One Way to Deal With Depression

Did you know King David did not write the entire Book of Psalms? Let’s look at a couple of encouraging things written by the sons of Korah.

First, Korah was a Levite and spiritual leader who led a rebellion against Moses. When Moses sought God for an answer, that rebellion did not have a happy ending. (If curious, read about it in Numbers 16:1-35.)

In David’s time, he appointed men from Korah’s clan to serve as choir leaders. That line of temple musicians continued for hundreds of years (1 Chronicles 6:31-38; 2 Chronicles 20:18-19).

To me, that shows you can choose to serve God, whether your forefathers did or not.

Next, let’s consider depression and discouragement. These emotions are nothing new.

When my piano students used to get frustrated at making a mistake, I’d say, “It’s good to know you made a mistake. Now you can correct it.”

We may not always know why we feel discouraged or depressed, but it’s OK to ask, “Why?” It means you’d like to make a change

The psalmist asks: (1) “Why am I downcast, (2) Why am I uneasy, and (3) Why has God forgotten me?” (Psalm 42:5, 9, 11). But he doesn’t stop there. He remembers previous days when God seemed near, and he enjoyed going to church and praising God.

He declares he’s thirsty for the living God (Verse 2). Physical dehydration is serious, and spiritual dehydration isn’t any healthier. Physical dryness is improved by drinking water. Spiritual dehydration can also be helped.

It’s good to be honest with yourself. The psalmist asked hard questions, but then he decided to move in a positive direction: (1) He remembered the good things God had done (verse 6-8), and (2) He encouraged himself to put his hope in God (verse 5, 11).  

Paul also encouraged us to move forward and find peace: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6-7).

Like the psalmist said, “*Put your hope in God.”

*Remember, if you try the psalmist’s approach, but are not able to deal with depression or discouragement on your own, talk to a spiritual leader or professional counselor. We are put on this earth to help one another.

Pixabay: Rain, Nature, Window; RichardsDrawings.

How to Defeat Fear

No one I know would choose to live in fear. But even the most gifted or wealthiest among us do not have all good days, or only sunshine and no shadows, no troubles.

One way to defeat fear is to face it . . . not try to dodge it, or run away from it. Let’s see what Psalm 56:1-13 has to say about it.

David prayed honest prayers while fearing for his life. He told God he was being pursued by men who wanted him dead. They were relentless, planning his demise, lurking about, and always watching him!

Notice three important steps to facing fear: First, he poured out his heart to God and asked for help. Then he declared he chose to trust in God and His word. Last came a decision to control his thoughts; he would not concentrate on his enemies or their evil plans (Psalm 56:3-4, 10-11).

I don’t know where I heard this, but someone said, “When fear knocks at your door, send faith to answer it!” (Perhaps they were familiar with 1 Peter 5:8-9a).

Faith includes trust in God’s word. How well do you know it? Hopefully, you pursue it daily. Read it, make notes, highlight verses that speak to you. That’s when it becomes personal!

What do you do when God answers prayer? David said, “I will praise His word, give thank offerings to God, and walk before Him in the light” (Psalm 56:10-13).

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” And Psalm 40:8 says, “I delight to do your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

We can defeat fear.

Thanks to the internet, we live in a connected world, full of reasons to fear. Some are up close and personal, while others come on the news from far away.

Would I want to return to days without cell phones or internet capabilities? No, and I doubt you would either.

What I want to do is defeat fear by following David’s example: (1) Know God’s word, (2) Trust in it, (3) Pour out my heart, (4) Ask for help, and (5) Control my thoughts.

 Pixabay: Man, Head, Scared Image; PublicDomainPictures.

Words of Interest

I enjoy reading both the Book of Psalms and the Book of Proverbs. Over the years, I’ve read them in several translations. No matter which one, as a writer, I’m always interested in words and their power.

Today, I’m sharing a few thoughts about two that caught my attention.

The first word was “promised.” The psalmist’s request was, “O LORD, give me the discerning mind you promised” (Psalm 119:169 NLT).

A person with discernment can judge clearly between two things. Biblically speaking, this would mean an ability to judge truth from error, good from evil, or the sacred from the profane.

When we’re reading God’s word and something seems to stand out or keep coming back to our mind, it’s like God is saying, “Consider my words now. Or, look what I’ve promised to do.”

Psalm 145:13 NLT says, “The LORD always keeps His promises.” I’m very thankful to serve a trustworthy God.

A word that puzzled me was “wandered.” Why would the writer of one hundred and seventy-six verses extolling the wonders and value of God’s word, say in the last verse, he wandered from it?  

To me, “to wander” means to aimlessly move around. But then I thought, we can easily wander from God’s word when we don’t take it seriously.

We may read it regularly, and even know it intellectually. But if that’s all we do, we miss the point. God put His will in writing, and if we want to please Him, we’ll do more than just read it. We’ll choose to live by it.

There is a redeeming factor in that last verse. In total, the verse says: “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands” (V. 176 NLT).

The shepherd can hear the bleating of one lost sheep. If you’ve wandered and lost your way, call out to the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, today.

God will never reject a repentant heart (Psalm 51:17).

Pixabay: Scrabble;EstateAgentNetworking.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

Reasons to Rejoice

It’s easy to rejoice in things that bring us joy. For example, I’m rejoicing today that one of my Goddaughters is coming to visit and bringing my favorite brownies as only she makes them. On the other hand, I rejoice on a deeper level when I consider some of the things that only God can do.

We’re looking at Psalm 97 (*NLT) today. It mentions that righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s throne. That’s something we rarely read about earthly kings and leaders, but I’m sure people living under such rulers rejoice (v. 1,2).

Do you ever rejoice when you look up at the heavens? This psalm says every nation sees His glory up there (V. 6). A similar thought is beautifully written in Psalm 19:1-6. What we see above us is like an unwritten language sending a message of God’s glorious creative work to all the peoples of the earth.  

It’s not hard to understand that a righteous God would love acts of righteousness and hate evil (V. 10, Psalm 145:17). In fact, chapter two of Habakkuk shares some warnings to those who do evil.    

The word "woe" is a heavy-duty warning of something that will bring grief, sorrow, and/or misery. Consider this, for example: Stealing to make yourself wealthy. Or how about building your rule by unjust gain, or getting someone drunk to take advantage of them? You can read woe warnings for yourself in Habakkuk 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19, **NIV.

God loves to shine His light on the godly (V. 11). One way He does this is through scripture, described as a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Gladness and joy are experienced by those whose hearts are right before God (V. 11-12).

When the Spirit of God convicts them of unrighteousness, they respond quickly, saying, “Cleanse my heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

Let’s continue to look up and rejoice in the Lord. Freely praise Him for His good works in both our lives and in our world (Genesis 1, Psalm 96:2-3).

*Scripture notations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by Permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

**Scripture notations marked NIV are taken from The Thompson Chain Reference Bible New International Version, copyright 1983 by The B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, Inc. and The Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Pixabay: Emotions, Smile, Happy. 95C