"SURVIVOR SERIES”
#1 - "SURVIVING WHEN YOU FEEL DOWN"
by Rev. John Hannem,
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This is the first sermon of a four-part series called "Survivor" series. Now, to be honest, I borrowed that title from the television show, but that's where the connection ends. We are not going to be showing any film clips of the Australian outback, we will not be sending any groups to survive in the Cape Breton Highlands, nor will we start voting people out of the church one by one. What we are going to do is talk about how the Lord helps us to survive some of the challenges of life, ... challenges such as financial problems, the death of someone we love, and other very challenging situations . Today, though, we start with the topic of depression.
Now, I need to say a few words to some of you who might be feeling a little disappointed and are thinking, "Pastor John, we come here on Sunday to hear what the Bible has to say, not talk about problems that people have." Let me assure you, we are going to be talking about what the Bible says. One method of preaching is to start with the biblical text, explore what it says and then look at practical implications. That is called expository preaching. Another method is to start with a practical issue of some type and then look at what the Bible says on that topic. That is topical preaching. Now, for various reasons, most of my sermons are expository, but sometimes I think topical sermons can be helpful, and I certainly hope that this series is helpful. So let’s pray that as we look at this important theme of "Surviving Life’s Challenges," God will truly speak to us through His Word.
Years ago a man visited a doctor in
Now, even if you are always upbeat and happy, you still need to listen today because I guarantee that you know someone who struggles with these feelings at times. I guess I could give a three- or four-hour lecture on this topic, but I'm not going to do that. In 25-30 minutes I am going to try to answer from a biblical perspective, from a Christian perspective, some questions people have about depression.
Question #1: What is depression? Depression is somewhat difficult to define, though most people kind of know what it is. I find it helpful to think of a "depression scale" or continuum. On one end is "feeling down" or "having the blues." Most folks experience that at various times in life. Blues singer Charles Brown once said, "Anyone who has brains gets the blues." That is a very normal feeling and let me say, if you are one of the rare breed that almost never gets down, even though you have brains, you are very, very blessed. Almost everyone "feels down" sometimes. On the other end of the scale is severe depression. This is when people are engulfed by such a dark emotional cloud that they may be unable to work or even to get out of bed. These folk often feel total despair and may contemplate or attempt suicide. It is estimated that about one million Canadians go through this type of experience each year. So, on one end is "feeling down," and on the other is severe depression, being suicidal. And then there are many degrees of depression in between.
Now, there are three factors which contribute to the severity of depression. One is the intensity of the feeling - how "down" someone feels. The second is the duration of that feeling - how long it lasts. One psychology text defines major depression as something which lasts for two weeks or more, and a "depression disorder" is having a "down in the dumps" mood for a couple of years. The third factor relates to outward circumstances. If your spouse dies, or your girlfriend dumps you, or you are experiencing intense pain, or you lose half of your savings in the stock market, you will probably feel down. This is "situational depression." The assumption is that if the situation gets better, you will feel better. Most of us can relate to that. At other times, folk struggle with depression which really has nothing to do with the circumstances of life. Everything may be going great on the outside, but on the inside that individual still feels this anxiety and gloom. This is a difficult depression to combat, because working on improving the circumstances doesn't help.
Question #2: Do Christians get depressed? Yes, they surely do. When we look in the Bible, we see numerous cases where very godly people struggle with feeling down. One clear case is the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Right after the Lord had given him a great victory over the prophets of Baal on
As we look at church history, it is interesting to note that some great Christian leaders suffered not just from "feeling down" sometimes, but they had bouts with severe depression. Martin Luther and John Calvin, the two great leaders of the reformation, both had plenty of "dark days." Authors like A. W. Tozer and J. B. Philips, as well as Salvation Army founder William Booth, all struggled with deep depression. Then there is Charles Spurgeon; he was a Baptist pastor in
And, of course, Christians today struggle with depression. Yes, for most of us it is just occasional days when we feel a little bit down, but some folks have bouts with very deep depression. This can certainly be a chronic problem, but not always. Some people who struggle with more severe depression overcome it and never have to deal with it again. Others who have never had a problem with being depressed can all of a sudden find themselves feeling very down. Depression can be a problem for many older folks. Some of them have struggled with this throughout their life, while others are hit only after they have retired or are alone. The bottom line, however, is that Christians - young and old, male and female, those who are Baptists and those who are not - do get depressed.
