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[0:00] Well, last week we talked, we began speaking about the cures for depression, and we're going to cover four in total.

[0:10] ! We did the first last week, which was correcting your lifestyle, and we covered five R's. I'm not going to go through all of those this morning, but the five R's were routine, relaxation, recreation, rest, reprioritize, or reprioritization.

[0:31] If you are depressed or you want to prevent depression, you need to work on making sure that your life has the built-in elasticity.

[0:47] You need to make sure that that rubber band is sometimes given a break, not stretched so far, or it will finally wear out and break.

[0:59] We talked a lot about all those things the last week, and I hope you have thought about those things. Today we're going to cover the last three cures, or three helps.

[1:12] And remember, in all of these, in all four, very rarely is one single thing the answer. It's all going to be part of the total package.

[1:24] To some degree or other, you're probably going to have to address all these different areas of your life. And the reason being is because we're interconnected people.

[1:36] We're not just physical. We're not just spiritual. We're interconnected, and so we're going to need to address all of them. So the first cure was correct your lifestyle.

[1:49] The second one is correct your false thoughts. Correct your false thoughts. So turn in your Bibles to Psalm 77. Psalm 77.

[2:01] Now we've said a lot in the last several weeks, but we've said this a lot in the last several weeks, but one of the most prevalent or common contributory factors to depression are wrong, unhelpful, false thought patterns.

[2:21] Now, you wouldn't think of viewing God's word incorrectly as something that is good in a false way, but many Christians are still making a lot of mistakes in how they view God's world.

[2:38] So you wouldn't say, I'm going to intentionally misread God's word. And what we're saying here is we don't want to even accidentally misread God's world.

[2:50] What is going on in the world? What is going on in life and what he is doing? And so when you use the wrong grid or the wrong grids to look at God's word, it gets you into trouble.

[3:05] So it's very important to know how to interpret God's word. And the very same thing could be said about looking at God's world.

[3:17] If we are using the wrong grids, and that's what these false thought patterns are, their interpretation, their ways of looking at the world, their patterns of doing that, it's going to get us into trouble.

[3:30] Now, depressed people are almost always, often, looking at themselves or their situation or other people or their relations with other people with significant false thoughts.

[3:50] They're thinking wrong. And so they tend to dwell on and magnify the worst in people, the worst in situations.

[4:01] They magnify the negative. They exclude the positive. They predict doom and gloom. But we aren't very good prophets, are we?

[4:12] When we predict things, they very rarely come about like what we think. And so they predict doom and gloom. They mind-read evil into what people are thinking.

[4:25] So they say, I know what that person's thinking or I know their intentions. And they just don't. They magnify the problems. They minimize the blessings. And that kind of distorted view of reality is going to at least contribute, if not cause, depression.

[4:46] And so if that's what's going on, then, brothers and sisters, we are obligated, we are obliged to challenge that kind of thinking, to bring it to the bar of truth.

[5:01] We are obliged to take those distortions of reality and say, now, is that true? Do I really know that? Or am I just supposing that?

[5:12] Is that really what's going on? Is that the real picture? We need to challenge those distortions of reality, especially when we find them in ourselves. Especially when we find them in ourselves.

[5:26] Now, I passed out these 12 common false thought patterns. We've talked about them. But I thought having this list might be helpful for you to examine your own thought life or as you're just dealing with other people.

[5:43] It's helpful to say, well, I think you might be mind reading there. You don't know what that person's thinking. So I wanted you to have that list.

[5:54] We want to challenge false thought patterns. And we don't want to misread God's word. We don't want to misread God's world.

[6:07] That's what this is about. So you have Psalm 77 open. And this is a good example. This is not the only example by any stretch. But this is a good example of Asaph investigating and challenging his own thoughts.

[6:21] And then correcting those thoughts. Well, that's what we want to do. We want to read it. And so I'm going to read just the first nine verses. And as we read, I want you to be thinking, well, just a couple of questions.

[6:37] What is the life situation that he's in? How is he feeling? And what is he thinking? So Psalm 77, we'll just read the first nine verses here at the beginning.

