Silent Lights

God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us…That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2

The sixty-seventh Psalm is a prophetic song speaking to the way things will be when Christ Jesus returns. We can see that in the passage as the psalmist writes that, “God shall bless us,” when all the peoples (note the plural) praise Him and rejoice in Him. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer.

However despite its farsightedness, we can still receive and make a personal application for today—the first two verses of the Psalm spell it all out: ‘We are blessed so that we might be a blessing to others.’ (Paraphrase mine). A little side note, the doctrine represented here undermines entirely the ‘name-it-and-claim-it,’ prosperity gospel. The psalmist could not have made it any clearer—it’s not about us, it’s about God.

The Jews Blew it

“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles…” Isaiah 42:6

This is how we know (in part) that the Psalm is prophetic in design—God called the Jews to be His light to the Gentiles; to share what they knew of Him with them. The Gentiles are of course everyone who is not a Jew; in other words, ‘all peoples.’ In this regard, the Jews dropped the ball. I’m not bashing the Nation of Israel (keep reading).

The Christians Blew it

Collectively, the church is blowing it too. The nation of Israel was supposed to be that blessing to the people of the earth, right? And today Christians understand that we are blessed so that we may be a blessing to others, thus bringing all honor, glory, and praise to Him, right?

It would appear we’re not doing the best job we can. By that I mean (and I’m pointing a finger at myself right now), “How many have I shared the Gospel with today? Yesterday? This past year?”

Don’t get me wrong, I know God’s will is going to be done in spite of the fact that His children are poor evangelizers; that’s a given. However, that does not let any believer off the hook. Now before I start sounding too legalistic, let me remind you (us) that sharing the Gospel is something we get to do; it is not something we have to do.

Our lives have been spared, right? We’re a grateful lot of people, right? What Jesus did for us was miraculous, right? How then can we keep from shouting His praise, right?

But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not. Jeremiah 20:9b

If you’re no Billy Graham, don’t be condemned, be convicted. How can you tell the difference? Condemnation will draw you away from Jesus, while conviction will draw you closer to Him. Billy Graham was not the Billy Graham (we know) over night and he would likely tell you that he is still a ‘work in progress.’ So are we. Besides that, God does not want me to be a Billy Graham; He wants me to be a David Wells. Who does God want you to be?

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13

These ramblings are typically (but not always) a byproduct inspired by God through my personal Bible study at SearchLight with Pastor Jon Courson and with my pastor at my home church, Calvary Chapel Coastlands

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Don’t Kill Yourself, Just Die

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Depression

At the mention of the ‘D’ word (depression) many people typically take one of two positions: ‘You-just-don’t-understand-what-I’m-going-through’ or ‘Snap-out-of-it.’ Grievously, both myopically sidestep the solution to the condition—‘snapping out’ of it suggests that people have a natural ability to fix themselves and ‘you don’t understand’ implies that sufferers have had their choices stripped away. My apologies to both camps, but these notions are dangerous and likely the very thing that makes the situation worse. I know because a) I have been there and b) I have been cured.

The Solution Revealed

In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Psalm 31:2-5

Did you see it; did you catch the seven-word remedy? I’ll give you a hint: Jesus the Messiah spoke these same words from the cross.

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last. Luke 23:46

So What is the Solution

The answer is death. Jesus was delivered from all His anguish when He submitted to the will of the Father and died. In other words, Jesus clearly demonstrated that if want to be delivered from depression or anything else for that matter, we must die to self. And just so we are very clear my brothers and sisters, I AM NOT talking suicide.

If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21-24

If Indeed…

Have you heard Jesus; have you received His teachings? More importantly, have you repented; have you put off your former conduct and put on the new man? Now ask yourself if you’re still able to make choices. That last question is most critical because so many depressed people say things like, “I am so debilitated; I just can’t get out of bed,” or, “I’m unable to leave the house.”

That’s the lie! You can do these things!

God has not removed the ability to choose from the depressed person, nor has the devil, or anyone else. That’s worth repeating—nobody has taken away your ability to choose. The good news is that you can still get out of bed if you decide to. People who say that they can’t [get out of bed] are lying; they can, but they don’t want to. Is that you? Once you realize that you can still make choices, you can go about doing things for others rather than yourself, whether you feel like it or not. Your emotions, by the way are not relevant to your healing.

If it makes it easier, look at it like God’s 12 Step Program for depression. Step 1: as guided by the Holy Spirit, do something selfless for somebody else. Step 2: repeat step 1 eleven more times. When you reach Step 12, start all over again.

Will you change immediately; as soon as your feet hit the floor, will you be cured? It could happen, but I doubt it. I will say that over time, or more accurately in God’s perfect timing, as you consistently and continually choose to do the next right thing, God will deliver you. As you change you mind, God will change your heart. Once again, consider King David’s depressive state:

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life. Psalm 31:9-12

Is this how you feel? Good, because when I read it this account I cannot help but think of Jesus’ condition at the cross. In this regard, you and Jesus have something in common. We know what Jesus endured and we also know He would have preferred another way, but selflessly He chose His Father’s way and was subsequently delivered. Remember, this was King David’s testimony as well and when he committed his spirit into God’s hand, when he died to self, he too was delivered. The cure is available to all who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:23-24

Notice that David did not say, “Just get over it,” but rather, “Be of good courage!” the word ‘be’ implying consistency in our behavior. Can the depressed person climb out of bed and do something selflessly for someone else? Absolutely he can. Can he do it a second time, a third, a fourth? Yup. Does he have to be happy about it? Nope, he just needs to be faithfully courageous and trust that in time God shall strengthen his heart. Don’t deny it, try it.

These ramblings are typically (but not always) a byproduct inspired by God through my personal Bible study at SearchLight with Pastor Jon Courson and with my pastor at my home church, Calvary Chapel Coastlands

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