How to Get Up When You're Down

Known for his unique ability to simplify profound truth so that it can be applied to everyday life, Adrian Rogers was one of the most effective preachers, respected Bible teachers, and Christian leaders of our time. Thanks for joining us for this message.

Here's Adrian Rogers. Find, if you would, in God's Word, Psalm 42. And we're going to look in that Psalm in a moment, especially at verse 5. May I make a confession to you? I did not want to preach the message that I'm about to preach. I felt led to preach it. The message today deals with depression. Well, who wants to hear a message on depression? We'd much rather hear something about happiness or joy or enthusiasm or victory, but the message deals with depression. The title of the message is, How to Get Up When You're Down. The Lord said to me, not out loud, but in my heart, Adrian, preach what I laid on your heart.

There's somebody or somebodies who need the message. Perhaps you'll be the one who will say, Yes, Pastor, that was the message for me. Psalm chapter 42 and verse 5, Why art thou cast down all my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? David is talking to himself.

And David says, Why art thou cast down all my soul? And it's obvious as we read the rest of the chapter, which we will do later on, that David is in a state of despondency that we could call depression. Now, I'm not talking about just feeling sad. We all feel sad sometimes. I'm not talking about being disturbed. We all get disturbed sometimes. We all have broken hearts and disappointments and faded dreams.

Those come to all of us. But that's not a depression. One woman said to another woman while her husband was listening, When I get down in the dumps, I get a new hat.

Her husband said, I wondered where you've been getting them. Well, you can get down in the dumps and buy something pretty to make you happy. You can perk up and cheer up and get with friends and forget it.

But depression is different. When I came into my office between services, I found a note on my desk from Joyce, who's in the choir. Adrian, I shredded my front tire. It is ruined. We'll tell you the circumstances when I see you. The car is at the northwest corner of the building.

If someone can change my tire with one in the trunk, I'll appreciate it. I'm leaving my keys. And then she got two little pictures here. One is a sad face with the mouth turned down and tears coming down. Then the other one is a happy face with the corners turned up and she's written on there, Praise the Lord anyway, Joyce. Well, amen. Praise the Lord anyway. So you can have a shredded tire and get over it. Somebody can lick the red off your candy and you can get over it. But what about depression? That's something different.

Why art thou cast down, oh, my soul? First of all, I want you to see what I'm going to call the serious problem of depression. The serious problem of depression.

We're not talking about something that is a small problem. Millions of Americans are not able to go to work because of depression. Many of them are in hospitals. Some of them are debilitated and some are dead. And it doesn't do a lot of good to tell people like this, well, cheer up, cheer up. There's nothing they would like to do better than to cheer up. And they tried everything that they know. Now, what is depression?

Let me find, let me give you a list that I found. Depression is this, it's a passive or listless feeling. That is, you don't feel like doing anything, a continual feeling of sadness, not sadness that comes and goes, but that it lingers. An attitude that nothing feels good or is worth feeling good about. That's compounded by a state of constant hopelessness.

You don't have any idea that it's going to get better. And then a feeling that no one cares and no one truly understands just how you feel or perhaps that no one really truly accepts me. Now, I found another list that you can use to check up to see if you're depressed.

You want to find out whether or not you're depressed, let's list at this list. Have you lost all initiative, gradually or cataclysmically? You just have kind of given up, thrown in the towel. Do you have repeated crying spells? You just feel overwhelmed with sorrow and find yourself crying. Do you wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and have difficulty going back to sleep? Do you wake up in the morning with a feeling of dread, difficult to get out of the bed, you hate to face the day? Do you feel sort of a numbness and an aching pain all over?

Not really a pain with specificity that you can identify. You just feel bad mostly all over. Do you find yourself sometimes thinking about your own death and maybe even afraid that you might have thoughts of suicide? Do you sometimes just sigh and have a heaviness in your chest? Do you have difficulty making decisions and moving through life? Do you distrust your own wisdom and keep second guessing yourself? Do you find yourself irritable and cross with other people? No apparent reasons. Is it difficult for you to be enthusiastic about anything?

That's not my list, but I think it's a pretty good list. To help you to understand whether or not you are a person who is cast down. Now, this is a serious problem.

It can be a killer disease. You say, well, pastor, these are people who don't know God, who don't trust God. Oh, no.

