Introduction

Once there was a little boy walking with his father in the moonlight.
After a quiet time together enjoying the scenery and silence the little boy
piped up with, “Dad?! The moon is following me!” While that is what it
seemed like to the little boy and felt very real that was not really what was
happening. This is what happens when we view depression from the
world’s perspective.
The world has attempted to deal with your depression from several
di erent types of therapy. These include but are not limited to: expressive
therapies such as music, art, equine, nude, scream, skydiving, thumb,
camping, punching, shopping, poetry, dance, therapy. The problem is they
have awed view of God and secular psychology and therapists ignore
that fact that we are spiritual beings.
God has given the answers for your depression through His Word.
But there is a problem. When you go to your Bible, you will not nd the
word depress, depressed, or depression. Instead you will nd biblical
words such as: “cast down,” overwhelmed in sorrow,” “despair,”
“discontented,” or “troubled.”
Not only do we have those Biblical words to describe and help us
deal with depression but we have several Biblical examples:
- Jonah — under the juniper tree he wanted to die because life had not
gone his way.
- Elijah — after the great victory on Mount Carmel received a letter that
caused him to wish his life away.
- Job — upon the death of his children and the loss of his livelihood
wished he had never been born.
- Samson — was so distraught over the turn of events in his life that he
ended up committing suicide thinking the world would be a better place
if he were not in it.
- David — all throughout the Psalms you see talking in terms of being
cast down, being in despair or troubled.
The Bible has the answers to live a hopeful, God-honoring life! Turn
in your Bibles to I Peter 1:2-9 tells us that God has given us everything we
need to live a godly life! The Bible not only discusses depression but has

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the answer and cure for it. The world will tell you have to learn to manage
your depression and will often o er you drugs to help clear your mind and
make space for yourself to be who you really are. But God says we are
more than conquerors and goes on to describe the weapons of our
warfare as not being carnal but mighty! The Bible uses these two things:
carnal and mighty, as opposites. That means carnal weapons are weak.
Hope is the answer to your depression! A true hope that has an
expected end! We as Christians know the God of ALL hope! (Romans
15:13) That means there is no hope apart from God.
Depression is often a long journey. While I want to give you some
words today that will encourage and equip you to deal with this topic, it is
unrealistic to believe that in one 25 minute lesson I will be able to answer
your personal needs and that is because depression di ers from person to
person and circumstance to circumstance..
Depression is real, a ecting roughly 10% of American women, but
there is Hope because of God and His Word. Depression is a wound of the
heart and that is why I have included that article in your booklet.
Let’s consider our Biblical examples from earlier and how God dealt
with them:
- Jonah — God talked with Jonah and asked him questions. He made his
life uncomfortable until he obeyed but even then God brought the
juniper tree to provide comfort while Jonah sat dejected that life was not
going his way.
- Elijah — With Elijah God provided a meal and rest for Elijah. Then he
showed Elijah his greatness but it was only through His still small voice
that He spoke to Elijah. After that God brought Elijah a helper.
- Job — God turned the captivity of Job which was the turmoil and
sorrow of his mind after Job prayed for his friends. God spoke to Job
personally and showed Him that He was not only good but all-powerful.
Job had to understand that bad things happen NOT because God is not
powerful enough to stop them but because He gave us a choice in the
Garden of Eden and the moment we chose sin we chose destruction
and sorrow.

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 - Samson — Even in Samson’s death God still used him. God is never
done with us even if we make terrible mistakes with our lives! He still
has a purpose for us and wants to use us to reveal His glory to this
world.
- David — Now let’s look at David and we will go to Psalm 42 and 43 to
see speci c Psalms where David dealt with depression and its cure:

Transition Statement: I’m going to give you three truths/principles. These

are not three cures. These are three parts to helping overcoming
depression. All three must be used, this is not a bu et where you get to
choose.

Transition Statement: We were designed with the innate craving to

worship. So we will worship someone or something. You will worship
what/who you love. If you are the midst of depression you need to turn
your longing back to God.

I. Longing for God (Psalm 42:1-5)

A. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when
shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat
day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy
God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I
had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God,
with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in
me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his
countenance.
B. Notice the questions: He is in a time of long sorrow with a feeling of
despair. He is sorrowing without hope.
1. When shall I come and appear before God? (Vs. 2)
• Is God every going to show up in my life?
2. Where is thy God? (Vs. 3)
• Is God even real? Why can’t I feel Him working?

