Christians in Despair and Depression, Part 3-B (Pilgrim's Progress #43)

TEXT: Psalm 77

In our last two messages, we have been dealing with a situation that many people, including many Christians, have faced and are facing -- how to handle depression and feelings of despair and discouragement. This struggle is not foreign even to the most celebrated of God's servants. Some of the giants of both the Old and New Testaments struggled with such feelings. To use a Biblical phrase, this condition is "common to man."

But, what do you do when you are struggling with despair and depression? Last week, we began looking at some solutions to this problem from Psalm 77. This psalm was written by Asaph or one of his associates, and we learned from his example that the first thing we ought to do is cry out to God in prayer. The psalmist admits the struggles that he is facing, he expresses his feelings to God, and he asks God for answers.

Now, let's look at verses 4-6 of this passage and see how we can take the next step to overcoming depression and despair, and that step is: changing the way we think. The psalmist writes, "Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search."

The psalmist has had some sleepless nights. He believes that God is the cause of his inability to sleep. He says, "Thou holdest mine eyes waking." You can imagine him lying in bed, unable to sleep, unable to speak, worry and doubt invading his mind. The darkness he feels is not just because of the night, but because there is darkness in his soul. He is so troubled that he cannot talk to anybody but God.

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