But, just because that happens, does it make it right? Question #3: Is it a sin to be depressed? No and yes. Sometimes depression is not a sin. I don't think Elijah, David or Paul were necessarily sinning when they were feeling so "very down," and there is one case in the Bible where someone is depressed and clearly is not sinning. It is Jesus in the
Jesus' feeling was very much connected with the situation He faced. I would argue that it is not a sin, not wrong to feel down or depressed in certain situations. If someone close to you dies, it is only natural to have that feeling. When bad things happen to us, it is normal to feel down. That's how God made us.
There are a couple of other situations where I don't believe it is a sin to be depressed. One is when there is a physiological cause for the depression. Whether it is a chemical imbalance or some other malfunction, this type of depression really is not something which a person can control or for which one can be morally responsible. There is no reason to feel guilty in that situation. Secondly, it may not be wrong to feel down if we simply have a melancholy personality. A few years ago I read an article in Christianity Today that I wish I had saved. I didn't, but the gist of it was this: God has called us to holiness, not necessarily emotional wholeness. The author was struck by the fact that so many great Christian heroes, Spurgeon and Tozer, etc., struggled with emotional disorders, including depression. He decided that the Bible really doesn't teach that Christians are to always be emotionally well-balanced. Rather, what we are called to do is obey God, to love Him and love other people. So, in other words, God is much more pleased with those who struggle with depression and obey Him, than He is with those who are very happy, but who focus their energy on serving themselves. Yes, when we get to heaven, I think we will all enjoy complete emotional health, but until then, just as we have to put up with imperfect bodies, we will also have to put up with imperfect psyches, imperfect emotions. Being depressed is no fun, but it's not always a sin.
Yet, sometimes it is a sin to be depressed. Whenever our depression is caused by a lack of faith in the Lord, or by an unwillingness to believe His promises, then it's wrong. Though we are not always responsible for our emotional reactions, we are responsible for whether or not we choose to believe what God has said to us through His Word, the Bible.
For example, if the reason someone feels depressed is because they are worried they might lose their job and not have enough money next winter, that is a sin. The Lord makes it very clear in Matthew 6 that we are to trust God, rather than worry about what tomorrow is going to bring. So, though it may not be wrong to simply feel down, sometimes it is sin which causes that feeling.
Question #4: What can we do to survive when we feel down? We have spent our time so far talking about how depression is often a normal feeling, but it is also a very unpleasant one. Though following Jesus Christ certainly does not make us immune from depression, the Lord does want to help us find joy even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Philippians 4:4 says that He wants us to "rejoice always." So, there are some things we can do to survive:-- what are they?
First of all, develop a relationship with God. Knowing God is a joyful experience. As Psalm says, "In your presence, O Lord, is the fullness of joy. To be at Your right hand forever will be happiness always." Yes, we have said that Christians can sometimes feel very down, but it is never because God lets us down. He is always, as the hymn writer says, the source of "solid joy and lasting pleasure."
How do we have a relationship with God where we can experience that joy? First, we need to trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. In John 14:6, Jesus tells us, "No one comes to the Father except through me." Just going to church, getting baptized, or being a nice person will not give us a relationship with the Lord. That is something we experience when we personally put our trust in Him. If you have not done that, this is the first step in surviving when you feel down. Without Jesus Christ, you are in spiritual darkness, headed for eternal darkness in hell. Jesus, however, is the Light of the world, who will bring light to your soul and who will make you a child of God. If you are not sure what I mean when I say "put your trust in Jesus, and accpt him as your Saviour" please talk to me before you go home today.
