SERMON TITLE: Depression
TEXT: Nehemiah 2:1-8 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 5-10-20
Watch the sermon here.
I want to welcome all of you who are joining us this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want all of you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
Today we’re finishing up a series where we’ve been looking at some emotions that most of us have experienced — to some degree or another — over the past few months. Thus far we’ve looked at the emotions of loneliness, emptiness, and anxiousness. And — today — the emotion we’ll be looking at is depression.
And we’ve been examining each of these emotions — and finding biblical guidance and help — by looking at the lives of some individuals in the Bible. We began by looking at a moment in the life of the prophet Elijah when we studied loneliness. Then we traveled even further back in time — to the time before the days of the kings — back to the time when judges led the Israelites — when we looked at the emotion of emptiness in the life of a woman named Naomi. And last week we looked at anxiousness in the life of a woman named Martha — who was alive when Jesus was here on earth.
And — today — as we look at depression — we’re going back in time — once again — way before the time of Jesus — back to the Old Testament — to the life of a man named Nehemiah.
So if you have your Bible please turn with me to the book of Nehemiah. We’ll be in chapter 2 — looking at verses 1-8.
And while you’re finding Nehemiah chapter 2 — let me tell you what’s coming up in the next few weeks and then I’ll give you some background on Nehemiah.
First — what’s coming up? Well this is the 19th weekend of 2020 and I’ve preached 17 of them. So you’re probably tired of hearing from me. So for the next two weeks you’re going to hear from someone else — actually — two someones. Matt Ginter — the director of Christian ministries at the University of Findlay and a North Main campus regular — will be teaming up with Jon McKanna — our North Main campus pastor — for a two part series in the book of Psalms. So come eager — the next two weeks — to hear from Matt and Jon as they preach to us from the Psalms. In fact — right now — if you’re on Facebook or our church online page — why don’t you let Matt and Jon know that you’re excited to hear them preach from the Psalms.
And after a short break — as Arnold said — “I’ll be back.” And we’re rearranging the preaching calendar — again! — and we’re headed back to the book of Romans — this time we’ll be in chapter 8. We’ve already gone through the first seven chapters and this seems like a good time to begin Romans chapter 8 — a chapter full of promises and truths about the assurance we have through our faith in Jesus Christ.
So there’s what’s coming up in the next few weeks.
Now — what about Nehemiah? If you’ve been with us — for the past few months — you’ve heard my overview of the history of the Jewish people. Well...get ready to hear it again.
The nation of Israel was birthed from a man named Jacob — who God renamed Israel. And from Jacob’s sons came the 12 tribes of Israel. Now hundreds of years later, these tribes demand to have a king — they wanted to be like the other nations surrounding them who had kings. And after just three kings — Saul, David, and David’s son Solomon — when we get to the time for the fourth king of Israel to be picked — well — there’s division and the nation splits into two. Ten tribes join together — in the north — and keep the name Israel. Two of the tribes stick together — in the south — and become the nation of Judah. So the people of God have split up and divided.
Now Israel is the first to be conquered by a foreign nation — the Assyrians come in and take over. The nation of Judah lasts a bit longer — but eventually the nation of Babylon comes in and conquers them. And after Judah is conquered — most of the people are sent into exile — which was prophesied about. The prophecy predicted that the people would be in exile for 70 years. But the prophecy also contained a promise. What was the promise? That God would return the people to their land after the 70 years were over. And this is the time when Nehemiah is alive — sometime in the 5th century BC — when the people are returning to their homeland.
Now Nehemiah was in a bit of an unusual position — he was the cupbearer to the king. And this gave him direct access to the king on a regular basis. But Nehemiah — like the other Jews — he was living in exile — he was living in a foreign land. And as he begins to hear stories of what things are like back in his homeland — Nehemiah begins to be bothered by what he’s hearing.
Which leads us to the words found in Nehemiah chapter 2. Beginning in verse 1.
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. (Nehemiah 2:1-8 ESV)
I’ve been reading regularly in the psalms — journaling my way through them this year — and recently I read Psalm 88 — which ends with a verse that very much relates to our topic of depression and even connects with the world of social distancing that we’ve been living in. The last verse — of Psalm 88 — reads, “You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.” (Psalm 88:18 NLT)
So we’re going to talk about that darkness — today — the darkness of depression — which may be a close companion for you. Now we tend to see a couple of common responses to depression in our country. The first — and we’ve seen this previously with other emotions in this series — but one response to depression is to immediately address it with medication. And a second response — which we’ve also talked about in this series — is how some people try to rid themselves of their depression by pursuing something new and exciting — it could be a new purchase or a trip to Disney World — anything to distract us from how we’re really feeling — especially when we’re feeling down.
