Joel M Bradshaw

11Why 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.-Psalm 42

The word for ‘downcast’ was one that shepherds used to describe sheep that become flipped over. If I understand the biology correctly, much like turtles, sheep struggle getting themselves rightsize up. You could imagine he danger they would be in unless their shepherd used his staff to get them turned over!

For the sons of Korah to repeatedly use that word, they evidently saw themselves like that downcast sheep. So now what steps in their depression did they take? Let’s look at various moments in the psalm.

1As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

In your depression, the focus needs to be shifted outside of yourself. We depressed people marinate in our situations far too much. This guy panted for God and looked forward to something. A major victory in my depression has been this blog. I have something I look forward to every morning to wake up early for. I can’t wait to turn to the Bible reading and write about it. The sons of Korah looked forward to going to worship God again.

4These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.

Korah remembered good things. Life hadn’t been all sad. He had good memories to look back upon. Good memories with other people and with God. To the person facing depression, their past feels like their worst enemy. Your past doesn’t have to be just your enemy, but it can also be your friend.

8By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?

The psalmist still saw God at work in his life. During the day when he may have felt like he had no purpose and especially during the night when shame got in the way of his sleep. God was a song in the midst of his burden! He still actively prayed and lamented to God. This is key.

11Why 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.

The sons of Korah saw their situation like that downcast sheep. But rather than accepting it, they went to war with the one offensive weapon they had–their self-talk. That’s right, they talked to themselves. Depression is maintained by self-talk. The story or narrative you maintain is what keeps you depressed.

So they talked to their very soul. “Why do you feel like that hopeless, downcast sheep? Put your hope in God. You’ll praise him again! He’s your salvation! The Shepherd is coming with his staff to put you back on your feet.”

What you consistently tell yourself either maintains or attacks your depression. Tell yourself good things about God. Replace your destructive self-talk with good truths from the Bible. Find good things to look forward to. Remember good things and how God has been faithful. Still see God at work and regularly go to him with your story. Go to war daily on your self-talk. There is hope in perspective in the midst of depression!–JMB