Oh, no. Many of God's best saints have been depressed. Moses was so depressed that he asked God to take away his life. Elijah was so depressed that he asked God to take away his life. Jonah was so depressed that he asked God to take away his life. John the Baptist got down in the dungeon and got so depressed he even doubted that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Apostle Paul, the great Apostle Paul said he came to a place where he despaired even of life. Well, pastor, what about modern people? Do they ever get depressed?

Yes. Charles Haddon Spurgeon was one of the greatest preachers that ever lived, a wise man who knew God. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a man of warmth and wisdom, sometimes had bouts of depression that closed up shop for him. Other great men and women have talked about dark nights of the soul where they were perplexed and distressed. And great leaders, world leaders have been depressed. Winston Churchill, who was a hero of many, many people who led Great Britain through the dark hours of the war, World War II, had sometimes fits and bouts of depression that closed him down. He called that depression a black dog that followed him and haunted his footsteps. But the one who wrote the passage that we're looking at today was David.

You think about a man who would have had reason for depression outwardly. What happened to David is this, that he'd had a son who'd raised up a rebellion against him, a son named Absalom. And Absalom that David loved caused David to flee for his life. And then Absalom was killed. And David wept and he said, Oh, Absalom, Absalom, my son Absalom, what did God, I died for thee.

Absalom. David has no power now, he has no throne, he has no wealth, he has no resources as such. Then on top of that, he had a daughter that was raped. His wife was sexually assaulted.

He had another son that died. The kingdom is in turmoil and his enemies are laughing at him. And David is in despair. Things could not have looked bleaker for David.

David is depressed. And he writes this Psalm, why art thou cast down all my soul? Why are thou disquieted within me?

Now, what I'm trying to say is this, that this is a serious problem. Look in this Psalm and look and see what David's situation was. First of all, there was a spiritual dryness. Look in verses one and two. As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

It seems that God is far off. David is like a wild deer being hunted by a pack of dogs. He's panting for breath, desiring for water. He can feel his soul shriveling up. Spiritual dryness.

People who get depressed seem that God is not real to them. Everybody else comes and rejoices in the music and in the preaching, but not them. David felt that God had forgotten him. Look, if you will, in verse nine. He says here, I will say unto my God, my rock, why has thou forgotten me? Now, God had not forgotten him, but he's thirsty for God.

There's a spiritual dryness. And then he's in a continual crying jag. Look, if you will, in verse three of this Psalm. My tears have been my meat or my food, day and night. He finds himself just weeping.

I mean, here's a mighty warrior, strong man of God. He's soaking his pillow at nighttime with his tears. In the daytime, perhaps in a counseling session with some of his warriors, he finds the tears coming unbidden.

His chin begins to quiver and he breaks out night and day with continual tears. David is feeling shame and defeat. Look, if you will, in verse three. They continue saying to me, where is thy God? Now, what does that mean?

It means his enemies are taunting him. David, you've been bragging about God, how much you love the Lord and how great and how mighty you got. Hey, buddy, where's your God now? How come you're not living in victory?

Where's all this victory you've been telling other people about? He feels that he's disgraced God. And then that's compounded by the fact that he has lingering memories of what once was. Look in verse four. When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me, for I had gone with the multitude.

I went with them to the house of God with a voice of joy and praise. He says, I remember when it used to be different. I remember when I used to come to church and sing and worship God and praise Him, the multitude, but not now. And his haunting memory makes it even worse. And the devil has told him, it can never ever be like it once was.

It's gone. He has these lingering memories. And then he just overwhelmed with circumstances. Look at it here in verse six. My soul is cast down within me. Wherefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and of the hermonites, from the hill Mesar? Deep calleth under deep at the noise of thy waterspouts.

All thy waves and billows are gone over me. Now you have to understand a little bit about biblical geography here. He's talking about Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon that rises up over 9,000 feet, snow-capped in the land of Israel. Did you know people go skiing in the land of Israel on Mount Hermon? And Mount Hermon is the source of the Jordan River. The Jordan River flows from the snow waters of Mount Hermon and the springs of Mount Hermon. On down through the river Jordan, which is crooked and serpentine. On down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, 1,300 feet below sea level. And Jordan, the very word Jordan means descent.

And the name Dan has the idea, Jordan of judgment. It's the river of death. It starts up here on Mount Hermon, but it flows down to the Dead Sea, never to rise again.

And David is using that as a symbol of despondency. He says, all thy water spouts have gone over me. He's talking about waterfalls. Joyce and I visited many times, beautiful waterfalls up there.

