I’m not proud of it. And I really don’t enjoy it. I’ve noticed the pattern over the past several years. I know I”m not alone in this because several of you have shared your struggle with me. 

We identify with each other, yet there are others of you who cannot identify at all, because this pattern has not been a part of your experience. Even if you cannot empathize, statistics show you will know someone who struggles in this way. 

Our conversation here will benefit you in that it can provide understanding and some tools for you to share when you have that encounter with the one who’s caught in the trap. 

Totally Trapped

That’s what it feels like: a trap that seizes me with an overpowering, inescapable grip. Depression will unsuspectedly engulf me, take me completely by surprise. It doesn’t have to have a reason…it just shows up. It’s debilitating, stops me in my tracks, and oppresses me before I ever recognize its presence.

And it ambushes me every January and February. There’s the pattern. Same months every year. I’ve come to notice the grip is stronger on gray, overcast, wintry days. There’s probably a psychological or chemical reason for this pattern—I’m no professional, but I see the pattern and I’ve searched for a solution. 

Maybe we’ll break the cycle this year. But if not, I will not be taken by surprise. I’ll face this snare, armed and ready, so it doesn’t knock me off my feet, outwitting me with its tricks. 

The Counterbalance

I have a strategy that will counterbalance this kind of depression’s stratagem. I actually found it quite by accident a couple months ago; not looking for it, I just ran across it one day while reading my Bible. 

I think God showed it to me in preparation for this upcoming season. He’s good like that. He loves to go ahead of His children and provide what we need before we even know we need it. That’s what makes me say, “His intentions toward us are always LOVE.”  

So here’s the strategy: it’s the self-talk we do within our own minds, affecting our hearts, leading us to actions and attitudes that are life-giving. 

Good Question

By the way, here is one effective way to test what you’re thinking: Is it life-giving? 

Because, if what you’re thinking doesn’t lead to life, it’s not from God. He only gives life to His children. Even in physical death, God’s child is transferred to eternal life. 

So, thoughts from God are only, ever, life-giving. Any other kind of thinking needs to beaten down and beaten out. 

Total Truth in The Day of Trouble

Let me share the 3 Truths I ran across in November that God is using to help me in January. 

Psalm 77 is super relatable because its author, Asaph, is having a “day of trouble”. And this doesn’t mean one day; it refers to a period of time. Asaph was the worship leader who served under King David. He was a big deal in the big temple where everyone came to worship God, like one of our mega-churches today. We would consider Asaph to be a leader, a creative, an influencer.

It is comforting to me, being a regular person, that even the head guy, influencer over others, suffered the trappings of depression. When I’m in the middle of it, I sometimes feel no one else has this problem…do you?

That’s just not true. (Google statistics about depression; you’ll see we are not alone.)

To describe where he’s coming from, Asaph begins by stating,

 “My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; 

  my voice rises to God, and He will hear me.” 

Before we even know what he’s talking about, we know he’s talking to God and he knows God will listen. And notice when he talked to God:

“When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord.” 

Not after the trouble, but during the trouble.

He exercises faith + action. Good call, Asaph! 

TRUTH #1 – Times of trouble must be times of prayer. 

What’s your default when trouble rears its head? Do you worry? Are you fearful? Do you immediately try to fix it? Do you run away from it? 

Any or all of these emotions and actions may accompany trouble, but it pays off to make prayer our default, our go-to before ANY other approach. It is in prayer that the Spirit of God reveals the deep things of God to our spirits, from which we can make viable decisions and take valid action. This is life-giving! (See 1 Corinthians 2).

But that didn’t work for Asaph. Reading on, he relates, 

“All night long I prayed…but my soul was not comforted. 

I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.”

Well, that’s discouraging. 

Doesn’t the Bible teach we can direct our complaints to God, that we can come boldly to Him, that we can ask anything we desire and He listens? 

That was not Asaph’s experience. Being overwhelmed, he’s losing sleep (I hate it when that happens. We need our sleep.) In addition, he’s too distressed even to pray (yes, I don’t always want to pray, and I feel guilty for that). Asaph reverts to thinking about the good ol’ days, and that leads to further introspection, thoughts that question his relationship with God, the character of God, even the presence of God. (You can read his inquisitions in Psalm 77:7-9.)

Inquiring Minds

Have you been there in your self-talk? You feel alone, like God has left you; you can’t make any sense of your situation; your feelings move into a downward spiral and end up spinning out of control. 

TRUTH #2 – “When fear and melancholy ask questions, let faith answer them from Scripture.”

That’s a quote from Matthew Henry, 1662-1714, nonconformist minister and author. 