Once we have become a Christian through trusting in Jesus Christ, spending time in prayer and reading the Bible are very important parts of getting to know God better. Oh, I don't think prayer and Bible study are magic cures for depression, but they are wonderful tools which God has given to combat and survive that down feeling. It is through God's Word and through prayer that we can connect in a relationship with the One who is the source of true joy.
Secondly, make honoring the Lord your purpose in life. Many who struggle with depression think life is meaningless and empty, that there is no purpose or, as Marie Antoinette said, "Nothing tastes." And indeed, if the atheists are right, if we as human beings are merely the products of an evolutionary process propelled by time and chance, then "all we are is dust in the wind." We don't matter any more than those mosquitoes and the black flies of summer. Yet, if we believe what God says to us in the Bible, we never have to worry about life being empty or meaningless. As Christians, we are at the center of God's great plan of redemption. He has chosen us as His children so that, (Romans ), we might be "conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers." In other words, I am here on this planet to become, in my character, more like Jesus Christ and to help others become more like Him. That is my purpose in life, and if you are a Christian, that is your purpose too. No matter where I live, no matter what my physical health is, no matter what job I have or don't have, honoring the Lord by becoming like Jesus continues to be my reason for living. I never have to worry about waking up some morning and not having anything to do, because that is a job I will never finish on this earth. Everyone who is trusting in Jesus Christ always has a purpose in life.
Thirdly, to survive feeling down, it's important to be actively involved in a solid Christian church. This is important for two reasons. First, by being involved in church, we have the opportunity to build some good friendships. We call that Christian fellowship. There is a high correlation between loneliness and depression. When we feel we are all alone, it is easy to get discouraged. So, as one psychologist said, "One good friend is worth ten therapists." And there is no better place to make good friends than in a good church. I think this church is a great place to do that. Now, this doesn't mean that you will automatically make friends by just coming and sitting in this room. To make friends, you need to be a friend. You need to reach out to others and take an interest in their lives. Rather than waiting for someone to invite you over for lunch, you need to make the invitation. Now, I can't promise that a friend you make in this church won't let you down sometime or won't stab you in the back, but I think your chances of making a really good friend are better here than almost anywhere else.
The second reason is: Being involved in church will give you opportunities to serve others. That is an important way of combating depression. Dr. Alfred Adler claims he can cure depression in fourteen days, if the patient will simply devote time and energy to helping other people during that time. As someone said, "Ten rules for getting rid of the blues are: Go out and do something for someone else and repeat it nine times." Getting our mind off our own problems and helping others is a good prescription for depression. Being involved in church gives us the opportunity to do that. So, in that sense, yes, church can make you happier!
Fourthly, there are some very practical things we can do to survive when we feel down. Getting enough sleep is very important. That can be especially hard when one is struggling with insomnia, but sleep needs to be a priority. Physical exercise can be helpful. A balanced diet is important. Trying to live on chocolate is not a good cure for depression, though it does make one feel better for a little while. Alcohol is not a cure either. Ann Landers said, "People who drink to drown their sorrow, need to know that sorrow knows how to swim." In cases of more severe depression, it is important to seek professional help, such as a good psychiatrist, or a Christian counselor or psychologist. Sometimes a physician will prescribe drugs to treat depression and sometimes anti-depressants can be very helpful. Yet, even as we use some of these practical tools to survive depression, we need to make sure they don't become our focus. It is the Lord, not a therapist or a pill, who is the source of that solid and lasting joy. Yes, use these other resources, but don't neglect turning to the Lord for help.
Years ago a Presbyterian pastor named Elisha Hoffman went to visit an elderly member of his congregation who was feeling very down and depressed. He read to her the verse in Matthew where Jesus says, "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Then he urged her to pray and tell her problems to Jesus. This suggestion struck a chord, and she smiled and exclaimed, "Yes, I must tell Jesus." Throughout the day that phrase, "I must tell Jesus," kept echoing in Hoffman's mind, and that night he sat down and wrote the hymn, I Must Tell Jesus.
Hymn #430 – I Must Tell Jesus