Psalms 42:5-8 (ESV Strong's)
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.
Tag: The Solution for Depression is Praise and Adoration
When we are depressed we “look down.” Our soul is “cast down” when we have turmoil “within” us. The writer of this song (Psalm) gives us the solution however. He tells us that when our souls are cast down and we are filled with turmoil, we should:
1. Hope in God - In Psalms 44:6 he will write that his sword and bow can’t save him. But, in this chapter he simply says that his solution for depression is to remember that God saves; therefore hope in God.
2. Remember God - a solution for us, when depressed, is to remember all the great things God has done for us. In the above passage he remembers God in certain places (Jordon; Hermon, Mount Mozart). These are special places in his mind and, rather than focus on the pounding waves of water around him, he make a mindful choice to think of what God has done for him and how God has blessed him. We can’t change are memories, but we can choose to mediate on what we want to remember.
3. Focus on God’s “steadfast love” - God has chosen to love this writer. He has much to be dwell on that can cause bitterness of heart. But, here, he chooses to mediate upon the constant, never-ending, steadfast love God has for him. This can’t be taken away from him because it originates in God and not in his circumstances.
4. Sing God’s Song in the night - Songs are prayers to God. Yes, the Christian entertainment business has convinced us that their songs are for OUR enjoyment. So, we hear a song and like and buy it. But, in reality, this Psalm was a song. It did not have a particular likable and catchy tune. In fact, all the Psalms were songs to God without much of a tune in their original creation. There is nothing wrong with harmony and melody and beat for a song. But, if the song is so created that it is for our pleasure and not the praise of God, we have lost the true meaning for praising God in prayer through song. Singing songs TO God is one sure way to fight depression.
Depression has many tentacles and it is hard to diagnose cause. But, God is the God who created the mind and in this psalm, the writer is in depression. God gives us at least four things in this “song” we can do to fight depression. A God-focused life is one way to fight depression.
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