at your feeble efforts
, the devil said.
You’re not accomplishing anything. So why
don’t you quit and have a little fun in
life!
The devil’s advice was tempting, but the man took his case to the Lord one night. “God,” he said, “I feel like a failure. I am so discouraged. I wanted to please you, but nothing seems to have changed.” In the stillness of night, another heavenly impression came to his mind.
My child, I asked you to speak
out against abortion, and this you have done. You have
renewed your mind, learned how to speak the truth in
love, and put on the armor of God. You are
more patient, kind, and loving than you were before, and
yet you feel hopeless because you have not impacted the
laws of the land or stopped the press of the
ungodly. I never asked you to do that. I
, my child, will “convict the world of guilt in regard
to sin and righteousness and judgment.”

If you want to feel discouraged and depressed, try assuming God’s responsibility for Him. In this world we are going to face negative circumstances and inevitable losses. Suffering is part of our sanctification. “We boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:2–5).

This job seems hopeless, so I think I will change jobs. This marriage seems hopeless, so I think I will dump this one and look for another spouse. Such are the musings of the hopeless. There may be times when we need to change jobs and move, but in many cases what we really need to do is hang in there and grow up! We only make matters worse if we keep running away from the lessons of life.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4). This is not Christian masochism. This is how we can have proven character—and that is the basis for our hope in God.

Why do some get discouraged serving God and standing for righteousness?

Why is it so important that we know who is responsible for what? What are some of the consequences if we don’t?

Is a Christian ever hopeless? Why or why not?

What causes you to be discouraged in serving God?

How can you avoid becoming depressed over a seeming lack of progress?

Nobody will take the disciples’ joy from them because, although they suffered persecution and torture on behalf of Christ’s name, yet they willingly bore all adversities because they were enkindled by hope in His resurrection and by their vision of Him. Moreover, they thought it perfect joy when they encountered different kinds of temptations.

Bede (AD 673–735)