Now — and I’ve said this before — medication can be helpful — especially with clinical depression among many other mental health struggles you may be facing. So I don’t want anyone to feel guilty if you do take medication for depression — and I don’t want you to hear me say that medications are bad. I’m not saying that at all. For many, medication is necessary. But what I’m about to say — may really surprise you — because I also want to say that healthy distractions aren’t always a bad way to deal with our emotions. Sometimes a change of scenery is just what we need.
But obviously medication isn’t always the answer and neither is distracting ourselves from our emotions. And — as Christians — we have no theological or scriptural warrant to justify medication as being the only solution to depression — just like we have no theological or scriptural warrant to justify always distracting ourselves away from emotions like depression. Both can be helpful and both should come with warnings.
But — what I hope is an encouragement to you — is how the Christian faith offers us other resources not found in medications or distractions. Though the Christian faith acknowledges that our circumstances can and do affect our feelings — even the feeling of being depressed — the Christian faith also teaches that Jesus has come to offer us freedom from — and hope in — the darkness — and not just spiritual depression — but emotional depression as well.
Now — of all the emotions that we’ve looked at in this series — depression may be the one that we Christians have been the most unkind towards those who struggle with it — though it may be a toss up between anxiety and depression. One woman recalls her church leaders telling her, “You have to pray to God for healing [from your depression]...You have to have faith and trust him!” (Lorraine V. Murray, “Depression is not spiritual weakness,” ajc.com, June 6, 2014, https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/depression-not-spiritual-weakness/rsgwPOkZxK38KKCA1Xl8fP/)
Now hear me out. I’ve got nothing against prayer — and we do need to have faith in and trust God — but these phrases aren’t to be weapons used to beat up those who are struggling with depression.
But another danger to these statements — is how they can make those who say them — proud. Because — often as we say these kinds of things — we think the person struggling just isn’t working hard enough, or practicing enough faith, or believing and trusting in God enough. And — by implication — since we’re not struggling with depression — we must be working hard enough, and practicing more faith than they are, and we’ve really figured out this whole believing and trusting in God stuff. Like — I said — it’s easy to be proud and look down on others when we have a shallow understanding of the complexities of these emotions.
Now we Christians are to be gospel people. Men and women who remind each other that God is committed to comforting his people even as they experience the darkness of depression. And God comforts us through a variety of means which we’ll look at in a bit. But — for me — an amazing thing about God’s comfort to us is that — in Jesus Christ — God has experienced all of the human emotions. So he knows how to comfort us even in the darkness of depression.
Now the type of depression we see in Nehemiah’s life appears to be situational — which is what many of us — who may not regularly struggle with depression — it’s what many have experienced over the past few weeks and months. And I know that situational depression is only one kind of depression — and if you’re a professional — I know that situational depression falls more in a grief type category — but I think for most of us — even though there are many types of depression — for many of us — situational depression is the likely emotion we’ve been facing over the past weeks and months.
So let’s look back at this moment in Nehemiah’s life and see the source of his depression.
Now — you may wonder — “Josh, how do you know that Nehemiah’s depression was situational?” Because of what happens in the chapter before ours. The book of Nehemiah begins with “These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:1-4 NLT)
So it’s the report of what’s going on back in Jerusalem that’s caused emotional distress in Nehemiah’s life — what will be described as a “sadness of the heart.” And if we turn to our chapter — now having this background — we read…
In the month of Nisan (So now we’re in the spring — roughly four months after Nehemiah first received news of what was going on in Jerusalem...), in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I (so Nehemiah is our narrator and he says that he...) took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. (Nehemiah 2:1 ESV)
Alright, Nehemiah is displaying sadness in front of the king — which — we see — was unusual for him to do.
2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” (Sadness of the heart — a very honest way to describe how many of us have felt.) Then I was very much afraid. (Nehemiah 2:2 ESV)
Now the reason why Nehemiah’s afraid is — because most likely — there was an expectation that the king’s servants were only to display happy and cheerful moods in front of the king. No grumps or sad people in the king’s court — only “shiny happy people holding hands” (Yes, that’s an R.E.M. quote.) in the presence of the king. But Nehemiah isn’t able to hide his emotion in front of the king. And the king notices and asks him why he’s suffering from sadness of the heart.
3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” (Nehemiah 2:3 ESV)
So — as we’ve already seen — Nehemiah’s sadness of the heart is due to the city of Jerusalem being in ruins. There’s a situation that’s causing his depression — a sadness of heart that’s been going on for months.
4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 2:4 ESV)
Now back in chapter 1, we saw that Nehemiah was already praying about the situation in Jerusalem. But here — in the moment when he’s talking to the king — he quickly prays for God to help him before he speaks.