[6:48] I cried out to God for help. I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord. At night, I stretched out untiring hands.

[7:00] And my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God. And I groaned. I mused. And my spirit grew faint.

[7:12] You kept my eyes from closing. I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days. The years of long ago. I remembered my songs in the night.

[7:24] My heart mused. And my spirit inquired. Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

[7:38] Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

[7:51] And so I guess, let me ask you. Verse 2. What's his situation? There's not a really definitive answer. But what's the situation? He's in trouble.

[8:04] He's in distress. He's in trouble. It doesn't say exactly what it is. And that's what makes it so useful for us. He's in trouble. So, how does he feel?

[8:17] What are some of the things that he's feeling? It describes those. And what we've read. What I read there. Well, he feels in distress.

[8:31] What else does he feel? He refuses to be comforted. Yeah, he's inconsolable. My soul refused to be comforted. He's saying, I couldn't cheer myself up.

[8:42] No one anything said, or anyone said, or anything I said, seemed to be making any difference. It didn't help. How else does he feel?

[8:56] Rejected. Rejected by whom? God. Rejected by God. He feels cut off.

[9:09] What other things does he feel? I'm tired of hands. It sounds like he's thinking, I'm continually doing this. Yeah. I'm getting comforted. Yeah. And so, how do you feel when you continue to hold out hands and you continually don't get an answer?

[9:24] How do you start to feel? Despair? He feels cut off? He feels overwhelmed. His spirit is faint.

[9:34] That means it's right. It's like, I'm ready to pass away. This is too much. And so, those are his feelings. We could add other things. He probably feels insecure. He probably feels scared or anxious.

[9:45] Because that's how you feel when you're in distress. So, you can, you know, you imagine a child who's afraid of the dark and yet they're in their room and it's dark. How do they feel?

[9:57] Well, they're in distress. And they feel afraid. They feel not safe. So, that's how Asaph feels. Notice, he doesn't really confess those feelings as sin.

[10:10] He's just saying, this is how I feel. And those are his feelings. What are his thoughts? What is he thinking? What is he thinking about?

[10:26] He's thinking like his best days are behind him. Yeah. Verse 5. I think about the former days, the years of long ago. He's thinking about, oh, I used to sing in the night. Now, what is he doing in the middle of the night?

[10:40] He's crying. He's sad. So, he's thinking these are the, these are, my best days are behind me. The past was great. The present is terrible. What else is he thinking?

[10:55] God has abandoned me. God has cut me off. That's how he feels. And this is what he's thinking. Verse 7. God has cast me off. What is he thinking about his future?

[11:14] Doesn't say exactly, but what can we, what is he implying about his future? It's not going to get any better. Will he never show his favor again?

[11:29] He's thinking about the future and he's saying, it doesn't seem like God is ever going to show me favor again in the future. What does he think about God's promises?

[11:42] Or what is he thinking? There's a possibility about God's promises. Verse 8. Has his promises failed for all time?

[11:54] Has God's promises failed? Has God forgotten to be merciful? That, that, that just means like, the Lord isn't merciful anymore, maybe.

[12:08] Something really has happened. These are his thoughts. Now, um, you have your false thought pattern sheet there. Um, and I guess I want you to, we've gone over these and I want you to look at maybe what are some of the things that Asaph is, is doing that he, he's thinking incorrectly.

[12:29] What, what could you say? Well, it seems like he might be doing this or it's definitely he's doing that. What are some of those false thought patterns that Asaph in his distress is committing?

[12:41] He's, he's thinking, um, through false lenses. Because it talks about deducing catastrophic consequences.

[12:52] It would definitely be catastrophic to be God. It's not going to keep his promises. It's not going to show me mercy. That would be a horrible thing. Yeah.

[13:03] He's, so he's, he's really far. He's thinking catastrophic. Um, what else is he doing? Number eight, he's letting his feelings determine what the facts are.

[13:16] Yeah. Why is he saying, has the Lord cut me off forever? Well, the, why is the past so good and the future is going to be so bad? Why does he, why is he thinking those things?

