“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.” Psalm 42:11
Depression is not something to be made light of, or to brush under the carpet, or to trot out a few uplifting Bible verses and hope it will go away. We all go through times of despair, times when our soul is downcast and disturbed about events going on around us, tragedies that are outside our control. If we keep dwelling on those thoughts of despair, it can lead to a downward spiral of depression. While the world sorrows as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13), if we are children of God, there is a way out. No matter what happens to us, we have hope in God. He never changes, and He is in control of all things. He has the bigger picture in mind, and He is looking out for us. He reassures us that this is not the end – things will get better; if not in this life, then certainly in eternity, “for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17).
It’s not easy to stop worrying about things. We can tell ourselves, ‘Stop worrying’, but if we do nothing to fill the void of what our mind is thinking about (the thing we are worrying about), the worry will come back again and again. So instead of worrying, or mulling over the despair, start praising God. You may not feel like doing it, but do it anyway. You might not be able to praise God for anything about the situation you are in, but you can certainly praise Him for who He is: His greatness, His love, His mercy, His grace shown to us in Christ. As you do this - as you praise Him, a wonderful thing will happen. The situation may not go away, but your despair will be lessened as the Holy Spirit shifts your focus from the problem to the One who has the solution. Praise is the cure for a downcast soul.
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