The headwaters of the river Jordan. But he said, it's like this torrent is coming at me, just washing over me and I don't know where to turn. I don't know what to do.

I am overwhelmed, overwhelmed with problems. Maybe you've never been there. Maybe you will be.

Or maybe you know somebody who is there or will be. And God wants to give you a lesson today. I'm telling you sometimes circumstances seem so great, so overwhelming, like everything is pouring in on our heads. That's the way David was.

That's the way a young boy was who committed suicide and left this note. Dear world, I don't want to get my hair cut. I don't want to tend kids. I don't want to see Tina at school Monday.

I don't want to do my biology assignment or English or history or anything. I don't want to be sad or lonely or depressed anymore. I don't want to eat, drink, talk, breathe, sleep, move, feel, or live anymore. Mom and Dad, it's not your fault. I am not free. I feel ill. I am sad and I am lonely. That was a boy who needed the message that I'm preaching this morning. And there are many like that in today's world.

They are depressed. And I'm telling you, David was a man after God's own heart, but he came to this place. And there's no need for us just to paint the clouds with sunshine and say, well, God's in His heaven.

All's right in His world. We need to understand that depression is a serious problem. Second thing, I want you to notice the spiritual provision for depression, not only the serious problem of it, but the spiritual provision for it. There is an answer. I'm here to tell you that there is hope and there's help for you.

Number one, write this down. You need to look inward and analyze your heart. Now notice what David did beginning in verse five. Why art thou cast down on my soul and why art thou disquieted in me? Now, David is talking to himself. Do you ever talk to yourself? I talk with me.

I do. I talk to myself. I admit it. Some people say that's a sign of insanity.

Okay, I'm guilty. I talk to me. You talk to you and sometimes I talk back to me.

That's what David did. One man said about his wife, said, you know, I'm concerned about my wife. She goes around the house talking to herself all the time. The man said, well, does she know she's doing it? Said, no, she thinks I'm listening to her.

Do you ever talk to yourself? There is a part of you, your carnal nature, that unrenewed mind, that power of negative thinking that is constantly talking to you and saying, you ought to feel sorry for yourself. You're not going to make it. It's over for you. There's no hope for you.

There's no help for you. And that voice is constantly talking to you. It's your soul. And what you need to do is to take your soul by the nape of the neck, hold it up in front of you, look it in the eye and say, why art thou cast down, O my soul? Analyze your heart.

Ask yourself, why are you cast down? Has it been the death of a child? The death of a spouse? You lost something dear and precious to you.

Is that the reason? Pour out your grief to God. Tell him about it.

Accept the love of friends, but understand that it's not big enough to destroy the rest of your life. Perhaps you're cast down because someone has disappointed you. You were about to get married and then it's broken off. Perhaps your parents have not responded to you the way that they ought and you feel unloved, perhaps unwanted.

Perhaps a husband has walked off for somebody else and forsaken you and the children. That's not the end of the world. Matter of fact, if it's a broken engagement, it may have been the best thing ever happened to you. Two tears met. One tear said the other tears said, who are you? That tear said, I'm the tear of a girl whose fiance jilted her for another girl. Who are you? Said, I'm the tear of the girl who married that guy. Close the door. Learn what happened. Learn from the mistakes, but you cannot live your life licking your wounds. Perhaps you've been to the doctor and the doctor's given you a very bad report.

The doctor says what you have is incurable and it will get worse. What do you do? Do you get despondent? Do you get cast down?

No. You say to yourself, look, though my outward man perish, my inward man is renewed day by day. Find out what it is. Get it out there so you can look at it. Look it straight in the face, analyze it, look at it.

Why art thou cast down on my soul? Once you determine what it is, I mean really honestly face it, you start on the pathway. Look inward and analyze your heart. Then look upward and recognize your help. That's what David did. Let's look in verse eight. Yet the Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime and in the night his song shall be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life. He looks inward and analyzes his heart.

He looks upward and realizes his help. God is not going to forsake you. He never has, he never will. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. You say, Pastor Rogers, you don't understand my problem.

That's not the point. He does. God understands. We have a ancillary verse to put that in your margin here. Psalm 147 verses three and four. He healeth the broken in heart. He bindeth up their wounds. And then notice the next verse. He telleth the number of the stars.