[13:29] Because that's how he feels. And he's saying, this is how I feel. And so he's starting to entertain the idea that this is actually what is true. That's right.

[13:42] So they take their emotions as truth. They let their feelings determine the facts. So they feel this way about what's going on. And so they say, that is the truth. What else is Asaph perhaps doing here?

[13:56] False mind reading God. Yeah. What's happening. So this must be what God is thinking.

[14:08] Right. He, he thinks he knows what God is thinking about him. He's thinking, he, he thinks he knows what God is thinking about him.

[14:18] Um, what else is he doing? Sort of related to that. False fortune telling.

[14:28] False fortune telling. About what God's going to do. He thinks he knows what God is going to do. He really doesn't know.

[14:39] Um, does it seem like there's anything good that Asaph is holding on to in these first nine verses? Well, he's crying out to God for help.

[14:51] He's right in that. He's right in that. That's good. He's going to the right place. As far as he looks out in the world, though, it doesn't seem like there's anything that's going his way.

[15:03] And that, that seems to be a bit off balance. Um, but he is going to God. And really, that's where whatever else he's doing wrong, whatever else he's thinking, he's, he's in the right place.

[15:22] Um, so, he's thinking a lot of these, he's wrestling with a lot of these thoughts and these thought patterns.

[15:36] And, and so you see his, what's come of his life. And, um, he's having a hard time sleeping. He's crying. He's unable to find any comfort.

[15:49] Um, but this isn't where the psalm ends. Asaph doesn't just say, okay, I've talked out my feelings. End of the subject.

[16:00] That's where all the help is. These are what I'm, this is what I'm thinking. No, he doesn't end there. He does what we're talking about. He starts to say, now, are these things true?

[16:13] Am I including all the information in these thought patterns? And so I want to read verses 10 through 20 and look at what Asaph does and how he corrects those thoughts and challenges them.

[16:26] And then I thought, to this I will appeal. To this I will appeal. The years of the, of the right hand of the most high.

[16:38] I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, oh God, are holy.

[16:51] What God is so great as our God. You are the God who performs miracles. You display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm, you redeemed your people.

[17:03] The descendants of Jacob and Joseph. The water saw you, oh God. The water saw you in ride. The very depths were convulsed. What is he talking about there? What event?

[17:16] The Red Sea and Israel leaving Egypt. That's what, this is what he's talking about. These, this power that he displayed. The clouds poured down water.

[17:27] The skies resounded with thunder. Your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind. Your lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea.

[17:38] Your way through the mighty waters. Though your footprints were not seen. Remember that song that we sing? That refers to that?

[17:48] You led your way. You led your people like a flock. By the hand of Moses and Aaron. So, he says, this is, I know what I'm going to do.

[18:00] This is what I'm going to think about. This is what I'm going to appeal to. This is what, in God, I'm going to go on. And on the basis of, start thinking and start believing. I'm going to start pondering and start praying these things back to God.

[18:14] And so, what does he think about? He thinks, well, you know what? God's people have been in hard times and hard places before. So, he's like, Asaph, my situation, this distress.

[18:29] I'm not the first of God's people to be in distress. God's people have gone through hard times before in the desert. In Egypt. And God, what did God do for them?

[18:42] He brought them out. Brought them out. He's saying, remember, Israel's plight in Egypt. That was a far greater, darker misery.

[18:54] Longer lasting than what I've been through. And God had power. And he saved them. And so, he says, I will meditate on all your works. All your mighty deeds.

[19:07] So, I'm going to bring in the whole story. I'm going to bring in all that I know. All the history. And so, God sometimes, this is the other thing he thinks. God sometimes leads his people through deep waters.

[19:21] And so, this passing. I think it's talking about this passing through the Red Sea. It was accompanied by thunder and lightning. And it was a frightening time.

[19:36] I mean, water's standing up. And it's a frightening thing. But God is there. And when God comes to the waters. Look at verse 16.

[19:47] 16. The waters saw you, O God. They writhed. And the very depths were convulsed. God appeared on the scene. And the waters that threatened them fell back.

