Recent Events - Robin Williams (2)

We spoke briefly yesterday about depression. Today, let us consider some of the symptoms of depression. The Psalmist in Psalm 102 speaks of a virtual checklist of symptoms that David was experiencing in his life. The verses will be from the NKJV of the Bible. we see this put forth in verses 1 & 2 - "Hear my prayer, O Lord, And let my cry come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily."

He wrote of his feelings of being stricken physically, losing meaning and purpose in life in verses 3 & 4 - "For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass...." He lost his appetite in verse 4b - "So that I forget to eat my bread." He felt isolated and rejected - verse 6 - "I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert." He couldn't sleep in verse 7 " I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop." He had frequent crying spells as shown in verse 9 - "For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping...."

When depression exhibits itself in forms such as above for weeks or months at a time, it is called "major depression." Some people have depression that is exhibited in mood swings - from irritable to euphoric - this is called "bipolar disorder," or "manic-depressive illness."

A person needs to seek medical help when struggling with such disorders. To often in the church we give a glib - "Just give it to Jesus" response without any thought to what may be the underlying cause of the depression. Telling a person to snap out of it is also not going to help. Tomorrow we will conclude this look at depression by considering how to respond to depression and that one can recover hope in this struggle.

Muse over the feelings of David in Psalm 102. We know that he was suffering depression from guilt and unconfessed sin. Others suffer because of medical abnormalities. When someone is going through periods as described above, help them look to find what is the root cause. Eliminate medical conditions. Seek for doubt, unconfessed sin, or guilt - both real and imagined. Pray for the person who is struggling with these symptoms and seek to encourage them.

Recent Events - Robin Williams (1)

The news has been filled with the tragic news of the death of a very talented, creative comic genius - Robin Williams. Many recount about his roles and the impact he has made. One thing that has been revealed is the battle he had with depression. The Psalmist speaks about this valley in Psalm 130 (HCSB) - 

1 Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh!

2 Lord, listen to my voice;

let Your ears be attentive

to my cry for help.

3 Yahweh, if You considered sins,

Lord, who could stand?

4 But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be revered.

5 I wait for Yahweh; I wait

and put my hope in His word.

6 I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning—

more than watchmen for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord.

For there is faithful love with the Lord,

and with Him is redemption in abundance.

8 And He will redeem Israel

from all its sins.

We all go through times when we feel sad, down, blue - or whatever term we might use. Solomon spoke of it in Ecclesiastes, the writer of Hebrews referenced these times in Hebrews 4:16. Depression on the other hand is a deeper level of emotional turmoil, and has been said to affect 1 out of 5 people. This affects the individual, their family, coworkers as well as others who come in contact with the person.

Depression can be caused by many different factors - stress, fear, loneliness, guilt and anger are to name a few. David spoke of his unconfessed sin as being the basis of his depression in Psalm 38. Elijah on the other hand was depressed following a great spiritual victory (1 Kings 18 and 19). Medical factors and the abnormalities in the brain's functioning can attribute to this. Understanding all the possible reasons can give us a better understanding of what this disorder is about, and how widespread it is.

Tomorrow we will pause to consider symptoms that make up this disorder, and the following day we will speak of responding and recovering hope.

Today, ponder the words of the Psalmist. If you know someone who suffers from this malady - or if you are the one suffering - take hope in a God who can give victory even in the darkest times. There is light at the end of the tunnel, Christ is waiting for you. Pray for the family of Robin Williams, and take time to talk with God today about those you know who are suffering from this disorder.