I want to take us through Psalm 42. This is a psalm written by the sons of Korah, but written though by a group from the standpoint of an individual who suffers from sorrow and depression, brought on by events in his life. The psalm is written then for use by God's people in worship, assuming that there are going to be such times in the life of every believer. They wrote this psalm from the standpoint of an individual. Obviously, one or more of the sons of Korah had had this experience and worked together to write this psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that there would be a psalm in God's hymn book of the Bible, especially for believers who are having problems like this, so that they can still worship God and they will have a song they can sing that will minister to their soul and help them to worship God even in the midst of deep sorrow and pain. There are plenty of psalms like this. as you all know, in the book of Psalms. And the reason for that is that there are plenty of times like this in the lives of all believers. I think this is also one of the reasons that the Psalms usually aren't connected with any particular historical event. It's because they're meant to apply to multiple things in the lives of multiple people. What a gracious God we have that he's given us such wonderful songs of worship in the Bible, songs that will help us to worship even in the times of our deepest pain and sorrow. With that in mind, I'd like to read Psalm 42 and then ask for God's help in trying to understand it as we should. Beginning in verse one, we read, as the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? And we're gonna discover that what's led to this deep desire for God is his deep sense of need for God. It was this deep need that he had in his life that helped him to realize his need for God in a deeper way. So the trials that the man in the psalm was going through are the very things that helped him to desire God more. We'll see. That's an important thing to keep in mind. And when he says, when shall I come and appear before God? We'll see as this unfolds. He means be able to go back to worship with God's people in the temple, which is where they experience most fully the presence of God. That's what he means. Then he says, my tears have been my food day and night while they continually say to me, where is your God? Now, when he says, my tears have been my food day and night, it's kind of hard to understand fully what he's getting at, but it would have seemed to be that he's lost his appetite, that all he seems to have an appetite for is crying all the time. And he can't seem to stop crying. He can't even eat. That's the picture, I think, that we should see here. Then he says in verse four, when I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. These things are the things that he's just talked about, the sorrow that he's undergoing, and then the way he's being chided in the midst of that by people. When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with a multitude, I went with them to the house of God. with a voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast." So his sorrow has led him to... We don't know why he's not there. Some people think maybe he'd been captured by an enemy or something, but there's no indication of that here. It's not unusual, though, for people in deep times of sorrow to isolate themselves instead of being with God's people. Perhaps some of you have had that experience yourselves. or know someone in our body who has had that experience and they find it hard to be around God's people when they're struggling with sorrow. Although they long to be there. And they're torn. This is what's going on in the life of this person. And this song's being written because they know there are other people like that. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who are gonna need to hear this. Because it's gonna resonate with their experience. It's gonna help them. Then he says in verse five, why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan and from the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mitzar. Deep calls into deep at the noise of your waterfalls. There may be some indication here that one of the reasons he's apart from God's people in the temple is that he's been traveling a lot. Or it just might be an indication that even if I can't be in the temple, wherever I would find myself, I'm still going to praise you. "'All your waves and billows have gone over me,' he writes." Or they write. "'The Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime, "'and in the night his song shall be with me.'" That's important because he's talked about what he's been doing day and night, right? Crying. In the midst, he says here in verse eight then, the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime and in the night. His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life. We're reading one of those songs right now that was given to him in this time, a prayer to his God in the midst of his crying and sorrow. I will say to God my rock, Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me while they say to me all day long, where is your God? This is the thing that's bothering him. There are people who are mocking him because of his sorrows, apparently. More on that a bit later. Then he says in verse 11, why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. For I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God. Let's take a moment to pray. Holy Father, as I've read through this text, I've tried to help us get a little bit of sense of what's going on here. I pray that as we move through this passage, verse by verse this morning, you'll help us to see the things that you want us to see today. Although we don't have time to delve deeply into all the aspects of this psalm, we do at least want to see the major ideas and understand them clearly. So help us to do that, I pray. especially for any here today, including myself, who are struggling with some sort of sorrow in their life or anxiety. Help us, Lord, to look to you, to listen to these words as words that you have inspired for us through these men of old who are just like us and have all the same problems that we have. as they seek to trust you in times of great despair. Help us to learn from them by the power of your spirit, how to trust you as they did. We ask this in the name of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Listen to the following words written in a Facebook message from this past week. Pardon. Please pray for me. I feel so incredibly heartbroken. It is as though the pain of a lifetime is bearing down on me. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt heartbroken or struggled with a persistent feeling of sorrow or depression? Have you felt something like that recently? If so, you're not alone. I certainly know, at least to some extent, how you feel. Because, in fact, the words I just read to you from that Facebook message were mine. Wrote them to a friend this week for prayer. I wrote them as I struggled with sorrow and couldn't seem to focus very well on anything, including my sermon preparation. And as I battled through this struggle, I sought prayer for God's help. And I, of course, turned once again to his word, and that's led me to many texts. One of them is Psalm 42. It's my hope that as we look at this passage then together and make our way through the Psalms, God will help all of us who may be battling in some way with some kind of difficulty or anxiety or sorrow or worry this morning with our battle. It will help us to trust Him better. and to see in him the source of strength for each one of us. So without further ado, I'm going to read the first three verses again. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night. While they continually say to me, where is your God? That word translated continually is actually a phrase in the Hebrew, which means all day, they say to me, or every day. And the translators of the King James and the New King James took it as every day, with the idea of continually. The idea is I have continual sorrow day and night, and this is ongoing. And the whole time this is happening, every day, Instead of being encouraged, I'm being mocked. Again, he describes continual discouragement or depression when he says he's crying day and night. If that wasn't bad enough, as I've already said, there are people, rather than encouraging him, there are people around him discouraging him. They've seen how blue he is, how distraught he is, how sorrowful he is. Sometimes people going through times of depression like this think they're hiding it, right? But they're not. Apparently this guy was crying all day and night. He was probably constantly having fits of crying, right? And he wasn't able to hide it. People could see it. And so instead of saying, You know, God's there for you. Trust in Him. They're saying, where's your God? If you're a believer in God, why are you so sad? It seems to be what was happening. After all, the psalmist has been thirsting for and seeking God, but he hasn't been finding comfort At least for some period of time, it doesn't appear that he has been, because he's still sorrowful, and they still see that. And as others witness this struggle, they keep on tempting him through their words to question God's love for him, God's care for him. For what else could they mean in such a situation where they say, where is your God? The idea is, why do you want to trust him for you? Obviously he doesn't care about you. Yet despite these trying circumstances, he doesn't stop thirsting for God. The worse things get, the more he seems to realize his need for God. So far as he, from questioning whether or not he needs God, he's realizing more and more how deeply he needs God. He's panting like a deer pants for water. He's longing for God because he knows, he knows deep down God is the answer, right? That he has to trust God. And so he says in verse four, when I remember these things, what's been going on in his life, this turmoil, this trial, this difficulty and all that's happening, he says, I pour out my soul within me. Now, This psalm is an example of what that means, right? How does he pour out his soul within him while he's crying day and night? Well, this psalm itself is an example of that. He prays to God. He calls out to God. He keeps seeking God. He keeps praying and praising God. He doesn't stop looking to God. And so he says, I pour out my soul within me. The idea is that he tells God all about what's happening. He doesn't hold anything back. He's completely open with God about what's going on in his heart, in his soul, it says. Then he says, for he used to go with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Now here he's recalling his previous experience of joy in the Lord. Things weren't always like they are right now. There was a time when he remembered being happy all the time instead of sad all the time. He remembers better days. Not only does he remember the terrible things that are happening right now, right? But in the midst of remembering all these terrible things, he remembers better days too. That's hard to do sometimes when you're going through a time of sorrow or pain, isn't it? When it's easy to think of only the bad things and forget the good things. But he knows he needs to remember those good things too. And he remembers when he used to join everyone else in the house of God with the voice of joy and praise. Well, he's praising God now, but it's the voice of sorrow and praise, right? Mainly. And he remembers this as opposed to this constant crying and sorrow and discouragement and constant tears. He had even led the people in worship. which makes sense because the psalm, remember, is written by the sons of Korah, and they were among those to whom King David had given the task of leading the people in worship. So he's remembering, as one of these sons of Korah, multiple sons of Korah wrote this from the standpoint of one guy, but they probably had all had experiences at one time or another, right? As worship leaders among God's people. He remembers times where he was filled with joy and leading the people in worship and praising God with them. And he remembers those days, and he longs for them again. But the important thing for us to notice here, I think, is that this individual is described as, at this point, not taking part in corporate worship. And again, the author doesn't say precisely why. Again, perhaps he was unable to be there due to circumstances beyond his control, although he's still long to go, or perhaps he was like so many believers today, as I said earlier, who avoid being with God's people when they're depressed. Either way, it's not a good thing. Especially since being apart from fellow believers, the psalmist is only hearing discouraging words Where is your God? See, if he were with fellow believers, they wouldn't be saying that. If he were there with corporate worship, he wouldn't have people saying, where is your God? And mocking him. Instead, they'd be saying, God is there for you, right? But he's not hearing that. He's just hearing nothing but discouragement. No wonder the author of Hebrews later warned Christians not to avoid gathering together, even when they're going through trying times. Indeed, the author of Hebrews believes that regular gathering for worship and mutual encouragement is even more necessary at such times. Remember that author of Hebrews is writing to Hebrew believers who are going through all kinds of trials and difficulties, and he's calling them to look to Jesus as their sympathetic high priest, and to come boldly before the throne of grace. But one of the things he tells them is, at times like this, knowing they'll be tempted, to forsake assembling together. That's a time when it's especially important not to succumb to that. He says in Hebrews 10, 23 to 25, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another. And so much the more as you see the day approaching. It's important to be with God's people. Not even when things are hard, but perhaps especially when they are. And we might be most tempted not to be. You know, when you're deep in sorrow or depression, sometimes you feel it even more when you're around God's people. I know it sounds strange, at least initially, because you come around to God's people and you see other people that seem to be happy. And it just reminds you how sorrowful you really are. Or people will see how sorrowful you are and ask you about it. And then you have to talk about it. And you're tired of thinking about it. And you're trying not to think about it. And you don't want to talk about it, when talking about it is what you need to do with God's people. You don't feel like you don't want to, because talking about it hurts, makes you cry. Makes you feel even more sad again. But here's the thing. Healing comes with that, though, with that kind of openness. Healing comes with that. Then you can get the encouraging words you need instead of discouragement. This guy knows this. The sons of Korah know this. Verse 5, he says, why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. He's saying to himself what he knows the people of God would say to him if he were there, right? He's saying it to himself. For I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Literally, that's his face. It's God's face shining upon you is the idea. Notice that since the psalmist isn't with God's people to hear them speak this word again, he has to preach to himself. There's self-talk going on here. Martin Lloyd-Jones helpfully expounds upon this same point in his classic book entitled Spiritual Depression, which is based primarily on Psalm 42 and on the way that the psalmist speaks to himself in the midst of his depression. I think you have this quote in your handout there. Lloyd-Jones writes, 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 are talking to you. They bring back the problems of yesterday, et cetera. Somebody's talking. Who is talking to you? Yourself is talking to you. Now this man's treatment, speaking of Psalm 42, was this. Instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. Why art thou cast down on my soul, he asks. His soul has been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says, self, listen for a moment. I will speak to you. I think he's on the right track here. Sometimes we need to tell ourselves to shut up. and speak God's truth to ourselves, right? Charles Spurgeon is also very good in applying this text in his classic commentary on the Psalms entitled, The Treasury of David. And by the way, you can read this for free online, but I would highly recommend getting a copy of this. This is good devotional reading. I would recommend it for that. But listen to what Spurgeon writes. as though he were two men, the psalmist talks to himself. His faith reasons with his fears. His hope argues with his sorrows. These present troubles, are they to last forever? The rejoicings of my foes, are they more than empty talk? My absence from the solemn feast, is that a perpetual exile? Why this deep depression, this faithless fainting, this chicken-hearted melancholy? As Trapp says, David chideth David out of the dumps. Of course, he's wrongly attributing this psalm to David there, when we know it's the Sons of Korah. And he says, and herein is an example for all desponding ones. To search out the cause of our sorrow is often the best surgery for grief. Self-ignorance is not bliss. In this case, it is misery. The mist of ignorance magnifies the causes of our alarm. A clearer view will make monsters dwindle into trifles." So he said, what's the psalmist doing here? He's challenging himself about all these wrong thoughts that he's having. that are helping him to stay in sorrow. He's challenging his misconceptions by bringing in the truth about God to himself. I would only point out that while it is true that the psalmist questions himself as to why he's so downcast, as Spurgeon says, that's not the emphasis of the psalm. The emphasis isn't placed on the reasons or circumstances that has led to the depression so much as it is placed upon not allowing any circumstance or cause for discouragement to overwhelm him when he does, in fact, know God. So even though he's aware of these things, he's remembering these terrible things, he's not letting those things be his focus here. They've been his focus, and he's stopping that. He's saying, I know better. I know better. I know there's hope in God. I know my circumstances, my feelings aren't telling me the truth. And I'm going to hold on to the truth. That's what's going on here. So he's seeking to lift himself out of the pit of depression by reminding himself that there really is reason to hope in God, despite what his feelings are telling him. Notice also that this depressed individual resolves to once again praise the Lord. And he even begins to pray to God and to praise him in the very next verse. And of course, the whole psalm is itself intended for public worship and praise as well. That's why it's here. But here I think it's significant that he says that he will praise God for the help of his countenance, or his face upon him. This language recalls the blessing that the priests were to pronounce over the people as a promise from God in Numbers 6. In Numbers 6, 23 to 27, We read, speak to Aaron and his son saying, this is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face, that's the same word that the psalmist uses, or his countenance, right? Shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance, again, literally his face, upon you and give you peace. So they shall put my name on the children of Israel and I will bless them. It's noteworthy that the sons of Korah placed this same vocabulary in the mouth of the depressed person in this psalm. I think they intend to picture him as laying hold of these very promises, these very blessings of God, and preaching them to his own soul. I want the blessing that I hear in the temple of God's countenance upon me, bringing his grace. That's what I want. Even though he doesn't sense God's presence in the present time, in fact, he seems to feel pretty far from God and the presence of God, he nevertheless places his hope in the fact that God will again lift up his countenance upon him. So he places his trust in God and in God's word rather than his own circumstances or feelings, doesn't he? The circumstances are bad. His feelings are terrible. But he's not gonna trust that. He's gonna trust God. He knows that there are blessings for him as a believer in God, and he's gonna lay hold of those promises. And he's gonna trust that God will shine his face upon him and give him the grace that he needs. And here I think we find a key weapon in battling depression, the word of God. This guy's not fighting this with his own ideas, this depression. He's fighting this depression with the truth that he knows that comes from God's word. That's the source of his strength. He longs for God, and that means calling upon God's word, bringing God's word to mind, because that's where we encounter God, through his word. That's where he speaks to us. and he wants to hear from God. Then he says in verse six, oh my God, now he's directly addressing God here. My soul is cast down within me, therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, from the heights of Hermon, from the hill of Bitzar. And this verse appears to place this struggling saint in the far northern reaches of Israel, north of the Sea of Galilee. where Mount Hermon and the headwaters of the Jordan are located. And again, this may also be why he spoke of remembering having previously, in verse four, gone to the house of God. Because now he, it seems to be, he could be far from there. He could still experience fellowship and corporate worship with God's people, though. even there, but it just isn't the same as being in the sanctuary in the temple in Jerusalem, where he's used to doing his job as one of the sons, Korah. So, could he still be with God's people worshipping where he is? Yes, but apparently he hasn't been. Notice also, again, that he's talking to God, He's telling God about how his soul is cast down within him. So now, no matter how far away he feels from God or from feeling good, he still clings to his relationship with God. He still persists in prayer, which we see then is another indispensable weapon for battling sorrows and depression. Prayer. The word of God in prayer. That's his example. When people with sorrows come to worship, the sons of Korah want those people to remember the promises of God and prayer. The double antidote here for what ails the sorrowing saint, you might say. Then in verse 7, he says, deep calls into deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and billows have gone over me. I think Thomas Constable has captured well the basic meaning of the metaphorical language in this verse when he writes, the writer viewed his troubles like waves cascading down on him, as if he were standing under a waterfall. He compared the noise of the waves to his troubles that he personified, calling to one another to come and overwhelm him. The metaphor that pictures troubles of an overwhelming flood or like the sea raging around a person is a common metaphor in the Bible. You can find it in a number of places. And I think it's an apt description of the way depression and sorrow seems to be overwhelming this man or the way it can overwhelm us at times, sometimes for long periods of time. sometimes off and on, maybe even mostly on for a lifetime in the case of some people. But they can find what he found. He hasn't said all his sorrows have gone away here, but he still has hope in the midst of him. That hasn't gone away. His sorrows are still there, but his hope is not completely gone. He says in verses eight and nine, the Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime and in the night, his song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life. What's that saying? No matter how bad things are, I will pray. God will help me pray. I will say to God my rock. What an important thing to remember, because he feels like his life is a mess and it's full of turmoil, but God is his rock. Nothing's certain around him, except that, God. I will say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Once again, the psalmist reminds himself that despite his feeling, God loves him. He knows that. And he even feels like he can talk to God about his doubts and his struggles. He feels like God has forgotten him, so he says so. But the whole psalm tells us that he knows it's not true, because he's praying to God and expecting that God will answer. So on the one hand, he feels like God's forgotten him, and he tells God that. On the other hand, he's telling God that. Right? So he knows it really isn't true that God has forgotten him. Boy, people are going through times of sorrow confused, aren't they? We can feel more than one thing at once, can't we? And we're complicated beings. The sons of Korah knew that well. These are men writing from deep experience. They get where we're all at because they've been there. God used their trials and their sorrows to give us this psalm, in fact. is a part of his gracious will for us and for them. He says in verse 10 this thing, as with the breaking of my bones, that's pretty graphic, my enemies reproach me. Now notice he says as. He doesn't say his bones are actually being broken. He says while they say to me all day long, where's your God? Following the mention of the oppression of his enemies in verse nine, this poor saint speaks of the effect of their insults as being so painful that they're like someone breaking his bones. Have you ever heard that old saying, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me? This guy knows that's not really true. Oh, sure, sure. Words won't actually break my bones. They can feel like it, though. In fact, as I would put it, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can break my heart. They can break my spirit. He especially doesn't like it when they mockingly ask him, where is your God? Mr. Spiritual, right? You can almost hear their snarky attitude. So we get the impression that on top of everything else, this guy's feeling like he's been a bad witness for the Lord. It's not just that they're saying this to him, it's that they're seeing him act the way he's acting and saying it to him. Pardon me. A modern believer who struggles with depression may feel the same way, as though he or she is being a bad witness for Christ because they're struggling so hard to hang on to the joy that had been promised in the Lord. And they can't seem to hang on to it like other believers seem to hang on to it. Well, they know it. But their life seems to have moments of deep joy instead of continual joy. Their life seems to be a deep joy, occasionally in the midst of deep sorrow instead of constant. They seem to be tempted not to have joy more than the average Joe. Some of us are tempted in other ways. For the sorrowful or depressed person, this is a persistent temptation. But remember, we can experience more than one feeling at a time. You can have deep sorrow and still have joy. It's possible. Jesus is an example of that. Maybe we'll look at that this afternoon. In fact, we will. Have you ever felt that way? It's understandable if you have. But I would put it to you that it's not necessarily true that this psalmist is being a bad witness at such times, at least not if he's continuing to trust in the Lord. See, even though they're saying this to him, it's really not true. He is still trusting in the Lord. He may be struggling to do it, but he's doing it. Reminds me of the disciples at times when Jesus said, oh ye of little faith. But he doesn't say no faith. We can't have a weak faith, but it's still faith. And a little bit of faith can go a long way, as our Lord Jesus teaches us. And this guy, I would say, has more than a little faith. Because trusting God in the midst of this kind of sorrow, I would argue, takes great faith, not little faith. And the sons of Cora have that kind of faith. They want us to have it, too. And they want us to know that it only comes through calling doubt to God. In fact, I would argue here that this very psalm is an example of how a believer ought to react in times of trouble. Verse 11 says, why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him. He says this again. the help of my countenance and my God. Now notice the difference between the psalmist's self-address earlier in verse five and what he says here in verse 11. In verse five he says, I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. In verse 11 he says, I shall yet praise him the help of my countenance and my God. Because he knows that God will again lift up His countenance, God's countenance upon him, the psalmist also knows that his own countenance will be better as well. What's he mean by that? Well, right now he's walking around with nothing but a sorrowful countenance. A sorrowful face. One that he's not doing a good job at all of masking. Everybody sees it. He can't help it. He expects that to change. As God shines his face upon him, his own face will begin to shine as it were. His own countenance will be affected. He will know the kind of joy that he's known in the past again. He knows it because he trusts in God. So notice also he refers to the Lord as my God. What have they been saying to him? Where is your God? Where is your God? What's he say here? My God hasn't gone anywhere. He's still my God. I still trust him. He's still going to be there for me, no matter what you people say. No matter what you tempt me to believe or not to believe, God is going to be there. That's the attitude here. He will not turn away from God and His difficulties. He will continue to turn toward Him. In seeking further to apply this psalm, I think it's worth observing that the sons of Korah ask the all-important question, why? About depression and sorrow in this verse. And this is the question that's leading them back to God in this psalm, this why question. In fact, they have the main character of the psalm asking why at least six times in the psalm. Why, why, why, why, why? Pardon. And they have him asking himself the crucial question, why are you cast down on my soul twice? Verse 5 and verse 11. And of course, then if you read on into the verse 43, it comes up again. In verse 5, I mean of Psalm 43. In verse 5. Ed Welch has written, I think, a very insightful article entitled, Words of Hope for Those Who Struggle with Depression, in which he speaks of the potential importance of asking this question why, like it's being asked over and over again in the psalm. And I think his treatment warrants some significant quotation. And you have it there for you in the notes. I think this is good advice, biblical advice. He's a biblical counselor, this guy. As you think about the meaning of your feelings, you will notice that rather than leading you to more and more despair, the path leads you to the triune God. More specifically, it will lead you to the question, will you live for God or will you live for yourself and the things you worship? Sometimes it takes a while to get to this most critical of questions, but it is always there. Usually, all you have to do is ask yourself the why questions of a three-year-old. I can't go on. Why? Because I'm so tired and I can't take the pain anymore. Why? Because I feel like I'm alone. I have yet to meet a sorrowful or depressed person that doesn't feel alone. If you're a sorrowful or depressed person that doesn't feel some loneliness, come and talk to me because you're unique. Because I feel alone, he says, why? Because I don't believe that God is with me. That's the truth. Why? Because one has to admit when they get to this point, I don't trust him. I trust in my interpretation that comes from my feelings. That's the truth of the matter, see? At times like that. Why questions should lead you to God. You will get tired of the questions by the time you get to the second one, but keep them coming. At the end of your question, say to him, Jesus is my Lord, I confess my unbelief, and I trust you. Trust, confession of sin, and following Christ in obedience. Sound familiar? These are the staples of the spiritual life. When you get under the surface, these are the things that are important for everyone, and you'll find that they work. If these seem superficial, these things he's talking about, like trust, confession of sin, following Christ, and obedience. If these things seem superficial, then you are numb to the secrets of the universe, and you need to go back to listening. Don't trust what your emotions are saying on this one. These may be simple, but they are not simplistic. They are the foundations for life itself. They are the primary ways we respond to God. What's he saying here about depression? When you get to the bottom of why you're really depressed, he's saying, there'll be this problem. You're not trusting God. If depression's overwhelming you such that you're not having any joy at all ever, that's the issue. That's simple, isn't it? That doesn't make it easy. There are multiple examples we could use. I sometimes use the example, or I often use the example of what if an anvil, a big old heavy anvil fell over on your foot? It would hurt. Now the answer to your problem is really simple, right? Just move the anvil. But here's the thing, anvils are heavy, and they're hard to move. So the answer is simple, but it's not easy. The answer for the sorrowing soul is a simple one, but that doesn't make it easy. In fact, I would argue that in and of ourselves, it's downright impossible. God is the author of faith. God is the one who gives us faith. So if we feel like our faith is weak, we cry out to him for more. We cry out with the disciples, increase our faith, trusting that he will. But even that is a cry of faith. Like the man who once said to Jesus, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. Well, guess what? That's a believing prayer. Yes, the ultimate answer for dealing with times of sorrow and anxiety and depression is to trust the Lord. It's just that simple. It's what God's been calling me back to over and over again this week. Do you really trust me, Keith? Of course I do. That's why I'm here today. But it's not because I'm special. It's not because I'm more spiritual. It's not because I have some great big faith that other people don't have when I feel sorrowful. In and of myself, it's because God is keeping his promises to me and he's sustaining me. He's leading me back to his word. is the answer for my sorrows. He's reminding me, Keith, I've spoken to you about this. You know what to do. Do it. The answer to what ails you, Keith, is simple. Trust me. Trust me. And trust me again. These are the times we learn what childlike faith is really all about. I began this teaching with a brief description of my own struggles, pardon me, with a recently renewed period of depression, and I asked for prayer. For me, I describe it as it feels like a lifetime of pain is flooding in and bearing down on me. Well, with the death of my mother, all kinds of things came flooding in from my past, all the regrets of the past, all the pain and heartache I've experienced through a lifetime of trying to have a relationship with her and failing. And then realizing, I have a father I can't turn to. I have siblings from that broken family that I still can't talk to, except for one, maybe two out of five. And all this pain came flooding back in. When I stopped doing things long enough for it to happen, and I couldn't stay preoccupied with other things, I found myself crying all the time. On the verge of tears, 24-7. If I wasn't crying, I was about to. Felt like this guy. Felt like these Sons of Korah writing about. So what did I do? I tried to follow their advice, Spirit-inspired advice, and I came to church. And I said, God, this is what you gave me this week. This is what my congregation's getting. This is what you did in the life of the sons of Korah. You put them through this so that they can have a psalm to give to your people. You put me through this so I could share that psalm with them this week. That's what I was thinking. Here's what my brother wrote back to me, one of my brothers. Pardon me. He wrote, may you draw some consolation from the man of sorrows who is able to sympathize with your afflictions. Isn't that a good answer? What a gracious and needed reminder. It brought to mind one of my favorite passages. Maybe we'll look at it this afternoon. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Isn't that what the Sons of Korah were doing? Hold them fast. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tented as we are, yet without sin. Sometimes I've had to confess my lack of trust in these times. Jesus never did have to confess that, because he never sinned. That's why I know he can help me. The one person who's gone through things like this without sinning is the only one who can help me to do it. And all I have to do is call on him. The Hebrew says, let us therefore come boldly. confidently, openly, to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Remember what the sons of Korah said? I know his countenance will be on me again. Meaning his grace. May we all look to our Lord Jesus for the mercy and grace we need in whatever spiritual battles we may be facing today. Some of us are having battles with, in fact, many in this room are having battles with ongoing physical ailments that bring in their wake depression. When you've suffered with a physical ailment for a long time, you can begin to have a sense of hopelessness creep in. and bring sorrow right along with it. We all who have suffered with things like that know that very well. We're not strangers to it. There's some of us who've had deaths in our families and we're still reeling from. There are some of us that just have had persistent problems with depression, maybe for our whole lives, that just never seems to end. There are others that have just had bad events happen in their lives that bring anxiety. They have a sick loved one. and they're worried, and they're crying out to God, and they find in the midst of that, they're maybe having days where they're on the verge of tears all day. They're worried about their family. We've got all kinds of people in this room struggling with these kinds of things. Join me in saying today, yet will I praise him. I will look to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. I will hang on to him. and I will not let go. And he will see me through as he promised. Let's pray. Holy Father, I hope that my journey through this psalm this week and this morning has been helpful to my brothers and sisters as it has been to me. Thinking of not doing this this week, not wanting to bear my sorrows in front of everyone again, I realized after looking at this that this is what you want us to do at times like this, so that we might experience your encouragement through our brothers and sisters, and so that our struggles might be an encouragement to them. I pray others who are struggling with things will see an example in me of a faith that only you can produce. Oh Lord, you deserve all the glory for anything good in me. I thank you that the sorrows of my life have not led me away from you, but closer to you. That's your doing, that's your power, that's your grace, and it's available to all of us. Help us to turn to you for it. For any who have not yet come to know you as Lord and Savior, I pray that today he or she will realize the gospel I've been hearing here at Emanuel, that Jesus Christ died for sinners, that he rose from the dead, and that he offers me everlasting life and forgiveness as a free gift, that that gospel is true, that he is my only source of true happiness and joy. permanent happiness and joy that no matter what happens can't be fully extinguished in me and will be experienced forever in heaven one day, unhindered, unabated, with zero temptations not to be joyful ever again. Help us to look to you, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.