[19:59] And retreat. And retreat before God. God sometimes shepherds his people through the wilderness. That's another thing that Asaph thinks about.

[20:09] He's thinking about this whole period in Israel's history. And he's saying, Israel didn't go straight from Egypt right into the promised land. They had to go through the desert.

[20:22] There were times of hunger and thirst. And you led your people like a flock. God's a shepherd. In verse 13.

[20:34] What does he start to think about who God is? And how does that put a pen and pop the balloon of all this false mind reading and false fortune telling about God?

[20:49] Verse 13. Is God your ways, O God, are holy? What God is so great as our God?

[21:01] In other words. What he's saying is. You know what, Asaph? God is far above your thoughts.

[21:11] That you can wrestle him down and figure him out. In every possible way. That you just understand exactly what he's doing. You understand where he's going. You understand his agenda.

[21:22] Asaph. Our God is holy. He's exalted. He's great. Far greater than us. Now. It doesn't really say.

[21:36] But. Where did the Lord take Israel? After Egypt. After the water. After the desert. He brought him through to the other side. He brought him to the promised land.

[21:49] He kept all those promises. It took 400 years. But God's promises came true. Pharaoh. And enemies stood in the way.

[22:00] And yet every single one of the promises came true. And so he. Asaph is saying. He's challenging his thoughts. And he's saying. You know. Even though I feel cut off. And forgotten by God.

[22:12] He's redeeming me. He's leading me through the water. And the wilderness. And he's leading me to the promised land. It doesn't really say now. In Psalm 77.

[22:23] How Asaph feels. Or what he's thinking. Now on the other side. Of all of this. But I think you can tell by the end. Is he more hopeful? Is he more encouraged?

[22:37] Is he more lifted up? I think the answer is yes. I don't know if his feelings have completely 100% changed. But they have definitely moved in a major way.

[22:49] In the right direction. Asaph now is not so discouraged. He's much more hopeful. So in depression. When you. However you get there.

[23:00] Are your thoughts. And your feelings. Get disconnected. From reality. From what is true. What's true. In God. What's true.

[23:10] In the world. And so part of the cure. Is to challenge those thoughts. To challenge them. With the truth. It might be truth. From God's word. It might be truth.

[23:22] From God's world. But the point is. You have to challenge. Those thoughts. You have to correct them. And again.

[23:36] Here's where. Getting. With someone. Just a friend. Or a spouse. Or a pastor. Can be so good. Because when. When those filters. And those misinterpretations. Get stuck on.

[23:48] They become. Like the only way. That you can. You see the world. And they blind. And confuse you. And it can be very helpful. For someone. Who is more objective.

[23:59] To say. Now come on brother. Come on sister. Come on honey. Is that. Is that true? Now. When we're talking.

[24:15] About depression. Those thought patterns. Might not change. Overnight. They might not. All change at once. I mean. We have no time period.

[24:26] Here for Psalm 77. We don't know. How long. Asaph. Worked through this. They might not. Change overnight. But.

[24:37] With God's help. By the power. Of the spirit. We can be renewed. Me made new. Revived. By. The transforming. The renewing.

[24:48] Of our minds. And. And so this is. An essential part. Of working. With depression. And with depressed people. And with yourself.

[24:59] Correcting your false. Thinking. Challenging those thoughts. Not giving in to them. Not lying down. And just saying. Okay. I guess that's true. Because that's how I feel.

[25:11] But you call them. To the bar of truth. Well. We have two more. Cures. That we have to get to. This morning. The third is.

[25:21] Addressing the physical needs. Or the sickness. Or whatever the case might be. In some cases. This is what we've talked about before. In some cases. When other things don't work.

[25:33] Or. You can't even get started. On doing those things. Because. You are so down in a hole. That you can't even start to challenge those thoughts.

[25:44] And those feelings. You do need to look. At the physical. Issues. That might be at work. We've talked about those things.

[25:58] And the causes. And the reasons. That we might need to do those. Sorts of things. But. If you are so down. That you can't think. And sometimes that is. Where depression will take you.