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 3. Why are thou cast down, O my soul? (Vs. 5)
• Why am I so sad? Why can’t I just be happy?
• Prolonged sorrow will produce depression which leaves you
with a feeling of sorrow.
C. While longing for God he talks in vs. 3 about his tears being every
part of his day. Have you ever been here where you wondered if
God even knows where you are? That is a hard place to be!
D. Vs. 4 we see the Psalmist being faithful to church but his heart is
not in it. Have you ever been there? You sing the songs of victory
and joy but feel empty. You see others around you worshipping and
praising God, yet you feel numb?
E. Vs. 5 the Psalmist comes to grips with his soul’s condition. He
realizes he has a problem and asks why is he disquieted. His
solution is the same three times over in these passages: hope in
God who is the help of his countenance. God was the only one who
could help with his is outlook on life.

Transition Statement: Once David turned his worship toward God his view
of God had to be corrected. A common problem among depressed people
is their despair distorts their view of God. True worship will lead us to view
God correctly and that will cause us to want to learn about God.

II. Learning about God (Psalm 42:6-11)

A. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I
remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites,
from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy
waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the
LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the
night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my
life. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why
go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a
sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily
unto me, Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

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 and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall
yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
B. The Psalmist remembers the works of God from the past in vs. 6
C. In vs. 7 he addresses the feelings that continued to overwhelm him.
This is important to remember that working through depression is a
journey. It is not done in a day or even a lesson. If you need help
and seek out Biblical counseling you are a brave woman. It takes
humility to admit you need help and an even more courageous one
to get help from a godly source!
D. In vs. 8 the Psalmist not only remembers God’s Works but he
remembers God’s character! God is loving, kind, and caring. He
gives songs in the night when depression is often the hardest to
deal with. The Psalmist also comes to a new reality. He begins to
nd his identity in Christ! The last part of verse 8 he calls God his
life!
E. In vs. 9-10 the Psalmist brings his concerns to God. He is honest
with God about how he feels and God gives him the answer in vs.
11.
F. Hope in God and praise Him because he is the health of my
countenance. If I’m going to sustain the right outlook on life I have
to have the right view of God.

Transition Statement: The Bible tells us hope deferred makes the heart
sick. When we place our hope on anything that can be taken away from
us, we open ourself up to despair and insecurity. The simple truth is the
hardest to admit: when we are depressed we are not trusting God and
leaning on Him.

III. Leaning on God (Psalm 43)

A. Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O
deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God
of my strength: why dost thou cast me o ? why go I mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and
thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and

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 to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my
exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted
within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health
of my countenance, and my God.
B. The Psalmist begins to surrender to God and ask God to judge him
and plead for him. Through surrender he begins to see that the only
way to have deliverance is through God and His Word.
C. In vs. 2 God is his strength. So often those dealing with depression
need strength to even do the mundane simple tasks.
D. Vs. 3 we see the importance of being in church and around God’s
people.
E. Vs. 4 he sees that a walk with God and continual surrender to God
brings joy and now the praise is a natural out ow rather than just a
necessary choice he made in the last Psalm.
F. Again he ends this portion with vs. 5 that God is his hope and as a
result the health of his countenance. God is his salvation from the
grip of depression. He begins to live in joy as a result of hope in
God.
The world only has a cheap substitute for management, not even the
cure for depression yet God wants his children to live in victory. If you are
strugglingly with depression know you do not have to go through it alone.
Ask yourself, who or what are you desiring? Do you worship God?
We must get to the point where our longing for God makes all our other
longings pale in comparison.
A good test is to notice who/what you lean on when you feel “down.”
When depressed thoughts/feelings hit, what do you do? Who do you want
to call or text? This will tell you who you rely on because it has become
your default reason.
A vital key to overcoming depression is to know your Lord better.
The better you know Him the more you will lean on Him. Therapists and
Psychologists tell people the highest level of knowledge is to know
yourself when actually it is to know God, because He made you and
knows what is inside of you.

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 If this is something that has been helpful to you and you would like
to explore more help, I have included my email address in the booklet and
would love to talk to you more about this issue or others you are facing.

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