Psalm 143, Part 2

Have you ever suffered from depression?  I'm not talking about the blues, or the bored-I-don't-know-what-to-do feeling that people sometimes get.  Psalm 143: 3-4 sounds like I felt when I was deeply, darkly depressed.  The author David speaks of the enemy:  for the enemy has persecuted my soul...  The enemy, of which David writes, is probably Saul.  However, I believe the enemy  is Satan, who would persecute the souls of all he could touch.  Yes, he uses people, circumstances, disease, and dark forces of evil to try to touch the minds of even Christians.   For the scientific minded, this may sound superstitious, but I assure you there are dark forces that fight against God and the Godly.  Some of us may have genes that give us a predisposition to Depression and other diseases.  I do not deny that, and the Enemy will use the weapons at hand. 

Depression does overwhelm the spirit;  and the afflicted feel like there is no way out, no where to go.  I cannot speak for other people, but my heart was appalled within me.  I suffered actual physical pain at times;  and even though I had no apparent physical heart problems, I actually felt like I was being stabbed in the heart sometimes.  The three things I had going for me were God, my family, and my friends.  Whether or not I could feel love:  I knew love.  And for those who have never been clinically depressed, I want to explain that depression colors everything in dark grays.  Even though one may be aware of being cared for, the hurt inside makes it very difficult to feel and respond as a well person would.  I know for a fact it was God's spirit that reminded me when I wanted permanently out of everything, that I had to hold on for a while longer.

Courtesy of [James Barker]
 www.freedigitalphotos.net/ 

I remember the days of old; 
I meditate on all Your doings; 
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You, as a parched land.
Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me...  Psalm 143: 5-7a  (NASB)

I wanted to bold-face this entire section, because this is exactly how I felt. 

I leave you with this:  God does care.  1 John 4:4 states:  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

This is one of many verses that sustained me in my dark periods.  I thank God for His great Grace and Mercy.  He is good, and He is good all the time.

Prayer:  Father,  I thank you for sustaining us in the dark times, for carrying us through the periods of our lives that threaten to crush our spirits forever.  It is by your Grace, the human connections you give us, your memorized Word, your written Word, your songs and the memories of how you have touched our lives that help us to heal.  There is also the hope we have, that one day there will be no more tears.  Oh how we all long for that day, no matter what our present condition is.  Father, you are worthy of all praise.  In the precious name of Your Son,  Amen.

P.S.  I would like elucidate further on the words:  remember, meditate, muse, and stretch;  unless, you comment and say you totally get it.  I am  thinking I should share some of the application of those words, as they helped me to heal and brought me moments of respite.


“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB." 
www.lockman.org