How to Be Depressed...the Right Way - Psalm 13

Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
       How long will you hide your face from me?

 ² How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
       and every day have sorrow in my heart?
       How long will my enemy triumph over me?

 ³ Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
       Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

 ⁴ my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
       and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

 ⁵ But I trust in your unfailing love;
       my heart rejoices in your salvation.

 ⁶ I will sing to the LORD,
       for he has been good to me.

I love this Psalm.  It is painfully honest and vulnerable.  David has juxtaposed two very familiar scenes of life:  God's seeming silence in the face of adversity and His everlasting love and faithfulness.

How many times have we found ourselves in the same state of weariness:  "How long, O LORD?... How long...everyday sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph?"  Our laments sound more like "Why is this happening to me?  Why me, LORD?  When are you going to show up and save the day?  Any time, LORD...right about now would be great!  Will you forget me forEVER?" 

While we are probably not running out in the woods from a king who is out for our blood like David was, we often find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, throwing prayers much like this up to God. Laments like these litter the Psalms, teaching vulnerability and an honest heart before God.

However, by the end of the Psalm, after David has painted a bleak picture of his life and situation, proclaims, "But I trust in Your unfailing love;  my heart rejoices in Your salvation.  I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me."  He hasn't forgotten God's goodness and faithfulness to him in past days.  He doesn't dwell on his uncertain circumstances but instead chooses to remember God's unfailing love, His perfect salvation, His goodness and grace.  

Perhaps, through our tears, heart-wrenching sobs and cries of desperation that we lay at the foot of our Lord, Jehovah, we are to finish our prayers just as David has shown us:  "for He has been good to me."

May this be my heart's desire...

"My dear Jesus, my Savior, is so deeply written in my heart, that I feel confident, that if my heart were to be cut open and chopped to pieces, the name of Jesus would be found written on every piece."  Ignatius, a student under John, martyred in Rome, 111 AD.

Pretty is as Pretty does

I Peter 3:3-4 says:

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

2 years down, 2 to go...wait, what?!

Phew!!!
There it went...my sophomore year!
Crazy!
So now I'm home, back in good ol' Michigan! I'm not sure what to do with myself yet - I don't have any homework, reading, or papers to write, and I don't have anywhere to be. Something must be wrong! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining...Just gotta get used to being home!
This last semester has been awesome. God is so good. I have made some pretty amazing friends, which I am so very thankful for. The classes - well, most of the classes - were really good. I have really learned so much this year at BBC and I cannot believe how blessed I am to be able to be studying God's Word at BBC under such godly men and women.

The friends I have made this year have been some of the most fun, interesting, and encouraging people I know. I am so blessed! My group of friends is quite diverse and I would have never picked all of us out to be friends, but that's what I love about it. We're so different but I wouldn't trade them for the world. I miss them!

God is so good, and I constantly stand in amazement of His love and grace. A favorite song of mine says, "If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking!"

So there's a little de-briefing for you. Currently, I'm looking for a job, and a car, so if you have any leads on either of those, well, you know where to find me! :) Looking forward to being home with the family for the summer, and working with our teenagers in our youth group - can't wait!

Thanks for reading!

Learning and Serving Him,
Emily