I wonder, how often do we let our fears inform our faith? In the past, fear was my default, and fear asks a ton of unreasonable questions. Unleashed fear guides down a path toward death, but proceeding in faith is life-giving. 

Or maybe you don’t relate with fear. Are your thoughts informed by anger? Bitterness? Jealousy? Cynicism? Stubbornness? Unbelief? Pride? Insecurity?

Anything that competes with faith leads to death in some way.

But Wait!

Stop. Just a Minute!

It’s at this point in Asaph’s poem we see the word “selah”. I usually just read over this word in the psalms, but I discovered it has great meaning and purpose. It is a musical term for silence, the suspension of music. What it means in Asaph’s writing is “Stop”. 

All these questions are storming in his head, he’s spiraling, and it seems he gets to the place where he realizes, “This has to stop!” “I can’t go on like this—I can’t!”

TRUTH #3 – Gather your thoughts & Evaluate their source. 

When our self-talk is not life-giving, every person in God’s family has the power, embedded by Him in their hearts, to beat it down and beat it out. Do you hear the battle terms here? This happens to be the second time Asaph is fighting this same battle. You’ll see “selah” after verse 3 and after verse 9.

He didn’t gain victory the first time, so he perseveres, he takes up the battle again. How often do we stop and give up when the first try doesn’t work?

Now Asaph identifies where this line of thinking is coming from:

“It is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

Oh! This is my depression talking—not Truth. 

Let me emphasize again, Truth is Life-Giving. 

Asaph saw it too. Once he stopped, gathered his thoughts, then evaluated the source, he was in a place where he could identify truth and recognize lies. He could separate those ponderings that would dig their claws into his mind, wounding his reasoning, throw them out, then replace them with life-giving truth.

Life-giving truth heals the claw marks and soothes the scars.

DON’T GIVE UP — CONTINUE THE PROCESS: LIFE-GIVING TRUTH PRODUCES LIFE-GIVING ACTION

You are the Boss: Direct your self-talk wIth life-giving truth.

Asaph makes a conscious choice to direct his thinking patterns upward, rather than allowing them to spiral down. This is still a part of the battle.

• The first phase is the capture.
• The second phase is the imprisonment.
• The third phase is the annihilation. 

In terms of brainpower, neuroscientists tell us it requires a process to flip our thinking. In recent years, neuroscientists have confirmed what God has known all along: the physical nature of the brain actually changes as we direct our thinking. This is where Paul is coming from when he coaches us to “renew our minds” (Romans 12:1-2)

We can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and wire in healthy thoughts, growing new thought networks. (I’ve read several works on these processes, but I think Dr. Caroline Leaf is most understandable in layman’s terms.)

However, this point seems to be where many of us lose the battle—we quit before we win. We expect immediate results, when realistically the process requires effort on our part and time to take root. This is where personal discipline and perseverance develop into strength and life-giving power. It is our participation with the power of God that is working within us. (For in-depth strategies of participation, see my book MIND GAMES, available on Amazon and in bookstores.)

How It Turns Out for Asaph

For example, what steps does Asaph take? Well, in his self-talk, he begins using action words for himself like, “I will”, “I shall”, and in reference to God, “You are”, “You have”, “You do”. 

Basically, he Remembers and Rehearses the Goodness of God. 

He states, “I will meditate and muse on You, God.” To fuel his meditation, he replaces those pondering questions about God with this powerful muse, 

“Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?” 

A truthful and honest answer to that question will enliven us when we’re down. It will lift us up from the middle of the struggle, because in all honesty, looking back over the history of the world, has there been a god who lovingly demonstrates his power as completely and consistently as the One True God of the Bible? 

I”ll let you answer that question in your own mind as you review all of time. 

The next time you find yourself feeling down, and you can’t figure out the reason? I challenge you to join me in employing these truths…meditate and muse on what you know to be true about our Great God. It has worked for me already, and I’m confident you will find success for yourself in the same way. 

As for January and February, 2021? 

I’m ready, come what may, because I KNOW God’s Spirit within me is powerful enough to pull me through the gray days of winter. Even in this weakness, I’ll come out on the other side stronger because I will have invited Him into my “times of trouble”…and He always attends my parties when invited! 

Disclaimer:  As I mentioned above, there are several of us who deal with depression. Situational depression is different from clinical depression. As I have in the past, I encourage you to seek professional help when you are stuck, whether that is talk therapy, medication, or another course of treatment tailored to your needs. A professional guide, along with spiritual guidance is a gift from God to you! After all, He is the Wonderful Counselor. :)

Hey, join the conversation with your comments below: How do you deal when you feel down for no good reason?

I look forward to discussing in the comments!