# Spiritual and real depression in believers



## chuckd (Apr 22, 2012)

Is it possible for believers in the new covenant to feel and experience what Heman did in Ps. 88? I was in a very dark place about 6-7 months ago and felt God had left me. Prayers were hindered (like talking to a brick wall), no desire to read, no desire for anything spiritual. Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any Scriptural warrant to this in the NT. I told someone about this when I was going through it and they spoke as if it is not normal for Christians - only happy days, joy in the Lord, etc. This made it worse.


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## Unoriginalname (Apr 22, 2012)

I am no theologian (luckily) but as another believer I can say that most of my days I have been on a scale from melancholy to miserable. I find talk that we are supposed to be happy to be trite and dismissive. Our hope is not something temporal like emotions but firm promises. My emotional reaction to those promises are not what makes them, because how many souls have first heard the Word of the Lord and accepted it with gladness to only fall away, likewise melancholy souls like David (who I would argue probably had more sad days than happy) endured because the one who held him was the true and living God. Ultimately I think issues like this need to be dealt with in a pastoral relationship because it is impossible for people on the internet to discern the crevasses of your heart and what may be the driving motives of your gloom but you can have my prayers.


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## Rufus (Apr 22, 2012)

Based on personal experience and the personal experience of others, yes you can be depressed. Luther was angry at God for a time after his daughter died.


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## py3ak (Apr 22, 2012)

chuckd said:


> Is it possible for believers in the new covenant to feel and experience what Heman did in Ps. 88? I was in a very dark place about 6-7 months ago and felt God had left me. Prayers were hindered (like talking to a brick wall), no desire to read, no desire for anything spiritual. Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any Scriptural warrant to this in the NT. I told someone about this when I was going through it and they spoke as if it is not normal for Christians - only happy days, joy in the Lord, etc. This made it worse.



Certainly it is. Psalm 88 is there for our benefit, as well. We can learn from it that such experiences are not abnormal, we can learn from it how to direct ourselves to God in those times ("Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray."), and we can draw support from the fact that here too we have Christ going before us - the Psalms are his book, and he sings in them. So depression does not mean that we are desperately weird freaks or that we are cut off from God: the Saviour who said that his soul was troubled even unto death has been here too, and is compassionate to us in this infirmity as well as all others.


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## KMK (Apr 22, 2012)

chuckd said:


> Anyway, I'm wondering if there is any Scriptural warrant to this in the NT.



Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. *24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, *Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief*. Mark 9:23,24

It happens. It needs to be diagnosed and remedied.

Here is the gold standard on the subject, in my opinion: Amazon.com: The Doubting Believer (9781877611650): Obadiah Sedgwick: Books


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## Wayne (Apr 22, 2012)

Highly recommended : _Spiritual Depression_, by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure - David Martyn Lloyd-Jones - Google Books

Spiritual Depression by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, From the MLJ Archive - Audio Download at OnePlace.com

Banner of Truth Trust General Articles

Amazon.com: Spiritual Depression (9780551031654): D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Books


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## Alan D. Strange (Apr 22, 2012)

Chuck:

Since no one has done it yet, let me encourage you with WCF 5.5 on Providence:

"The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave, for a season, his own children to manifold temptations, and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and, to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends."

And WCF 18.4 on Assurance:

"True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the meantime, they are supported from utter despair."

Notice the statement, "suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light." This expresses something quite similar to Psalm 88.

Peace,
Alan


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## FedByRavens (Apr 22, 2012)

I'm there now. That's why I signed on to the board right now. I'm miserable, I was hoping somebody would be talking about it. Providence?


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## py3ak (Apr 22, 2012)

Caleb, of course the Lord has this discussion here just now for you. Here is a short sermon that has proved helpful before:
The Castle of Giant Despair - The Gospel Coalition

The "download audio" button may work better than the "listen".

If you prefer reading to listening, it can be found here:
The Castle of Giant Despair

Whether through that sermon or not, take heart: Isaiah 8:17 tells us that we have one duty in response to such times. It is to wait for the Lord who hides his face - because though he hides his face for a little while, yet with great mercy he gathers us again (Isaiah 54:7,8). Or again, Isaiah 50:10, the duty of waiting is expressed as trusting and staying (leaning) on God:
_Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God._


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## FedByRavens (Apr 22, 2012)

Thank you for the link and encouragement Ruben. Very considerate of you. I'll definitely give the sermon a listen.
For anybody reading this thread, I don't want any of you to question the grace that was wrought in your heart due to present sorrow. I've learned that the Christian life is filled with lots of blood and tears, and we all do as Elijah and fall beneath the Juniper tree and despair of life.


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## Alan D. Strange (Apr 22, 2012)

This reminds me, dear brother Caleb, of something that Charles Haddon Spurgeon said (or words to this effect):

*We may fall many times on the deck of the ship of life, but, by God's grace, we'll never fall overboard.*

Brother Caleb, and Chuck on the OP, the devil, flesh and world mightily attack us, and attack our progress in sanctification (I just preached on that this morning down here in GA: Nehemiah 4, "God uses opposition to sanctify us"). The enemy would have us believe that because of our sins, doubts, fears, sighings, and unbelief we could not possibly be Christians. Nehemiah 4:14 "Do not be afraid. Remember the Lord and fight..." He wants us to fight the devil, flesh, and world, but only as we remember it's all about Him. Remember the Lord.

The Lord would teach us all that it's not about us. It's about Him. Folk used to come to see Jack Miller and pour out their problems, fears, depression, and sin. He would sit back and smile and say, "You're far worse than you think. And God's love is far greater than you think." God purposes in all of this to draw you closer to Him and to teach you to trust more and more in Him. It's not about you; it's about Him. Rest and trust in Him.

Peace,
Alan


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## a mere housewife (Apr 23, 2012)

"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." -- one of my favorite promises, from Someone who never lies.


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