Jeremiah 20:7-10 — O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.
Someone asked me to write about this. I have to say, it has not been easy … And I know it had turned into more of an essay than a devotion. Some of it, but not to much I am glad to say, is based on my own experiences.
I think it’s fair to say Jeremiah was fed up. Maybe even despairing. It’s hard to blame him. This is the sixth of seven laments, as Jeremiah went through a whole series of miserable circumstances. Yet he was amazingly resilient. This outburst is provoked as he has tried, with enormous persistence, to save the people. He has suffered mockery and criticism from every quarter. He has spent a day being tortured, and being released has been given another unpopular message for his torturer.
After all that, what happens next? Here’s what Jeremiah says next:
But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. (Jeremiah 20:11)
Jeremiah was miserable, but He knew the Lord was with him — so he did not despair. From time to time, however, we can be struck with something much worse than miserable circumstances. We can be struck with depression. True depression, as those who have suffered it know, is a terrible enemy. The National Institute of Mental Health publishes a selection of symptoms:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
- Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
- Irritability, restlessness
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
- Fatigue and decreased energy
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
- Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
- Overeating, or appetite loss
- Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
- Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.
(See http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml for more information.)
I don’t believe that there is any simple immediate cure. Nor do I believe this horrible disease is any respecter of persons. Even so great a Christian as Charles Spurgeon was plagued by it, and a man we might have thought of as a great optimist — Winston Churchill — suffered from prolonged bouts of depression, which he called his “black dog”.
As I say, I don’t believe there’s any quick “cure”, though these days medication can help greatly. There are, though, three Biblical approaches that have helped some people. The first is Jeremiah’s. I call it the “clinging-on” strategy. Jeremiah knew God was with him. He clung to that idea, and never quite despaired. He prayed, and clung on. Jeremiah’s sometimes called the “Old Testament Paul”. Paul might certainly have suffered from depression (I’ve sometimes though that might have been his “thorn in the side”). He was certainly a “clinger on”. He clung to the idea that God’s grace was sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) and insisted on the need to rejoice no matter what (Philippians 4:4).
Spurgeon had a different approach. It was naturally based in his faith — “The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in gloomy prison, needs a heavenly hand to push it back.” In particular, though, he resorted to the wonders of creation, which he recommended as a remedy in a lecture to his students titled “The Minister’s Fainting Fits” in which he said, amongst many other things, “He who forgets the humming of the bees among the heather, the cooing of the wood-pigeons in the forest, the song of birds in the woods, the rippling of rills among the rushes, and the sighing of the wind among the pines, needs not wonder if his heart forgets to sing and his soul grows heavy.” Spurgeon, too, relied on the unfailing comfort of scripture — but in dealing with depression, God’s creation was his sovereign remedy.
Then there’s Churchill. Yes, I know he “self-medicated” with alcohol — anything but a recommended approach — but there was more. He refused to give in. He offered the only “advice” that makes sense. It’s not a platitude, not a bland assurance that “this too will pass”. It it a purely stubborn refusal to despair:
Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. (Quoted in Winston S. Churchill, Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches)
I do believe there are two other things that are critical to resisting the demons of despair. One is the need to share, to talk, to seek the company of others — no matter how irrelevant their lives might seem to be to yours. The other is to seek the advice of a Christian counsellor.
I tread on delicate ground — but I do believe that when depression strikes we should cling on, cling to scripture, and prayer, and the knowledge that He said “I will never leave you of forsake you”. We should immerse ourselves in creation, and seek our place in it. Above all, we should never despair.