5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. (Nehemiah 2:5-6 ESV)
Though it may seem strange to us — for the king to care about what kind of timeline Nehemiah has in mind — this most likely shows us just how important Nehemiah’s position was to the king. So the king wants to know how long Nehemiah is going to be gone.
7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. (Nehemiah 2:7-8 ESV)
Nehemiah makes a few additional requests and then acknowledges that everything that’s been granted to him — by the king — is ultimately the result of God orchestrating everything that’s happened. The good favor he’s received from the king is due to the good favor he’s received from God.
And — if you don’t know Nehemiah’s story — I want to encourage you to go and read it and see how a man — who was so emotionally disturbed by what was happening in his homeland — go read about how he was able to lead the rebuilding of the city walls even in the face of grave danger. Nehemiah’s emotions moved him to action as he depended upon God for guidance and favor.
Now something you may not have thought much about — is how the situation we’re in — or how situations you may face in the future that bring unknowns and difficulties into your life — what I want you to know is that these situations don’t have to paralyze us — even if they stir in us intense emotional responses. Like Nehemiah — these situations are an opportunity to trust in God’s guidance and favor — they’re opportunities for us to allow our emotions to drive us to action and obedience.
So that’s Nehemiah. Now I want us to look at a moment in Jesus’ life and — as I said earlier — Jesus experienced the full gamut of human emotions. And this particular moment in his life is so intriguing to me because it mirrors the moment we just saw in Nehemiah’s life. We’re in Matthew’s gospel — chapter 23 — beginning in verse 37.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:37-39 NLT)
Now here’s why this moment from Jesus’ life is so intriguing to me. What was the cause of Nehemiah’s sadness of heart — what was the cause of his depression? The physical condition of the city of Jerusalem. And what’s the cause of Jesus’ sadness of heart as he laments — which means to express deep sorrow — what’s the cause of Jesus’ deep sorrow here in Matthew’s gospel? The spiritual condition of the city of Jerusalem.
The same city — Jerusalem — causes both Nehemiah and Jesus to experience a sadness of the heart. In fact, Jesus’ words about the city have been described as a “funeral dirge” — a type of “funeral song.” (T.W. Mason, The Sayings of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 126; Paul S. Minear, Christian Hope and the Second Coming (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1954), 107.) And — yet — even as he experiences sorrow and sadness — Jesus gives a promise of hope for the city of Jerusalem.
For a day is coming, when he will return to the city. And on that day, people will shout “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Which is what we see happen as he rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey a week before he would be killed on a cross for the sins of the world. And on the darkest day — in all of history — the light of Christ was not extinguished though it appeared that Jesus had failed his mission. For three days later, the darkness was dispersed as it was defeated by the power of Jesus’ resurrection. A power that’s still at work today — bringing relief and hope and light to those who experience the darkness of depression — the sadness of heart — a close companion in life for many who believe in Jesus.
So there’s a look at our emotion in the lives of Nehemiah and Jesus and the hope we have in knowing that Jesus both sympathizes with us — and is present with us — in the darkness of depression. Now I want to take this sadness of heart and help us see how the Christian faith offers hope to those who are depressed. I want to help us sympathize with those who are well acquainted with this sadness of the heart. And I want to do so by listening to how others have described their depression.
One woman has said that, “Depression is melancholy minus its charms.” (Susan Sontag) One of the more famous authors from our lifetime writes, “Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced...It is the absence of being able to [envision] that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling...” (J.K. Rowling)
C.S. Lewis — the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series — among many other writings — battled depression. Here are some of his words on the subject. Lewis writes, “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken.’”
Sometimes it helps to hear the words of others who have faced what we’re facing. It’s even OK to borrow their words when you can’t come up with words to describe how you’re feeling.
If you’ve experienced depression, how would you describe it? If you’re able, would you leave a comment with your description of depression? Someone may need to borrow your words because they’re in the thick of depression right now and don’t have a vocabulary to describe how they’re feeling.
I mentioned earlier that Christians throughout church history have struggled with depression. One of them was known as the Prince of Preachers. His name was Charles Spurgeon — a British preacher who lived during the 1800s. And Spurgeon battled depression nearly his entire life.
Now if you don’t know Spurgeon — he was a famous preacher in his day — you don’t get the nickname Prince of Preachers without being well-known, right? Thousands of people came to hear him preach on a weekly basis — and again — this was back in the 1800s — not when we tend to think of churches having congregations with thousands of members. Spurgeon was quick witted, he had a big personality from the pulpit, he smoked cigars, and was the quintessential picture of a Victorian era manly man. And — yet — Spurgeon struggled with depression — most likely both clinical and situational depression.
