There are three noticeable ways in which the Psalmist deals with his depression:

This whole Psalm is an expression of emotions. It’s intense – and it’s a song. It’s meant to show feelings. And feelings about depression are ok to share – especially with God. It can seem that depression is a good reason not to pray – but the opposite is the case. Our negative feelings can make us feel unworthy – we don’t deserve to be able to pray. The fact is we never deserve to pray. Maybe we need a reminder of that!

 

But the act of prayer can seem so hard when God seems distant. We then have a choice. Wither we clam up and wait for a day when we will feel like praying – or we pour out our dry and thirsty soul. That’s what this man does. Even is all you can talk to God about is how you miss him – that is better than nothing! So much better…

 

And when the praise doesn’t come easily – we feel too heavy hearted and it sounds hollow, Psalm 42 gives us a secret: we can remind ourselves that things will change. I shall again praise him… cries the Psalmist defiantly. Your soul maybe heavy and discouraged but you know too much to treat that as the end of the story – there is a dawn waiting to break. Of all things that is certain.

He takes himself in hand. Why are you downcast O my soul? (42.5; 42.11; 43.5). Lloyd-Jones made the point that people are depressed because they do not talk to themselves enough. Instead of addressing their souls they allow their souls to do all the talking… and our souls are always talking – preaching – to us. Not helpfully.

 

So while we share our emotions with God (and with friends – brother and sisters in God) we also need to take ourselves in hand. Speak the truth to yourself. Remind yourself of the gospel, of God, of the objective facts. Don’t just vegetate in the feelings.

He especially brings up the issue of hope. Hope in God…

 

We can’t live without hope. But there are a billion different things to hope in. Much of our depression may come from misplacing our hopes. We hope for too much from things which are not God. The Psalmist takes a look at what he has been hoping in. it may be a revealing – and convicting – thing to do. We may find we need to repent for having our hearts set ultimately on things other than God – and this way bringing our depression on ourselves.

 

The remarkable thing is that the Psalmist is able to place such full confidence in God’s goodness. He is sure of God’s love in (42.8) in a way that many Christians are not, though the Christian has more grounds to hope in God’s goodness. The Psalmist somehow knows he can put his hope in God. But for us Jesus has become the grounds for a more certain hope – a better hope (Hebrews 6.17-20; 7.19). Through his death upon the cross he has, once and for all, tasted the abandonment from God that we deserve – and of which this Psalm describes just the brief feeling.

 

Though we will know times of dryness and depression – God seeming absent from us (Psalm 42.9) – He abandoned his Son so he might never leave us or forsake us.