Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Some sat in
darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning
the counsel of the Most High. That is
why he broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help
them. “Lord, help!” they cried in their
trouble, and he saved them from their distress.
He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their
chains. Let them praise the Lord for
his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he broke down their prison gates of
bronze; he cut apart their bars of iron.
Psalm 107:10-16(NLT)
Darkness, deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery
– can we say depression? Can we say “mother
of all depressions”? Anyone (including
myself) who has suffered a bout (or a lifetime) with the pit knows what Buck
Owens and Roy Clark were singing about all those years:
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive
misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have
no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me[2]
This unofficial theme of the long-running TV variety show Hee
Haw, is a tongue-in-cheek reminder that we tend to poke fun at that
which we cannot change. It is the corollary to needing to laugh so
you don’t cry.
Of course the Psalmist never met Buck Owens or Roy Clark; this Biblical
author was writing a chronicle of Israel’s disobedience to God, and her dark
times of consequence.
You are certainly on thin ice when you draw
conclusions about individual behavior from circumstances surrounding national
sins or successes. However, there are many
parallels in Scripture that help us understand why a nation or an individual
can wind up in the pit of despair.
For Israel, and for every human being who has drawn breath, there is a
birth from God, rebellion against God, and God’s offer
to heal and restore life. Some respond
well; others simply sit in the darkness.
A case in point is Nineveh, the ancient enemy of Israel. Jonah, the Hebrew prophet, was instructed by
God to preach to that city, warning them of impending judgment if they didn’t
repent. Eventually Jonah did just that,
and the entire nation responded in national mourning for their sins. The result was national health. The same story can be repeated for
individuals from beggars to kings.
The flip-side of this is stubbornness.
The Pharaoh in Egypt resisted God’s messages through Moses. In this case Pharaoh suffered, but he brought
suffering on the entire nation, including the first-born son of every
household. Sometimes national and
personal consequences are intertwined. But
certainly not always!
Buck and Roy’s
song is a gentle reminder that depression, whether lifelong or temporary,
demands a hard look at where it came from. Whether we find our depression comes from the spur of a situation
beyond our control or a genetic predisposition towards a melancholic outlook to
be the diagnosis of our despondency, there is, genuinely a one-size-fits-all
place to find help…our Creator who made us is always willing to love us.
For You Today
The Psalmist said God
snapped Israel’s chains of darkness, broke the gates of bronze, and cut the
bars of iron. Certainly God can deal
with the shadows that are holding you down.
You chew on that as you hit the
Rocky Road; have a blessed day.
Go to VIDEO
[2] Gloom,
Despair and Agony on Me, Lyrics by Bernie Brillstein, Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth,
recorded by Roy Clark & Buck Owens, 1969
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