[26:09] Where it's so fuzzy. It's so clouded. It's so. You're just so. Muddled in your thinking. You can't exercise. You can't think. Or you've tried. And you've tried. And nothing is changing.

[26:22] So. You've worked on some of these things. And it doesn't seem like anything is giving an inch. That's where you would probably want to sit down. With a doctor. And say.

[26:34] Is there something physical going on here? Is there. Is there medication that I might. Might need. I hope I've explained enough. Throughout this whole series. That I don't have to explain again.

[26:46] Here. Why. Medication might be necessary. Or it could be useful. I don't. I don't think it's wise. Just talking bluntly.

[26:57] I don't think it's wise. Nor biblical. To rule it out. Completely. It certainly. Has not been. The historical. Position.

[27:08] In the church. To rule it out. Completely. The Puritans. Certainly. Didn't rule out. The necessity. And the usefulness. Of medication. For depression. In some cases.

[27:20] Richard Baxter. For example. Said this. After you've made. A full discovery. Of the situation. So not the very first thing. But you've now. You've.

[27:31] You've really asked. A lot of questions. You've gathered. A lot of things. And this is what he says. If it's not spiritual. In nature. But the disease. Of melancholy. He says this. I would give this advice.

[27:42] Expect. Not that rational. That is. These thinking. Spiritual remedies. Should suffice. Should be enough. For this cure. For you.

[27:52] May as well. Expect that. A good sermon. Or a comfortable word. Should cure. The falling sickness. Or palsy. Or a broken head. As to be. A sufficient care.

[28:02] To your melancholy fears. For this. Is as real. A bodily disease. As the others. So he's saying. In these. Some cases. You.

[28:14] You need to look. For medical. Care. Because. If it's physical. In nature. Then. Talking. And sermons. And comfortable. Words. Aren't going to do.

[28:25] That much good. Now. Do people. It would be like. Preaching a sermon. To someone. With a broken leg. That's not. What they need. Now. Let me ask you.

[28:36] Well. You don't have to answer. This. Because it's obvious. Do people. With broken legs. Need to hear sermons. Do they need. To be encouraged. Yes. Is there. A place. For all of that.

[28:46] Yes. Definitely. And. And they need. To hear those sermons. They need. To hear that truth. And that truth. Will help them. It will help them. To get through this. But it won't.

[28:58] Necessarily. Heal them. If it's. Depression. And so. Instead. We should. Thank God. That some. Medicines. Really. Do help.

[29:08] They're part of God's. Common. Grace. And mercy. To men. Now. I just. Want to give some. What I think. I hope is.

[29:20] Godly advice. About that. This whole subject. Um. Just a few. Things. Don't. Don't. Don't rush to it. Don't rush to it.

[29:33] It is. They are. Too. Over prescribed. I think. Um. So. If other things. Haven't helped. Then that's when they should be considered. But you don't rush to it.

[29:45] Then you don't rule it out. On the other hand. We've talked about that. To rule it out. Is to deny. The biblical teaching. About how man is created. Body. Soul. It's to deny.

[29:57] How we are created. The extent. Of the fall. It's to over spiritualize. Our creation. And all of our problems. And if this world. Has under spiritualized it.

[30:08] That's. And that's what they have done. I'm not saying that they haven't. They have under spiritualized. Spiritualized our creation. And our problems. It's too easy. Then.

[30:19] In this. In these areas. For us to over spiritualize. And fall on the ditch. On the other side. And so we just don't want to rule it out. We want to take the whole. Of God's truth.

[30:29] And hold on to both things at once. Don't wait too long. So. This is sort of the opposite. Of rushing to it. Rushing to meds should be avoided. But on the other hand. Just getting worse.

[30:40] And worse. And worse. And nothing's getting better. That. That isn't good either. Don't expect rapid results. Most antidepressants. Take at least two weeks.

[30:51] Before anything is different. And it can take months. Six weeks. Eight weeks. To reach. Full. Potency. The reason it takes so long.

[31:02] Is that your brain cells. Are actually starting to grow. And rewire themselves. And that takes a while. Antidepressants. Are not really addressing. A chemical imbalance. They don't go.

