4/11/13- DeFanging Depression- Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.
But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”
Many bulls surround me;
    strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 
Roaring lions that tear their prey
    open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,    and all my bones are out of joint.My heart has turned to wax;
    it has melted within me.My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;    you lay me in the dust of death.Dogs surround me,
 a pack of villains encircles me;    they pierced  my hands and my feet.All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.they divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.
Thoughts: The writer of Psalm 22 was clearly depressed.  He felt forsaken by God, despised and rejected by men, he was in pain, he was thirsty and tortured.  But the verses above are taken totally out of context.  They are merely the negative verses of this Psalm  For each negative paragraph there is counter-balancing positive paragraph.  We will look at these the next day.  But basically he remembers how God saved Him and others in the past and he  has hope- even in the midst of depression, rejection, and pain.
    Depression is an epidemic in America that effects 18.8 million Americans a year (1 in 10).  We are one of the richest countries in the world, but also one that is struggling with depression.  It is not just genetic or caused by a lack of minerals or a "bad" childhood.  To rule out cognitive elements of depression would be naive and most hopeless.  For many it is possible to will and hope ourselves out of depression by changing the way we think.  Trust in God is another major theme of this Psalm, and is a relief to those caught in depression. 

Prayer:  Help me to trust in you in good and bad times.