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Here is a wise word from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, from his work Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure. It will help to know that the biblical context for what he is writing here is Psalm 42.
The main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical? Far from it. This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problem of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been repressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you’. Do you know what I mean? If you do not, you have but little experience.
The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’-what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’-instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God’.
When hard times hit, how do you handle them? Most of us pray, but that doesn’t always seem to be our main way to cope. I read this inspiring article by Jon Acuff’ about being cut off in traffic by a guy with a fish sticker on his car.
I think the same thoughts go through my head. I bet we would all like to think that when someone cuts us off, or offends someone in our family, we would react just the way God wants us to. Turn the other cheek, brush it off reactions. Of course those would be good actions… just easier said than done. When bigger things happen to you, do you find yourself leaning more on God or more earthly things like people, food or “stuff”.
I wonder about tis because I am one who has to put a lot of effort into reflecting God in my actions. We all have to do that, but often I get frustrated first, catch myself second, and pray third. The Bible tells us of other peoples struggles and how they handled them with God by their side. It was not written to make us feel better or worse about ourselves, but to show us how God wants us to become, and how we can be a better light to this world.
So, I ask, how do you handle frustrating situations? Hmmm?
Elijah is one who called down fire from heaven, destroyed the prophets of Baal, prayed that it would not rain and it did not and prayed that it would rain and it did. This is the man who faced down the infamous Jezebel and lived to tell about it. However, despite his amazing deeds in the power of God, the New Testament Book of James (James 5:17) gives us a good perspective by saying that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. In other words, he was just a regular Joe who happened to be used of God.
1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough now O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers.
It was amazing that the man who was never to die, for God had a better plan, and this man would be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire. This man who would not see death, prays take my life, I’m no better than my fathers.
Here is proof that God does not always answer prayer in king, though he does in effect. He gave Elijah something better than he asked for, and shows he really heard and answered him.
It seems strange that the strong Elijah should be so depressed by Jezebel’s threat as to ask to die. And yet it was so kind on the part of our heavenly father not to take his servant at his word.
Faith in prayer must have limits. We should not expect God to give us everything we choose to ask for. Sometimes we ask and do not receive because we ask wrongly. Sometimes we ask for something counter to God’s will, perhaps for selfish gratification and without concern for his Glory. But when we ask in faith, without doubting, if we do not receive the very thing we ask for, we shall receive an equivalent and more than an equivalent for it.
If you are needing a river split, a wall busted down, or even just a minor miracle, you will find that the God of Elijah is still on duty, still ever-present and waiting for you to step up and proclaim your faith in him so that he can show himself to be mighty in power.
By the way, Elisha did get a double portion, as you might have already heard. Elijah did seven miracles; Elisha did fourteen — exactly twice as many. But, who’s counting? Elijah did exactly as many great deeds as God wanted him to do. The same can be said of Elisha. The issue is not how many great deeds you do, or whether you do more or less than the next person.
The best thing you have in this world is Today. Today is your savior; it is often crucified between two thieves, Yesterday and Tomorrow.
Today you can be happy, not yesterday and not tomorrow. There is no happiness except Today’s.
Most of our misery is left over from yesterday or borrowed from tomorrow. Keep Today clean. Make up your mind to enjoy your food, your work, your play. Today anyhow. You can do anything if you’ll only go at it a day at a time.
If you’re betrayed, heartbroken, why take a day off. One day will not matter. Today put away your festering thoughts. Today take some simple joys. Today be a little happy in the sunshine. You can do it. It’s the burden of the coming days, weeks, years, that crushes us. The present is always tolerable.
Whoever planned this life of ours did well in giving it to us one day at a time. We don’t have to live it all at once. We’ve only got to get through till bedtime. Every morning we are new again.
Why let life oppress you? You don’t have to live your life, only a day of it. Don’t let life mass against you. Attack it in detail and you can easily triumph.
The Past is what we make of it. It is the temper of the Present that qualifies it. It depends upon how you consider it, whether it brings you despair or encouragement.
The poet says we rise by stepping on our dead selves. And as for the Future, the best preparation for it is an unafraid Today. If you are to die tomorrow, the best way to be ready is to be faithful to today’s duties, and to enjoy heartily Today’s simple pleasures.
Today is yours. God has given it to you. All your Yesterdays He has taken back. All your Tomorrows are still in His hands.
We all have to deal with difficult circumstances from time to time. The
good news is that we have been given great help so we can manage the
negative situations in life. It is called God’s Grace. His grace is
truly amazing. It not only takes care of our sin problem through the
cross but also strengthens and sustains us every day of our lives. The
Lord never wavers in His good purpose for us, nor is He ever thwarted.
His sustaining grace is the answer to our needs.
Being a Christian does not exempt us from painful trials or unpleasant
situations. The apostle Paul knew this firsthand. When he presented the
good news of the gospel, some believed but many opposed him. In 2
Corinthians 11:23-27, he wrote that he had been in danger everywhere he
went. He experienced rejection, beating, and arrest but did not give up.
God’s grace continually upheld and strengthened him.
He also wrote about personal suffering. Paul called this his thorn in
the flesh., which caused him great torment. Three times he asked God to
remove it but the Lord answered no. Why? Because the Lord said that His
grace was sufficient. It would provide what he needed to succeed. Grace
had already taken the apostle from condemned to forgiven and from
outsider to beloved as God’s child. Because he experienced the
undeserved love of God, this persecutor of Jewish believers became a
missionary spreading the good news about Jesus. The apostle declared
that he was content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, and
persecutions because he had experienced the Lord’s all sufficient
grace. He knew that God would continue to help him in every situation,
and that regardless of his circumstances, living in the favor and love
of God was enough.
Is this true for you today? Is God’s grace really enough? One sure
test that will help each of us as believers, understand where we stand
on the subject of God’s grace, is to measure how much or how often we
reach out to tell others about His grace. If we have experienced God’s
forgiveness of our sins, and the joy of living in His love and care,
surely we will want to share this good news with as many as we can.
However, I find that Satan has deceived many into believing no one will
hear us or no one wants to hear us talk about His love and His
salvation. The truth is, one of the greatest joys of being a Christian
is telling other what the Lord has done in our lives. We do not have to
be eloquent in speech, or quote verses of scriptures in order for God to
use our testimony. We only need to tell others what Jesus has done in
our life, and the joy we have in knowing all is well in our relationship
with Him. Do not focus on how others respond. Learn to find the joy of
obeying the Master’s will and fulfilling His purpose in our lives.
There’s children on the street using guns and knives Taking drugs and each other’s lives Killing each other with knives and forks Calling each other names like ‘dork’.