[31:13] Exactly straight to the brain. And. And like. Overwhelm the brain. With chemicals. That they need. That's what cocaine does. That's why cocaine.

[31:23] Feels so good. So immediately. Is because. It goes straight to it. And overpowers. The brain. With. Neuro. Transmitters.

[31:35] That's not what. Antidepressants are doing. So don't expect. Rapid results. Don't rely on them alone. Don't rely on them alone.

[31:47] Meds very rarely. Are the complete answer. And so. If you expect. Them to be happy pills. That take away. Your problems. Then you are. Going to be sorely.

[31:59] Disappointed. Instead. You should think of them. As. Crutches. To help you walk. To get around. To where you want to be. Helping you to take. The steps you need to take.

[32:11] And so. If you take your meds. But you don't change. Your thinking. You don't change. Your thinking about God. Or people. You don't change. Your thinking patterns. You don't change. Your life. You just go.

[32:21] A hundred miles an hour. Keep going. And you don't uncover. Your heart's idols. We talked. We talked about that. Last week. If you don't deal. With the spiritual issues. That might be.

[32:32] Contributing to it. If. Then. Eventually. You're going to be. Right back to where. You are. Now. You need to. Address the whole package. Or it needs to be a part of the whole package of care for body.

[32:47] Mind and soul. To rely on them alone. Is to deny. The biblical creation. And fall. And redemption story.

[32:58] Just as much as it is. To. To totally count them out. In principle. But to. To do the exact opposite. Is. Is to fall on the other side. It's to deny the biblical reality.

[33:10] The biblical teaching about creation. And fall. And redemption. We are spiritual creatures. That's not all we are. But we are. We are. We are. Other things.

[33:21] Don't dwell on side effects. Some Christian authors have a tendency to make more of the side effects than what there are. The earliest medicines that were created. That they found to be somewhat helpful.

[33:33] Did have or could have really bad side effects. But thankfully they have come up with things that are better. And safer. And gentler. And now. Are there side effects for some people?

[33:44] Yes. But most people only experience those side effects mildly. They don't last forever. That's. Some. That's most of the situation.

[33:56] That being said. There are side effects. And they need to be considered and talked over with your doctor. And. The people in your life.

[34:07] To say. Hey. This might happen. Is this something that we are willing to do? Um. Generally the horror stories. Are rare. And overblown.

[34:17] Um. Things have improved. Since the 60s and the 70s. So that's third. Addressing the physical needs.

[34:28] Fourth. This is where we are going to end today. Is addressing your spiritual needs. Um. Not. All. This is what we said.

[34:39] Not all depressions. Are because of direct. Definitive. Spiritual. Problems. Or sins. But all depression. Is. Spiritual.

[34:50] In nature. They are. There are. Always. Spiritual. Consequences. There are. Spiritual. Issues. That will come up. That need to be dealt with.

[35:02] So just. In that case of the person with a broken leg. That is going to uncover things in your heart. That's going to uncover things. That's going to have spiritual consequences. That need to be addressed.

[35:14] Um. One of the spiritual consequences. Is that you. Will have. You probably will have. A loss of spiritual feelings. Uh. The spiritual feelings.

[35:27] The loss of those spiritual feelings. Is not the cause of your depression. But rather. Because depression has taken away. So many of your. Your feelings altogether. It's going to include.

[35:37] Some of those spiritual feelings. And so. If that is. One of the spiritual consequences. To depression. Then. That calls. For.

[35:49] A couple of things. Uh. First. I don't. I don't want. I don't think you should add. Unnecessary guilt. To your situation. And what I'm saying.

[36:01] Is this. God has called many people. To go through. These sorts of experiences. Um. And it's not sinful. In and of itself. To feel this way.

[36:12] Sometime. Most of the time. It is not a painful. Rather. It is a painful trial. That God calls you. To go through. With faith. And faith. Faith is not feelings.

[36:24] Faith is. Faith. Faith is holding on to Jesus. When it's dark. And when you're desperate. It's faith in Christ. And so. Your salvation. Is not hanging.

