Day 3: Spiritual Depression

The overarching theme of Psalms 42 and 43 is personal despair or spiritual depression. Though we’re unsure of the back story to these psalms, it’s clear that the sons of Korah, who wrote them, were experiencing what the ancients called the “dark night of the soul”—something almost everyone has felt. When this occurs, your zest for life vanishes, simple tasks feel like impossible demands, relationships seem too hard to maintain, and prayers are stuck in some deep well within you.

Three Spiritual Flaws

I want to overturn a trio of attitudes about depression that I call Three Spiritual Flaws.

Flaw number one: “It’s all in your head.” Some naively deny that depression is even a reality. “It’s not really real,” they say, “you just think it’s real.” The Bible plainly says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14), which implies that we are complex beings, held together in a delicate balance. In other words, a lot can go wrong.

Factors like genetics—family history or personality dynamics—stress, and biochemical disturbances all contribute to how we feel about life. For instance, if there’s an imbalance in your brain chemistry, your feelings can be affected. Your brain is a complex, influential organ, so to deny the possibility of clinical depression is simply incorrect and unhelpful.

Flaw number two: “Christians should never be depressed because God’s children are to live at a higher level.” If you believe that, then avoid the book of Psalms, because those who penned it wrote candidly about their emotional highs—and lows. It’s superficial and unbiblical to imagine that coming to Christ by faith, though a transforming event, would make one less human.

While as believers we certainly have spiritual resources the world does not have, being phony or portraying a certain emotion is uncalled for. In fact, in some cases, coming to Christ makes the road rougher.

Flaw number three: “If you are depressed, it means you are unspiritual or immature.” The problem with this view is, once again, it is contrary to the scriptural narrative. Many of the heroes of our faith hit a low point. David said, “Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak…. My soul also is greatly troubled” (Psalm 6:2-3). Sometimes stress and anxiety over his enemies drove him to cry out, “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6:6).

The prophet Elijah is another example. After his noteworthy victory over the prophets of Baal, he ran out into the desert, sat down, and opined, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life” (1 Kings 19:4). You have to be pretty depressed to want to end your life, and Elijah was. Then there was Paul the apostle, who said he was “burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that [he] despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

All of these were great spiritual people, and all of them experienced depression. Adding stigma to those who suffer from depression will only add to their burden. Because depression is real, it requires real compassion.

For Further Thought

Briefly review the Three Spiritual Flaws of depression and the problem with each. Have any of these flaws entered into your thinking about yourself or people you know? If so, consider what you will do to correct your perspective.