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His Name Is
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Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2006

Grace Church of Burlington May 21, 2006 “In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant. My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known -- no wonder, then, that I return the love.”                                                                                             Soren Kierkegaard             Some foolishly think that Christians are not supposed to struggle with depression. There are many examples from Scripture that prove otherwise: Job, David, Jonah, Elijah, Moses. Each of these Bible heroes experienced feelings of hopelessness and despair. Even Jesus when coming from one of the times of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was “in great despair.”               Frequently during his ministry, Charles Spurgeon, was plunged into severe depression. Sometimes he would be out of the pulpit for two to three months at a time. Arnold Dallimore in his biography of Spurgeon, writes, “What he suffered in those times of darkness we may not know…even his desperate calling to God brought no relief. ‘There are dungeons,’ Spurgeon said, ‘beneath the castles of despair.’” Depression is not a respecter of persons and knows no boundaries. Chronic, long-term depression often must be treated by a medical doctor and perhaps medication must be used to assist with this severe problem. No shame should be attached to those who seek such help. If you or someone you love suffers down time for a prolonged period of time, or is not able to function through normal responsibilities, please seek professional medical help.             Many, though, suffer from what can best be labeled as spiritual depression. So the remedies that I want to suggest are primarily solutions for depression rooted in spiritual causes. As we walk through the pages of Scripture, we see God consistently deal with depressed individuals in similar ways. Let me suggest the following steps in dealing with depression.             A) Let God confront you. God always does this by leading us to admit the truth. Honestly admit your feelings, no matter what they are. We tend to want to try to talk ourselves into some other feeling, some other condition. But the road to health begins when you simply admit that you are in despair, that you are depressed. God sees and knows everything already and knows the true condition of our inner spirit. We need to say it to begin the process of healing.             B) Seek God with all your heart. There is an ancient tale from India about a young man who was seeking God. He went to a wise old sage for help and asked, “How can I find God?” he asked the old man. The old man took him into a nearby river and they waded out into deep water. When the water was just under their chins, the old man without warning, seized the young man by the neck, pushing him under the water. He held the young man under until the young man was thrashing around in desperation. Up out of the water, the old sage drew the young man. The young man was coughing water from his lungs and still gasping for air. Reaching the bank the young man asked indignantly, “What did that have to do with my finding God?” The old man asked, “While you were under the water, what did you want more than anything else?” The young man thought for just a moment and replied, “I wanted air more than anything else.” The old man replied, “When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find Him.” Scriptures tell us, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with ALL your heart.” You find hope and health when you find God. Seek Him with all your heart.     C) Draw aside and speak with God. Something almost magical that happens when we are in a depressed state when we draw aside and speak to God. We get half the step right. When we’re depressed we often withdraw to ourselves, shutting everyone out of our lives. The other half of the picture is getting alone with God. Then, we become outside of ourselves focused and we soon discover that outside self is where we must be to heal.     D) Do what God says immediately. Dr. Carl Meninger once gave a lecture on mental health and was answering questions from the audience. Someone said, “What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people thought he would say, “Go see a psychiatrist immediately,” but he didn’t. To their astonishment, Dr. Meninger replied, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find somebody in need, and help that person.” In order to overcome discouragement, “Don’t focus on yourself, get involved in the lives of other people.” There’s a powerful principle at work here.  Scripture calls it the sowing and reaping principle. Offer hope, get hope. As you sow, so shall you reap. Even in despair, there’s always something to be thankful for.     A woman once approached a man who had a sour look on his face. She encouraged the grumpy man to be thankful. He replied, “Thankful for what? I don’t even have enough money to pay my bills!” The woman thought for a moment then said, “Well then, be thankful you are not one of your creditors.” You and I experience so many blessings in life that it is so easy to take them for granted, look at the cloudy side of life and see only darkness and despair. Friend, choose to crawl out of the hole because God’s joy and sunshine is just beyond the rim.