He calls them all by their names. The number of the stars, the number of the stars. The billions beyond billions, beyond billions, beyond billions adding to infinity.

The only one who knows the number of how many stars there is his almighty God. Somebody's come up with a good scheme. They'll name a star for your loved one.

Isn't that sweet? All you have to do is send them some money. Well, you don't have to send them money. Just pick out one and name it yourself.

But the truth of the matter is it's too late to do that. God has a name for the billions upon billions upon gazillion stars out there. He's got a name for every one of them.

But now notice what it says. He healeth the broken heart and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars. He calls them by their names. The God who controls this mighty, mighty, mighty universe is the great God who cares about your broken heart. He cares.

He attends the funeral of every sparrow. The hairs of your head are numbered. You say, well, I don't understand why I'm having all this trouble. You don't have to understand.

Warren Wiesbe said that life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived. Some lose their faith because in times of suffering and depression, they don't understand why. David didn't understand. Look in verse nine. I will say unto God, my rock, why hast thou forgotten me?

Why go I mourning because of the oppression of enemy? Why, God, why? God didn't answer the why.

You know, we think we've got to know why, but did you ever think that not knowing why might be God's plan for you? Robert Frost said it perfectly. I'm going to give you a bit of wisdom here now, and you're going to miss this because it's very subtle. If you don't pay attention, you'll miss it.

Here's what he said. But it was of the essence of the trial that you shouldn't understand it at the time. It had to seem unmeaning to have meaning.

It had to seem unmeaning to have meaning. It was the essence of the trial that you shouldn't understand it at the time. You see, when you don't understand and you say, God, I trust you, that's faith, friend.

You don't have to know why when you know who, and you can put it in His hands. That's the essence of the trial. St. Ito, Andrew Murray said this, in times of trouble, God's trusting child must say first, He brought me here, it is by His will that I'm in this straight place. Next, He will keep me here in His love, and He will give me grace in this trial to behave as His child. Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn and working in the grace He means to bestow.

Last, in His good time, He can bring me out again how and when He knows. Say, I'm here, one, by God's appointment, two, in His keeping, three, under His training, four, for His time. Look upward and realize your help. Now, thirdly, after you've looked inward and looked upward, look onward and recognize your hope, your hope, no matter what's happening to you.

May I tell you, it is not God's final plan. Look in verse 11, why art thou cast down on my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God. He looked inward, He looked upward, then He looked onward.

He looked inward to analyze His heart. He looked upward to recognize His help, and He looked onward to realize His hope. He knew that God had not forsaken Him.

This is why David was a man of great faith. He had heartaches, yes, he had troubles, he had misunderstanding, yes, but he said, I know he's going to see me through. And, friend, God's going to see you through. He's going to turn your calvary to an Easter. He's going to turn your heartache to a hallelujah. He's going to turn your tears to pearls. He's going to arch the rainbow of hope over the storm of your life. My God will see you through. Did you hear that?

He will. God knows how to make a way for you. God says in Jeremiah 29, verse 11, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Don't you let Satan blow out the candle of hope in your life.

Thirdly and finally, I want you to notice this sure promise in depression. Look at it again, 42, verse 11. Why art thou cast down on my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him.

Beloved, if you're falling emotionally and spiritually, you can get up. If you're perplexed and in despair and don't know the Lord, I feel sorry for you. I don't know what people do who don't know Jesus when they go through dark valleys.

Aren't you glad that yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, that he goes through it with us? I wish everybody knew Jesus. Friends all around me are trying to find what the heart yearns for by sin undermined. I have the secret.

I know it is found. Only true pleasures in Jesus abound. Blindly they strive, for sin darkens their way.

They don't know. Oh, to pull back the grim curtains of night. One look at Jesus, and all will be light. Print, he died for you. He loves you. He wants to save you. He wants to restore your soul. He wants to heal your wounds. He wants to give you a home with him in heaven.

And he wants you to have a vital relationship with him right now. Would you pray a prayer like this? Dear God, I need you and I want you. Jesus, you died to save me and you promised to save me if I would trust you. I do trust you. I believe you shed your blood on the cross for my sins. I believe God raised you from the dead. You died to save me and promised to save me if I would trust you.

And that's what I'm doing. I receive you into my life and I give my life to you. Forgive my sin, cleanse me, save me, and begin now to make me the person you want me to be. And help me never to be ashamed of you. Give me the courage to make it public. In your name, amen. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org. Or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.