Depressed

Happy Sunday!

Our God is a Great God!  He's the Master of Technology.  It's been said he's the creator of the first technology...Faith.  They say that if you need something, there's always an app for that!  In the same way, there's a scripture for every human condition.  But just like medicine will have no effect if not taken, and taken properly,  the Word of God when not read, studied, believed, and acted upon will not work to cure the ills of humanity.

In light of recent events, let's talk about depression.  A search for "depressed" or "depression" in the King James Version does not get any results.  But searching in other modern translations does.   Psalm 38:6 says, "I am bent and bowed down. I am depressed all day long."(Easy-to-Read Version).  The same scripture in the King James Version says, "I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long."(KJV).   The Psalmist was familiar with the "blues".  But in the last two verses of this psalm he makes a bold statement.  "You are the Lord God!  Stay nearby and don’t desert me. You are the one who saves me.  Please hurry and help."(Psalm 38:21-22, CEV).

Even though he was going through hard times, he knew that God is our Lord, and our Savior.  GOD is ready, willing, and able to save us from any and every situation.  Psalm 42:3-8 is another example..."Day and night I WEEP for his help, and all the while my enemies taunt me. “Where is this God of yours?” they scoff. Take courage, my soul!  Do you REMEMBER those times (but how could you ever forget them!) when you led a great procession to the Temple on festival days, singing with joy, praising the Lord?  Why then be DOWNCAST? Why be discouraged and SAD?  HOPE in God! I shall yet PRAISE him again. Yes, I shall again praise him for his HELP. 
Yet I am standing here DEPRESSED and gloomy, but I will MEDITATE upon your KINDNESS to this lovely land where the Jordan River flows and where Mount Hermon and Mount Mizar stand.  All your waves and billows have gone over me, and floods of sorrow pour upon me like a thundering cataract.  Yet day by day the Lord also pours out his steadfast LOVE upon me, and through the night I SING his songs and PRAY to God who gives me life."(Living Bible).

Don't miss this!  He was crying his eyes out.  He had real life issues and concerns.  His enemies were closing in, and laughing at him.  But he remembered what God had already done.  He stopped to think and asked himself a few questions!  Yes, he was talking to himself, and he was also answering himself.  He made the choice to meditate(to engage in contemplation or reflection), sing, and pray.

If you need help, ask for help.  Don't suffer in silence, and don't allow the enemy to preach his perverted gospel to you.  You are loved, by the Most High God.  You are needed by others that are watching, even when you don't know they are watching.  You are valuable, even if there is no one to tell you how valuable you are.  You can do all things through Christ, but without him the cares of this world will be too much to bear.  God won't put more on you than you can bear, BUT the Devil will try too beat you to a pulp.  He will do everything he can to get you to quit, and give up!  Don't fall for his lies.  He is the Father of lies, so don't expect him to tell you the truth.

The Apostle Paul is a great example to follow.  He went through more than most of us ever will, but he never gave up.  2 Corinthians 4:8-11 says, "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit.  We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.  These bodies of ours are constantly facing death just as Jesus did; so it is clear to all that it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe.
Yes, we live under constant danger to our lives because we serve the Lord, but this gives us constant opportunities to show forth the power of Jesus Christ within our dying bodies."(Living Bible).

"I will move past my enemies with this one, sure hope: that with my own eyes, I will see the goodness of the Eternal in the land of the living".(Psalm 27:13, Voice)

Love and prayers, Cynthia