MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS (2)

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God” – Psalm 42:1

Many of the Psalms express deep and profound lessons about MENTAL and EMOTIONAL WELLNESS: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Psa.42:1). The psalms are a treasure-trove of scriptural delight, not only as a resource for worship songs or liturgical texts, but also in terms of the beautiful, visceral articulation of the full range of human emotion. From rejoicing to sadness; from frustration to fury, the psalms express the deep emotions of human life. However, conventional Christianity rarely addresses these themes. This has led to wrong attitudes and myths such as these:

• Many Churches tell people with mental illness to go elsewhere for help;
• Some Christians tell other Christians just to pray more or read their Bible, and everything will get fixed;
• Some Christians say that ‘real’ Christians don’t get depressed; and
• Others assume that all mental illness is caused by demons or demon possession.

In Psalm 42, David unveiled his depressed, downcast insides; a heart in turmoil. He used words like: Panting, thirsts, tears, cast down, turmoil, forgotten, mourning, oppression, wound, and adversaries. Two most significant words are: “downcast’ and ‘turmoil.’

Three times in 11 short verses, David described his soul as ‘downcast’ or ‘cast down’ – Deep sadness of the soul, reaching to depths of despair. He knew anxiety, depression, and other mental stressors. He had despair as a constant companion. Downcast is excessive sorrow; loneliness in the midst of sadness, joylessness, discontentment, and fatigue all rolled into one – Depression! ‘Turmoil,’ repeated twice to depict the state of his heart, is translated: ‘disquieted,’ ‘troubled’ or ‘disturbed.’ David envisioned a hurricane that blew against his heart with unceasing waves of trouble. His soul was downcast, in turmoil, and in need of relief.

David gave another word picture on how he navigated the storm: Like a thirsty deer by a stream of water (v.1). Deer are fairly large animals that drink water several times a day depending on the temperature: The hotter it is outside the more water is needed to stay hydrated. Deer would in fact, sleep relatively close to their water source. They usually found water before searching about for food. Before doing other needed activities, deer would ensure that their water needs have been tended. Yet, they don't need large sources of water to drink from; a pond or puddle will do every so often. A deer can drink from anywhere and keep on going.

King David had a panting deer in mind as he reflected on his downcast soul, and how to deal with depression. First is to take time and slowly drink from the Lord throughout the day. Several times a day, the downcast soul needs to hear and remember that God steadfastly loves and He is in control. We must be thirsty for God, listening to the Bible in small bursts throughout the day. In these days, phones come in handy. Depression and anxiety are continual and ongoing. God also, must be taken in consistently.

There is the need to have an intentional pattern of checking the temperature of our lives. Some days are hotter than others. Knowing that bad days or difficult seasons are coming up, we can be prepared. Increased stress, hard conversations, criticisms, and difficult life situations, make depression worse. But the more difficult life is, the more intentional and intense we must be about staying connected to the Lord and resting in the Holy Spirit. God is our rock in times when it feels like life is sinking.

We must, as a holy habit, end each day drinking from living water. David relayed how he prayed, fellowshipped with others, actively remembered God’s past deeds, and sang to God (vv.4-8). He made God his Priority! Like the deer that drinks before other activities, we must have our spiritual priorities in their proper place before tides of trouble come. We must always place God first: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me: HOPE in GOD; for I shall yet praise Him…” (vv.5,11).