God is There

Psalm 42:1-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

Book Two

To the choirmaster. A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

42 ^(B)As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
^2 (C)My soul thirsts for God,
    for ^(D)the living God.
When shall I come and ^(E)appear before God?^[b]
3 (F)My tears have been my food
    day and night,
^(G)while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember,
    as I ^(H)pour out my soul:
^(I)how I would go ^(J)with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    ^(K)a multitude keeping festival.

^5 (L)Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you ^(M)in turmoil within me?
^(N)Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation^[c]

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2042:%201-5&version=ESV

Often times I have wondered if David may have been depressed.  Today medical science has discovered that depression could be the result of a chemical imbalance but in David’s time this was not known.  David could have been depressed due an imbalance in his body or because of his own sin.  The same is the case in today’s society.  The problem is that sometimes we may attribute our depression or downcast spirit to a chemical imbalance rather than recognizing our sin.  Sometimes we depend too much on medicine (which can be helpful) rather than on God (who is always faithful) and we forget to examine ourselves but rather run to the doctor to have our bodies examined.

Today I want to look at these verses with the assumption that David was clinically depressed.  I base that off the comment that he made as to how he longed for the Lord.  Most often when we are deep in sin we don’t long for the Lord.  When we recognize our sin and ask for forgiveness we are free.  He is waiting on the Lord, He wants to once again fellowship with others but for some reason he can’t.  Some people with chemical imbalances find themselves in the same boat as David.  No matter how much they long for the fellowship they just can’t get themselves up and out of the house, they are in a prison within their own bodies.  David can’t figure out why he is downcast because he knows that He has a Father God who loves and cares for him.  He doesn’t want to be this way and he can’t figure out why he is. 

If you have never been in a situation like this you might think that people who are in this condition are just lazy or worthless because they can’t function.  You may think they are deep in sin or that they just haven’t prayed enough or sought God enough.  This is not the case, their cries to the Lord may be more frequent than your own.  Their devotion to me may run far deeper than you can imagine.  I have never been depressed to the point of not being able to function but there have been days that I thought sleep would be better than facing the world.  There have been days when I have thought that I was useless in this world.  There have been days when I have cried to the Lord and knowing He was there but I still doubted because of my sorrow.  Yet, I, like David held strong to the fact that my Hope is in God in whom I will give all the praise!

If you find yourself longing for the Father and longing for the fellowship of others but you just can’t seem to get there, hold on to your faith.  Know that you have Christian friends who love and care about you and long for your fellowship with them.  Continue to seek Him and know when you don’t want anyone else around; God will remain there with you.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila