Psalm 88 - Heman the Ezrahite

(Of course the first thing I thought of was He Man from my children's childhood.)

I don't remember ever reading the name Heman the Ezrahite, but he is mentioned 16 times in the NIV Bible. This article will tell you about him. Heman the Ezrahite

I'm not going to try to summarize that article here.

Psalm 88 is the only psalm associated with Heman. He was in a dark place when he wrote it! But even in his depressed state he made this statement of faith.

1. LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.

In the rest of the psalm he tells how bad things are and how depressed he is. But even in the middle of that he says, "But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you."

So....that's my advice to all of us from today's psalm. Go ahead and tell God how bad you feel and ask Him if He's ever going to do something about your problems. That's OK. But then remember, and say to Him, "You are the God who saves me." Then live with that truth in your heart.

Psalm 42 - Dealing with Depression (down in the dumps)

I don't mean to deal lightly with a serious condition. I know that some depressions are from a chemical imbalance or medical condition or very deep personal trauma. If that is what you or a loved one is dealing with then let me encourage you to get professional help.

Probably everyone has down times. Life didn't go the way we planned or wanted, or we feel like only bad things are happening to us, or - I don't know, there are many reasons.

Bonus material. Who were the sons of Korah who wrote this Psalm? The Sons of Korah

In two of the verses (5, 11) the psalmist asks, "Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me?" There are some reasons given, but rather than focus on those (since our reasons are probably different) let's look at his response. I would suggest this is the way out of depression.

1. Praise Him even if you don't feel like it. - Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. vs. 5, 11
2. Long for God - As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the living God. vs.1-2
3. Remember the good times with God - I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. v.4
4. Look day and night at how God reveals Himself to you - The Lord will send His faithful love by day; His song will be with me in the night- a prayer to the God of my life. v.8

Bottom line:
It can be easy to let the cares of the world get you where you are feeling depressed. Take your focus off of yourself and on to your Savior and God. Praise Him and look for Him - long for Him. I'm certain your feelings of depression will be replaced with songs in the night!