Are you s.a.d.?

S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) tends to afflict a lot of people at this time of year. This cloudy, darker time of year affects many people, bringing on symptoms of depression. It can come on in the late fall and continue until springtime. There are various treatments for this, including bringing in artificial light.

In 2016, 1 in 20 adults and 1 in 10 adolescents said they suffered from this. Many thousands of people through the years have sadly committed suicide as a result of this affliction.

And it’s not just S.A.D. Many people regularly suffer from depression throughout the year.

There are unfortunately, many words of unhelpful advice that come to people suffering depression.

• “You just need to trust the Lord more”
• “You need to read your Bible and pray more”
• “There are many people who have it worse than you do”
• And on, and on…

The self-talk that comes in the midst of depression is equally destructive

• “You’re no good and you never will be”
• “Your family would be better off without you”

What can we learn from Scripture?

Psalm 42-43 summary

42:1-5 I remember how joyful I used to be with your people, in your presence

6-11 Why, God, have you abandoned me to my enemies?

43:1-5 Deliver from my enemies; guide and restore me to your presence

What are the signals of depression in these psalms?

Psalm 42:1 – 43:5 (ESV)

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my food

day and night,

while they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;

therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

at the roar of your waterfalls;

all your breakers and your waves

have gone over me.

By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

and at night his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God, my rock:

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?”

As with a deadly wound in my bones,

my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause

against an ungodly people,

from the deceitful and unjust man

deliver me!

For you are the God in whom I take refuge;

why have you rejected me?

Why do I go about mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?

Send out your light and your truth;

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling!

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy,

and I will praise you with the lyre,

O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Three times in these two chapters, the author says something that is important to remember when dealing with depression. What does he say?

Three times, instead of listening to himself, he talks to himself.

Ps. 42:5, 11; Ps. 43:5

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Don’t listen to yourself, talk to yourself.

We have to remember that the voice inside us is often a liar, fueled frequently by the father of lies, Satan. So, we have to talk truth to ourselves. And we have to keep saying it.

What are the truths that we need to be reminded of?

• God exists; He is still there
  • God is in control
  • God loves us
  • God is able to save and rescue
• God is the source of my hope
• Remember what God has done in the past, what he is doing now, and what he promises to do in the future