Monthly Archives: January 2020

Psalm 42 – 43

“Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5, 11, 43:5, HCSB).

After declining for nearly two decades, the suicide rate among Americans ages 10 to 24 jumped 56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And for the first time the gender gap in suicide has narrowed: Though the numbers of suicides are greater in males, the rates of suicide for female youths increased by 12.7 percent each year, compared with 7.1 percent for male youths.At the same time, the rate of teen depression shot up 63 percent, an alarming but not surprising trend given the link between suicide and depression: In 2017, 13 percent of teens reported at least one episode of depression in the past year, compared with 8 percent of teens in 2007, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.[1]

These numbers ought to startle us. And yet, depression is not anything new. David, a king of Israel well over 2,000 years ago expressed himself in these two prayers that still resonate. The prayers were written at the head of the Jordan River, somewhere on Mt Hermon in northern Israel. In David’s era it was a wilderness. Note that David, having been raised and trained to be a shepherd was used to being alone. Yet this alone-ness is different. Instead of caring for sheep David is alone and remembering times when he was able to join his family, his community, for worship.

But don’t get lost in the depression. Remember, God is still active, God is still at work. God has not given up, God has not abandoned us, neither can God abandon us.

In my own experience, I know what it is to sense God’s absence, like David to be overwhelmed with circumstances totally beyond my control. I know what it is to feel isolated, alone, and overwhelmed. Yet, “Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5, HCSB).

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/06/opinion/suicide-young-people.html?searchResultPosition=11, accessed on 1/27/20.

Psalm 41

Just past our church building the South Umpqua River separates Winston from the unincorporated town of Dillard. The bridge connecting the two communities is the site of a third community. A homeless camp has been established under the bridge and in the trees and underbrush on the riverbank. Regularly the people living in that third community walk our streets on their way to receive medical care and to purchase minutes for their cell phones. Many of them also seek to earn a few dollars by holding signs asking for money.

As God was forming His people into a nation in the wilderness He instructed them to take care of the poor in their midst. The reasons for poverty are legion. The assignment to care for them is clear.

The Psalmist asserts, “Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.” (Psalm 41:1, HCSB) The rest of this psalm is a prayer for deliverance for the one who seeks to care for the poor. The Psalmist recognizes that his condition (illness, or other tragedy) may be the result of sin (vs 4). The issue isn’t simply caring for the poor. Rather, the way one relates to the poor reveals the condition of the soul. Sin unconfessed has a way of staining our soul.

I primarily ignore the third community. I’m not so much afraid of physical harm as it is the fear of getting in over my head. In my limited experience with homeless, I quickly discover just how much I don’t know and how limited my resources are.

I am as quick as David to seeks deliverance from those who speak evil when I am suffering. If you could look into my soul I would want you to find compassion for the poor, concern for their plight, and care that extends to action on their behalf.

Psalm 40

Hi! My name is Steve and I’m often depressed and anxious. For a number of years, I was afraid to share that information. A number of years ago after I shared this information I was taken aside by a colleague (who has since asked for my forgiveness) and told that real believers never experienced such things. Occasionally I hear believers express similar statements. After all, they reason, the victorious Christian life has no room for such negative experiences.

One reason I am drawn to the Psalms is that the psalmists often express anxiety, depression, despair, and even feelings of self-loathing. Thank God for the brave honesty of a shepherd turned King who unashamedly wrote of his own experiences. I cannot count the number of hours, days, weeks, and yes, even months, when Psalm 40 has captured where I live.

David’s experience described succinctly in Psalm 40:1-3, describes a process. Though it takes but seconds to read the words I’d guess that the experience lasted longer than mere seconds. I am reminded that no matter how dark circumstances appear God is never absent. God is not limited by my circumstances. The solid place I need as the darkness recedes is always available because God is never absent.

Like me, David appears to veer between his confidence in God’s presence and his concern for stability and safety. Threaded between these extremes the psalm confirms one unmistakable and unchangeable reality: God is never absent. God’s presence is constant. Our circumstances change, but God’s presence and power are available – “I am afflicted and needy; the Lord thinks of me. You are my helper and my deliverer; my God, do not delay.” (Psalm 40:17, HCSB).