Bulletin 11.19.23

I found that, with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you're not alone… You're not the first to go through it; you're not going to be the last to go through it. And oftentimes—it happens—you just feel like you're alone. You feel like it's only you. You're in your bubble. And I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and [say], 'Hey, it's gonna be OK. It'll be OK.' So, I wish I knew that.

- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, interview on YouTube (Nov. 12, 2015)

It comes as a surprise to some that Charles Spurgeon had a lifelong battle with depression… It shouldn’t be a surprise, of course: being full of life in a fallen world must mean distress, and Spurgeon’s life was indeed full of physical and mental pain. 

For him, cigars were an acceptable and agreeable means of relaxation when life was otherwise overwhelming. “I have felt grateful to God,” he wrote to the Daily Telegraph, when “I have found intense pain relieved, a weary brain soothed, and calm, refreshing sleep obtained by a cigar.”

As well as recommending such physical palliatives for the mental sufferer, Spurgeon urged patient carefulness in making any assessment of the situation. He knew how quick we are to assume, when set back and depressed, that grace has left us, or that we have become pointless. In such times, instead of seeking a definite understanding of the “what” and the “why” of our situation, we should simply hold fast to God’s promises. Having at all times an objective truth that does not depend on our ability to feel their truth, the promises of God are like a light that cannot be overcome by our darkness.

– Michael Reeves, “Did You Know That Charles Spurgeon Struggled with Depression?” (Crossway Publishers online articles, February 24, 2018) 

Psalm 29:3-9

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; 

The God of glory thunders, 

The LORD is over many waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful, 

The voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; 

Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

And He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, 

And Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire.

The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; 

The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve, 

And strips the forests bare, 

And in His temple everything says, "Glory!" 

(Prayer)