Now his situational depression was due to an awful event that happened while he was preaching. During one large gathering, someone who wasn’t a fan of Spurgeon, yelled “fire.” And as the panicked crowd tried to exit the building, some people were trampled to death. Spurgeon never fully recovered from the mental pain of that moment. People killed trying to flee from a building — and the only reason why they were in the building — was to hear him preach.
Yet later on — while speaking to potential pastors — Spurgeon said, “Knowing by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited [by it] at seasons by no means few or far between [he’s saying that he’s experienced depression often], I thought it might be [comforting] to some of [you] if I gave my thoughts [on this subject], that younger men might not [believe] that some strange thing had happened to them when they became for a season possessed by melancholy; and that sadder men might know that one upon whom the sun has shone...did not always walk in the light.” (C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, Addresses Delivered to the Students of the Pastors’ College, Metropolitan Tabernacle (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1889) vol. 1, 167.)
Spurgeon knew that many young preachers looked up to him — the spotlight was on him often. But not all of them knew about his battle with depression. So he wanted them to know about his depression because he didn’t want them to be caught off guard when the “sadness of the heart” became a close friend in their life.
So how did this great minister of the faith fight his depression? First, Spurgeon saw his depression as something to be used for God’s glory and for Spurgeon’s sanctification — for his growth in holiness. Spurgeon did not waver in his belief that God was in control of everything that happened to him — even his depression. And like Job — who after losing his wealth, his health, and even all of his children — like Job Spurgeon could say, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21b) Spurgeon could say, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” (Job 2:10b, NLT) Spurgeon saw his depression as something to be used for God’s glory and for his growth in holiness.
Second, Spurgeon believed that his most effective ministry was birthed out of his seasons of depression. From his firsthand experience with depression, he could comfort those who were in the darkness. His experience with depression made him tender with those who were suffering. He knew that in his weakness, Jesus could be strong and shine forth through him — a broken vessel. This reminds me of the apostle Paul’s words to the Christians in Corinth when he writes, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NLT) Spurgeon believed that his most effective ministry was birthed out of his seasons of depression.
Finally, Spurgeon used practical means — in addition to his theology — to fight his depression. He rested. He took time away from his ministry. He slowed down from all of his “doing” and worked on his “being.” Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is get outside and go for a walk and let the sun shine down on you — or — take a nap. Use practical means to fight your depression.
Now as we wrap up this series on emotions, a couple of things I hope you’ll remember. First, remember that you’re not alone. We’re here to come alongside you and support you no matter what you’re facing. So please reach out to us — send us a message or call the church office — so we can be of help to you.
Second, remember that you’re not alone. “Wait, Josh. That was your first point!” And you’re right. But — better than us being here for you — don’t forget that God is always with you. His promises to you can be trusted because the God who’s given you these promises is the definition of trustworthiness.
Third, remember that it’s not only OK — but it is good — to seek the help of professionals. Today, we’ve talked mainly about situational depression. There are many other kinds of depression and many of them require the help of a professional. You will do yourself a world of good in fighting the stubborn darkness that doesn’t seem to want to lift — by seeking the help of a professional. And we can help connect you with the pros — just give us a call.
And — finally — remember that these emotions are normal. Feeling lonely, empty, anxious, and depressed are normal human emotions. These emotions — though harder than some others to experience — these emotions don’t make you less of a human being. And they don’t make you a spiritually weak person. These emotions just prove that you’re human — like the rest of us. And we all experience these emotions to some degree or another. Which gives us an opportunity to come alongside each other in loving support, offering a listening ear to those who need to talk, and comforting one another with the comfort that God has given to us in Jesus Christ. My prayer is that we will be a church where no one faces these emotions alone. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for alwaysbeing with us. Thank you for the people you’ve put in our life who are willing to walk through the darkest of days with us. Thank you for the professionals who you’ve gifted to help us. And thank you for our emotions. It is good to feel. It is human to feel. We are physical, spiritual, and emotional beings and we need to be aware of and take care of our whole being.
Jesus, we can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for us. Not only did you do the work in saving us that we couldn’t do for ourselves — but you also willingly experienced all of what it means to be human — including emotionally what it means to be human — so that you can sympathize with our weakness and empower us with your strength.
Holy Spirit, you’ve heard my prayer. That we will be a church where no one faces these emotions alone. Help us to be that church. A people who are honest with how we’re doing — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — and who allow others to bring your comfort into our lives. We can’t do this in our strength, but we can in yours. So fill us with your strength. And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have something you would like us to pray for, please submit it in the chat or use the Request Prayer button if you’re joining us on the app. We have people who would love to pray for your requests today and throughout the week. And don’t forget that you can always call the church office to talk to someone directly.
May you go knowing that God is always with you — offering you comfort, peace, hope, and joy. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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