Why Are You ‘Depressed,’ O My Soul? (Part 1)
Part 1: Where Is My Comfort?
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalm 42:5). [1]
(Note: See the “Blog Disclaimer” at the main blog page before reading this article.)
I hear frequently enough from pastors, laypeople, and clients to know that there is an elusive struggle in the church today with what we might broadly call “depression.” So naturally, as a biblical counselor, I am simultaneously intrigued and concerned. Intrigued because I care to know and help address, by God’s grace, what makes this so prevalent among the saints. Concerned because I love my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I often witness how difficult this can be for those struggling and for anyone supporting them as they do. However, I also have concerns that we as Christians have gotten the wrong idea about what “depression” really is and how we are to understand and respond to its presence in our lives. I purposely misquoted Psalm 42:5 in the title, then began by correctly quoting the passage. That’s my less than clever way of pointing out how, at times, we may be tempted to believe that God doesn’t have much to say about this issue, either because we have become so discouraged, or because the terminology of clinical psychology isn’t found neatly packaged in Scripture. But those things don’t have to stop us from receiving the real hope and help available to us in God’s word concerning this issue. Would we be more willing to listen if the Scriptures used words like “depression”? That shouldn’t be the case. I would like to contend that this issue has existed long before the dawn of modern psychology or psychiatry, and that God has always had something to say about it, even if the words we are used to don’t appear on the pages of his word. This should give us confidence, not concern.
As you read, I would ask you to keep an open mind. I am very aware of the sometimes-sensitive nature of this topic. I also know that I don’t have all the answers and that this can be a complex issue. There may be times when what I say is challenging or goes against some of what you’ve been told about depression or mental illness. But nothing I say is meant to be insensitive or dismissive of the very real suffering that any person who experiences this will go through. I know this struggle personally and I’ve watched loved ones endure it as well. What I want to communicate is that we must not minimize or neglect God’s word along the way. We must instead turn to God’s word as we wrestle with the turmoil within our souls. To do this we cling to the power of the gospel (Rom 1:16), rely on the sufficiency of God’s word to us (2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 4:12), remember that he has given us all we need (2 Pet 1:3), and embrace our only hope (Rom 5:1-5; 1 Thes 5:9-11).
Our Only True Comfort
“Why are you cast down, O my soul?” Many of us can relate to that question. When all is said and done, the solution from the Psalmist to that kind of internal anguish is to, “Hope in God” (Psalm 42:11). Easier said than done, right? That may sound like a simplistic answer, but I assure you it is not. We have but one true hope and comfort in the midst of suffering and misery—God—and we must fight to keep from losing sight of him. God has allowed suffering into this world and our lives for good reason, and we should not believe the lie that immediate escape from pain and discomfort is the same thing as redemption, peace, or salvation. It is the Christian alone who can truly say that their suffering has lasting purpose (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28). What the person suffering through an episode of depression needs is not clever advice about how to instantly escape the misery or the numbness. Instead they need real hope that there is purpose in their suffering, true joy to be found in the midst of their sorrows, complete forgiveness for their sins, and that there is coming a Day when our Lord and Savior will set everything right once and for all. Only our sovereign, holy, covenant-keeping God can offer such hope.
To help structure this discussion I’ll be looking at different elements of the first two questions found in An Orthodox Catechism [2] by Hercules Collins [3][4]. Each answer has something unique to say about Christian suffering, which includes depression. So, let’s take a look:
Q. 1. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That both in soul and body, whether I live or die, I am not my own, but belong wholly unto my most faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… [5]Q. 2. How many things are necessary for you to know that, enjoying this comfort, you may live and die happily?
A. Three. The first, what is the greatness of my sin and misery. The second, how I am delivered from all sin and misery. The third, what thanks I owe to God for this delivery.
Now, possibly, you read that and didn’t see how it applies. If that’s the case then hang with me. In reality, it contains our only hope—the Good News that for everyone who believes, Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully human, has restored us to right relationship with God by taking the penalty for our sins and clothing us with his righteousness by his sinless life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection—and that by so doing he has defeated for us the powers of sin, Satan, and death and given us a perfect example of what it means to live freely as image-bearers of God. That gospel touches every moment, every molecule, and every motivation of our existence. That truth is an anchor of encouragement and hope when our feelings or experiences tell us otherwise (Heb 6:19). God keeps his promises even when we don’t feel like that’s true. “God is faithful” (1 Cor 1:9) even when we are faithless, and he is good even when life seems like it’s not (Lam 3:18-33). What is my only true comfort? I belong to Christ and therefore I have hope, now and forever.
So What’s Next?
This article is introductory, so moving forward I want to focus on what is meant by “depression” and how we as Christians should think about experiences of sadness or lethargic mood. It would be easy to get lost in the ever-growing and changing multitude of theories and therapies out there. Next time we’ll see how God brings simple clarity to this kind of speculation that mere human observation and effort cannot—giving guidance and wisdom in the process.
Footnotes & References
[1] I will always use the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible unless otherwise indicated.
[2] Don’t let the word “catechism” scare you away. Everything that is old or theologically focused is not evil or irrelevant. A catechism is simply a tool for teaching truth. It takes concepts that are evident in the Bible and then teaches them to the reader via a question-and-answer format so they’re easier to remember.
[3] Hercules Collins, An Orthodox Catechism: Being the Sum of Christian Religion, Contained In the Law and Gospel. Published for preventing the Canker and Poison of Heresy and Error., ed. Michael A. G. Haykin and G. Stephen Weaver, Jr. (Palmdale, CA: Reformed Baptist Academic Press, 2014), 41-42.
[4] There does not appear to be any significant difference here between An Orthodox Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism written in 1563. Collins utilized the Heidelberg Catechism to write An Orthodox Catechism in 1860 for his Baptist brothers and sisters. See the forward and introduction on pages 7-39 of this 2014 edition for further details.
[5] The complete answer is as follows: “That both in soul and body, whether I live or die, I am not my own, but belong wholly unto my most faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By His most precious blood fully satisfying for all my sins, He has delivered me from all the power of the devil, and so preserves me, that without the will of my heavenly Father not so much as a hair may fall from my head. Yes, all things must serve for my safety and by His Spirit, also He assures me of everlasting life, and makes me ready and prepared, that from now on I may live to Him” (pp. 41-42).
- Published in Depression