Sunday, January 13, 2008 @ 6:55 PM
Psalm 13: Lift Me Up From Depression.

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

***

A short psalm, but can you feel the intensity of King David's depression? (verse 1-4)
This is psalm 13, but it certainly seems like Friday the 13th to him.

As I have shared with some of you, as what Pastor YC has sharen in the tribe blog, psalms were never meant to be read as a doctrine about God, but an expression of the intensity of emotions towards God. In my own knowledge, there were many prophecies embedded in psalms too, especially those about sufferings of Jesus.

Pastor Melvin also have shared in today's sermon about the broad themes of psalms:
Book I: Psalms 1-41 = Man with God
Book II: Psalms 42-72 = Bondage and slavery
Book III: Psalms 43-89 = Tabernacle worship
Book IV: Psalms 90-106 = Wanderings
Book V: Psalms 107-150 = Deliverance and victory

Turning back to Psalm 13, it is interesting to note that even David, a man after God's heart, can suffer from depression. But it gives us great insight how to battle depression and hold onto God's truths.

Typical symptoms of depression
1) Loneliness ("Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?")
2) Negative thoughts ("How long must I wrestle with my thoughts")
3) Extreme emotions ("every day have sorrow in my heart")
4) Hopelessness ("How long will my enemy triumph over me")

But David, through the long hours spending time with God as a shepherd, exercised his spirit man to claim God's truths
1) Loneliness countered by God's unfailing love ("But I trust in your unfailing love")
2) Negative thoughts countered by assurance of salvation ("my heart rejoices in your salvation")
3) Instead of focusing on his mood swings, he chose to "rejoice" and "sing to the Lord"
4) Hopelessness countered by remembrance of God's faithfulness and goodness. ("for he has been good to me")

I pray that in the ups and downs that life bring us through, we will keep our spirit man strong and faith level high, and not succumb to the spirit of defeat or depression!

Labels: Journey Through Psalms

Sunday, January 13, 2008 @ 6:55 PM
Psalm 13: Lift Me Up From Depression.

1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

***

A short psalm, but can you feel the intensity of King David's depression? (verse 1-4)
This is psalm 13, but it certainly seems like Friday the 13th to him.

As I have shared with some of you, as what Pastor YC has sharen in the tribe blog, psalms were never meant to be read as a doctrine about God, but an expression of the intensity of emotions towards God. In my own knowledge, there were many prophecies embedded in psalms too, especially those about sufferings of Jesus.

Pastor Melvin also have shared in today's sermon about the broad themes of psalms:
Book I: Psalms 1-41 = Man with God
Book II: Psalms 42-72 = Bondage and slavery
Book III: Psalms 43-89 = Tabernacle worship
Book IV: Psalms 90-106 = Wanderings
Book V: Psalms 107-150 = Deliverance and victory

Turning back to Psalm 13, it is interesting to note that even David, a man after God's heart, can suffer from depression. But it gives us great insight how to battle depression and hold onto God's truths.

Typical symptoms of depression
1) Loneliness ("Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?")
2) Negative thoughts ("How long must I wrestle with my thoughts")
3) Extreme emotions ("every day have sorrow in my heart")
4) Hopelessness ("How long will my enemy triumph over me")

But David, through the long hours spending time with God as a shepherd, exercised his spirit man to claim God's truths
1) Loneliness countered by God's unfailing love ("But I trust in your unfailing love")
2) Negative thoughts countered by assurance of salvation ("my heart rejoices in your salvation")
3) Instead of focusing on his mood swings, he chose to "rejoice" and "sing to the Lord"
4) Hopelessness countered by remembrance of God's faithfulness and goodness. ("for he has been good to me")

I pray that in the ups and downs that life bring us through, we will keep our spirit man strong and faith level high, and not succumb to the spirit of defeat or depression!

Labels: Journey Through Psalms