The Antidote for Depression

In review of Psalm 42:5 it says, Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God"

Bottom Line:

If you feel discouraged or sad, put your hope in God. Praise Him, for He is your Savior and your God.

What this means to me:

When I find myself discouraged or sad, I will learn to refocus my hope in God. I will praise Him for all the wonderful things He has already done. He is my Savior and my God.

This psalm reminds me that when I feel lonely or depressed, I can turn and meditate on God's kindness and love. This psalm also reminds me of the importance of longing and thirsting for God. Feeling separated from God, this psalmist wouldn't rest until he restored his relationship with God because he know that his very life depended on it. In this psalm the writer was discouraged because of his exile to a place far from Jerusalem, he could not worship in the Temple.

Seems depression is one of the most common emotional ailments we all face. One antidote for depression is to meditate on the record of God's goodness to his people. This will help me take my mind off the present situation and provide hope that it will improve. It will help me focus my thoughts on God's ability to help me, rather than on my inability to help myself.

So when I don’t know what to do, I should be still and place all hope in God. I should have faith to know that He is working behind the scenes on my behalf. What I see in front of me is just the very tip of the iceberg. I can lift up my head and heart, for Satan is a defeated foe, and the victory is already mine. I just need to reach out and take it!

Without hope life is bleak and joyless. Without hope life becomes meaningless. What I am learning is that this is not true for those trust in the Lord. Every believer has hope for tomorrow, hope for a supernatural breakthrough, and hope for divine healing for your body. Hope that is absolutely unlimited because we serve an awesome God who knows no bounds.

So when I find myself feeling depressed, I can take advantage of this psalms antidepressant. I can read the Bible's accounts of God's goodness, and meditate on them.