{"id":3536,"date":"2013-12-27T06:00:37","date_gmt":"2013-12-27T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devonline.us\/dailyevotional\/?p=3536"},"modified":"2013-12-26T12:46:49","modified_gmt":"2013-12-26T19:46:49","slug":"depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/depression\/","title":{"rendered":"DEPRESSION!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psalm 42:5 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Have you ever had the blue funks, the down days, the blahs? Remember that old lament? “Nobody loves me everybody hates me, I’m going to eat some worms. Down goes a fat one, down goes a skinny one, Oh, how they wiggle when they squirm.” Boy! That is one from way back in my boyhood days! Aren’t you glad that I share such spiritually profound gems with you?<\/p>\n

The member of the Sons of Korah, who wrote this particular Psalm, seems to have been depressed when he wrote it. It is interesting that there is a conversation here with his soul. It is a picture of a person who is talking to himself. Have you ever been able to identify with him? I heard a bit of advice long ago that it is permissible to talk to yourself. I was told that you can talk to yourself all you want. The problem arises when you answer yourself and the conversation turns into an argument! If and when this happens — you’re in trouble!<\/p>\n

Here is an important principle that I learned long ago. When someone is depressed, the last thing you want to tell them is: “Cheer up!” That is a good way for you to find yourself on the receiving end of a tirade!<\/p>\n

There has to be an answer, and there is. As we read today\u2019s Scripture, we find that the Psalmist is not simply moaning and whining about his emotional state. He proceeds to give a plan of action. In his conversation with his soul, the Psalmist gives several absolutely brilliant steps to escape from the grip of depression: “PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD.<\/span>“<\/p>\n

The Psalmist directs his mind from the “poor me feelings,” to focus on the One who is the Blessed Controller of All Things–the Lord Jesus Christ. That should be the first step for everyone who feels depressed. It is not in feeling better about yourself, but what God has done for us which will start us on the road to recovery.<\/p>\n

“I WILL YET PRAISE HIM.<\/span>” Here is another essential step. It is critical that when we go to the Lord in prayer, it should start with a time of praise and adoration. Sometimes we spend all of our prayer time with a shopping list of things we want Him to send our way. We need to become swallowed up in adoration and love for God.<\/p>\n

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!<\/p>\n

—Pastor Cecil<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Psalm 42:5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Have you ever had the blue funks, the down days, the blahs? Remember that old lament? “Nobody loves me everybody hates me, I’m going to eat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyevotional.com\/prior2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}