[36:35] On those feelings. It's hanging. On Jesus. And when those feelings. Aren't there. You don't need to add to it. The guilt. And say.

[36:45] And the whole idea. Of maybe I'm not a Christian. And all this. Your faith is in Christ. And so. You wait patiently. And you humble yourself. Under God's mighty hand.

[36:56] That in due time. He may lift you up. And that would be second. You need to wait patiently. Humble yourself. God will lift you up.

[37:10] In due time. Third. Keep to your devotions. Don't give them up. Saying. You know. Maybe my problem is.

[37:20] If I didn't do this. I would start to want to do it. You know. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. We often. Say that. Or sometimes we can think that. But. Don't do that.

[37:34] That's not the way it works. It's not going to happen that way. So. You keep. A routine. You keep a routine. Now. That being said. The other thing that people. Sometimes do.

[37:45] Is they try to read. And pray. Excessively. Saying. I'm going to. Do this. Until I feel differently. And. Honestly.

[37:55] That doesn't necessarily help either. Rather. Set a regular time. And if. Concentration is difficult. Then.

[38:06] Keep things. Short. Ten minutes. One song. Prayer. But setting. Unrealistic.

[38:17] Spiritual. Goals. Will not help. Again. Listen to Richard Baxter. And he. He's like in a long line. Of. Of wise.

[38:28] Godly men. And this is what he says. Avoid your musings. And exercise. Not your thoughts. Now. Too deeply. Nor too much. Long meditation.

[38:39] Is a duty to some. But not to you. No more than it is. A man's duty. To go to church. Whose leg is broken. Or his foot. Is out of joint. He must rest. And ease. Until he be set again.

[38:50] And strengthened. You may. Live. In the faith. And fear of God. Without setting yourself. To deep. Disturbing. Thoughts. That's a godly shepherd.

[39:01] Caring for someone. And he's saying. Long meditation. Is for some people. But. Right now. In these circumstances. In this situation.

[39:12] I want to say. Keep it brief. Keep to it. Keep it brief. And. Last. When you pray. When.

[39:24] Don't get. Don't quit praying. Keep praying. But when you pray. Pray like what we see. In Psalm 77. We see again.

[39:36] And again. In the word of God. When people are broken hearted. And confused. And uncertain. And even. Uncertain about. What is God's intention. Toward me. They don't. Go in a.

[39:47] Hide in a corner. Instead. They take it all. To God. And so. Keep praying. And when you do. Be honest. About your fears. Be honest. About your doubts.

[39:58] Do what. Asaph did. Be honest. About them. And lay them. Before the Lord. And. While you're praying. Pray for others.

[40:12] And the reason I say that. Is because depression. Can be this great black hole. That just sucks you in. And the only thing you care about. Is you. And it's. I guess it's understandable. But. Be sure that you're praying.

[40:23] For at least one other person. Every day. Now very last. Sometimes depression. Is caused directly. By sin.

[40:34] There is a one-to-one. Connection. Between. That. And sin. And. If that is the case. Then taking all the drugs. And reducing your stress.

[40:47] And even changing your thinking. Or whatever. All you want to do. It won't do any good. If you are persistently. In rebellion. Against God. And God is now saying.

[40:59] This is the punishment. This is what it's going to take. To bring you back. If there is a sin. That you are deliberately. Persisting in. And not repenting of. Not fighting. But willingly living in.

[41:10] Then the only way forward. Is to repent. To turn away from your sin. To put it away. Confessing your sin. So.

[41:21] Psalm 32. Psalm 51. You see David. Doing that exact thing. Repenting. And saying. God.

[41:31] Give me the joy. Of my salvation. Again. Now. In all of these things. You have to ask. For God's blessing. Ask him.

[41:41] To teach you. In the trial. Ask him. To grow. Christ. In you. Through it. Ask him. To restore you. That you might praise him.

[41:53] With all those feelings. Again. For his own. For his great. Unfailing. Love. Well. Our time's up. We're dismissed.

[42:03] To be amazed.