Pastor's Corner: The downcast soul

The Word of God is rich with truth that speaks into our souls when they become downcast. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalms 42:5) The Psalms alone have around fifty laments expressing grief, sorrow, fear, anger, contempt, shame and guilt as prayers to God, requesting and receiving solace and deliverance (Psalms 13, 42, 43, 77, 88). The Bible is full of examples and situations of suffering and loss leading to despair (Job, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ). Anyone can develop a downcast or depressed soul.

A downcast soul describes feelings of despondency and dejection because of trouble resulting in a hopeless outlook, disinterest in regular activities and even self-destructive and sinful behaviors. Even mature believers can find themselves in a deep dark hole of spiritual despair where there appears to be no possibility of a situation improving and feelings of being distant from God (Psalm 22:1, 2 Corinthians 4:8).

Our emotional and spiritual difficulties truly are insurmountable without the strength, grace, encouragement and comfort of God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Drawing close to Christ and opening God’s Word are the first steps to finding restored joy and hope. God perfectly understands your anxieties, sadness and despair perfectly in comparison to fallen and fallible human counselors (Psalms 139:23-24). Help from God is the answer that is always found in the Bible (Psalms 46, 121). God is truly big enough to keep us from sinking further and further into depression (Psalms 32:5-8, Isaiah 43:1-2).

The light of hope is also extremely bright in the Bible, driving away any darkness our souls may experience. Hope in the Bible is not mere optimism or the general but uncertain expectation that circumstances will improve as time goes on. Biblical hope is the certain and assured expectation that God will fulfill His promises for our good in the future (Titus 1:2-3, Hebrews 10:23). In order to endure and persevere in this fallen world, Christian hope redirects our attention to what is eternally important: salvation and everlasting life, future resurrection and glorification, the return of Jesus Christ and being with the Lord forever, the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and the New Heavens and the New Earth (Isaiah 9:6-7, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Phillipians 3:21, Titus 2:11-14, Revelations 21:1-2).

One of the most hopeful messages from the Bible is that trials, tribulations and times of suffering are purposeful and meaningful with an unwavering hope in the future. The Bible directly says God uses trials to draw us closer to Him in humble dependance, to produce perseverance, wisdom, Christ-like maturity, and proven character, to make us long for heaven and to press us to find our joy and peace in Christ that we can share to the world (Romans 5:3-5; Phillipians 4:4, 6-7; James 1:2-3; Revelations 21:4).

Sadness, grief and downcast souls have their place in our lives as Christians, but they are supposed to drive us to impassioned appeals and laments to God, where we find hope and faith in the end. Depression reminds us of the goodness, grace and promises of God to uplift our souls during low points and to give hopeful light during spiritually dark times (Lamentations 3:20-26). As one Bible teacher put it, “Hope meets fear with faith, counteracts worry with worship, responds to problems with prayer and patience, and replaces stressful pressure with peace.”