“For you, Adonai, are my lamp;
Adonai lights up my darkness.
With you I can run through
a whole troop of men,
With my God I can leap a wall.”
-2 Samuel 22:29-30
Verse 29 is particularly inspiring.
It speaks of the Lord “lighting up David’s darkness.”
This is referring to God lifting David out of his mental darkness.
When things went badly for David (which happened a lot in the latter part of his life), David constantly became depressed.
A good portion of the Psalms that David composed were written when he was seriously down in the dumps, and pleading for the Lord to rescue him.
Now, there’s something I want to clarify here.
The depression David experienced was not on the level of mental illness.
It was the normal kind of depression that affects all of us when tragedy strikes.
When a loved one dies…
Or when misfortune occurs…
It’s normal to struggle with intense feelings of negativity and hopelessness.
This is what happened with David when he was on the verge of losing his kingdom…
Or about to taste the bitter porridge of defeat at the hands of his enemies.
The point is, we don’t want to stay in a dark place forever.
Verse 29 reassures us that one of the benefits of being part of Israel’s Kingdom is that God will lift us out of our doldrums.
He won’t let us be overwhelmed by the forces of darkness.
Now, the polar opposite of the type of depression David experienced was well demonstrated in King Saul.
The first king of Israel suffered from a bona fide mental illness.
His depression was so severe that it led to irrational bouts of paranoia.
Saul rebelled against the Lord.
God responded by leaving him.
As a result, Saul fell into pure insanity.
Now, you may ask, why didn’t God deliver Saul from his depression?
The answer is simple.
Due to Saul’s sin and blasphemy, God cut him (KARET) off.
In God’s eyes, Saul was no longer part of Israel.
He was no longer part of God’s AM.
And that’s your takeaway for today.
At the end of the day, depression comes from a spiritual source.
If your relationship with the Lord is strong…
He will give you a sound mind that remains strong despite adversity and chaos.
The opposite is also true.
If you rebel against the Lord…
And your relationship with your Father in Heaven is severed…
What hope do you have in this life or the next?
The answer is none.
Thus, in due time, it’s inevitable you will come down with a mental illness.
In terms of application, King David’s life is a perfect example of what to do when you suffer terrible setbacks or experience tragedy.
During his periods of darkness, David cried out to the Lord to rescue him.
You must do the same.
Remember, there is no shame or weakness in feeling down when tragedy strikes.
That’s normal.
The point is, don’t stay there.
Pray to God…
And then move on to victory!
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For God has not given
us a spirit of fear,
but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
“Casting all your care upon Him;
for He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
“Come unto Me,
all you that labor
and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
“Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give unto you…
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27
“He has delivered us from
the power of darkness,
and has translated us into
the kingdom of His dear Son.”
Colossians 1:13
“Now the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace in believing…”
Romans 15:13
“In the world you shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Leave a Reply