Spiritual Depression

by Robin Cho

Editors Note: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was born in 1899 in Cardiff, Wales.[1] After serving several years as a medical physician in London in the 1920s, MLJ went back to Wales in 1927 because of a burning conviction to preach. Twelve years later, MLJ would return to England and preach hundreds of sermons at a historic London church. Thousands would come to hear him at their morning and evening services. He was a preaching titan in the evangelical world of his day. If you want to read more about his life and to access over 1,600 of his sermons, please visit https://www.mljtrust.org/.

Introduction

The title of this blog post is in reference to the very helpful book of the same name written by Martin Lloyd-Jones (hereafter, MLJ) in the 1960s. This is not a book review. This is simply a short post picking and prodding through the rich field looking for the most ripe and relevant points MLJ makes so well throughout his book.  Over the years, I had come across references to this book and MLJ as a whole. I finally sat down and read through the book over the summer because I knew the contents would describe how I feel sometimes and help me better understand those around me who are struggling.

With all that is happening around our city, country, and world this year, I thought sifting through a topic like this would be helpful and relevant for my fellow weary soldiers. Let’s be frank, this year has been a whirlwind of fear, anxiety, and depressed thoughts. The topic of spiritual depression (defined throughout) could possibly be a new one for many of our readers. But we don’t have to be afraid of talking about our weaknesses, including any form of spiritual depression, especially if the Scriptures and the Psalms, in particular, help us confront these things head-on. I needed to read through this, especially this year, and I encourage you to possibly do the same.

In 1954, MLJ preached 24 sermons on the topic of Spiritual Depression, which later became this book. Dr. Lloyd-Jones was keenly aware that there was a spiritual malady that had come over much of his congregation and the evangelical world of his time. He deemed that large amounts of people gave “the impression of being unhappy ” (10).[2] He thought that part of the reason (but not solely) was because of the hardships that came from a nation maligned by two horrific wars (10). Never minding the reasons at this point, what can Christians do when their hearts are sullen and overwhelmed with an aimless disposition, feeling downcast and distant from God?

The Condition

Enter Psalm 42. MLJ uses this psalm as a centerpiece for his thoughts on spiritual depression. 

    Psalm 42 (ESV)

         1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.        
2   My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3   My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4   These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.

         5   Why are you cast down, O my soul
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.

               My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7   Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9   I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10   As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”

         11   Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

How many of us in the past 5 months or so can relate to verse 3 amidst the pandemic and the chaos in our world: “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, ‘Where is your God?’” Or verse 5, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?”

For the last several years, I could relate to much of this. The stress that came from leading and closing a struggling church plant in the city (after 6 years), a lack of good peers and friends around my age that could relate to what I was going through (before joining HTC), paranoia about health and the pandemic, and a steady thought of feeling like I’ve failed in so many ways. That’s a good formula for a slide into spiritual depression. The formula is different for everyone. Nobody is exactly alike in regards to the bouts of this potential malady. We need the Word of God to not only help us get out of the precarious situation but to help us identify the malady to begin with.

Lloyd-Jones says of the psalm:

The Psalmist is giving an account of his unhappiness, the unhappiness of his soul, the condition through which he was passing when he wrote these words. He tells us the cause of that unhappiness. Probably at that particular time he was prevented from joining with others in   public worship in the House of God. But not only that, he was clearly being attacked by certain enemies. There were those who were doing their utmost to depress him and he gave an account   of that. We are interested chiefly, however, in the way in which he faces the situation, and the   way in which he deals with himself. (9)

Now, we must pause here to make sure to note that we’re not talking about a modern day definition of clinical depression. Sure, there might be similarities and overlap, but MLJ was speaking more directly to a spiritual diagnosis than any medical category. He defines spiritual depression as, “This unhappiness, this disquiet, this lack of ease, this tension, this troubled state which is described so perfectly by the Psalmist in this particular Psalm” (11, emphasis added). The simple terms of unhappiness, a disquiet disposition, or a troubled state are helpful for this topic but still generic enough to not lead us into diagnosing anything in a clinical way. MLJ is not focused on the numerous trials and ailments that one can encounter that ultimately leads to a state of a disillusioned, downcast spirit, but how one responds to this predicament. The question, then, is this: have you found yourself to be in any state of unhappiness, lack of ease, increased tension, or troubled state? If so, we hope this post can help in some way.

So, ultimately, how does one fall into spiritual depression? There are numerous reasons as we have already noted. But beneath all of that, MLJ believes there is one main reason:

The ultimate cause of all spiritual depression is unbelief. For if it were not for unbelief even the devil could do nothing. It is because we listen to the devil instead of listening to God that we go down before him and fall before his attacks. That is why    this psalmist keeps on saying to himself: “Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise Him. . . .” He reminds himself of God. Why? Because he was depressed and had forgotten God, so that his faith and his belief in God and in God’s power, and in his relationship to God, were not what they ought to be. We can indeed sum it all up by saying that the final and ultimate cause is just sheer unbelief. (20)”

Inherently, we are forgetful people. That doesn’t just magically disappear after we become Christians. Part of the malady MLJ offers is the forgetfulness of a believing Christian. Derek Thomas, a pastor and Christian author, once stated that “every Christian needs to be reminded of who they are. A form of spiritual amnesia takes place while we sleep at night and it is vital that we begin each new day reminding ourselves of who we are.” 

So, how can we combat this daily battle with spiritual amnesia and turn our wavering hearts back to God?

The Remedy

MLJ not only wanted to identify and sympathize with the Psalmist, but draw conclusive remedies to the spiritual state. He says,

It is interesting to notice the frequency with which this particular theme is dealt with in the Scriptures and the only conclusion to be drawn from that is that it is a very common condition. It seems to be a condition which has afflicted God’s people right from the beginning, for you find it described and dealt with in the Old Testament and in the New (10).

We can all certainly think of the many OT and NT characters that dealt with what MLJ calls “spiritual depression.” Other than the Psalms, just look at the life of Elijah (1 Kings 19), Jeremiah, and the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 1:8–11; 11:23–29). We can even think of our Lord Jesus Christ in the darkness in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46). There are too many others to mention here. MLJ also notes that, throughout Christian history, there have been so many who have been used mightily by God who also suffered from serious bouts of spiritual depression (17). I think that part of embracing a remedy, one must acknowledge that there is a problem to begin with. We don’t have to feel shame when we think this could actually be happening to us.

So, MLJ’s strategy and advice on this topic or anything else really is to (a) go to the Bible and see where the specific condition is spoken about and then (b) look for Biblical examples of people that went through something similar (10).

He adds a caution though:

There are some people who are only interested in the illustrations, in the stories; but if we are not careful to extract the principles which are illustrated by the stories, we shall probably end by aggravating our own condition, and though there is great profit to be gained by looking at examples and illustrations, it is very vital that we should take the teaching first. (10–11)

Dr. Lloyd-Jones also cautions Christians who think this only applies to people of a certain temperament (15–16). Salvation occurs, he argues, not based on a person’s temperament because it’s solely of the spiritual nature (15). The same applies to those who continue on in their spiritual life and its challenges.

So, what is the remedy? Well, as we have already been hinting, the remedy lies within our trust/faith in our God, our savior, Jesus Christ. For look at Paul’s example in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV):

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We can only move forward because of the sufficiency of Christ’s magnificent grace. 

We need to look to Christ to pull us out of our malady. We need God, “who comforts the downcast” (2 Corinthians 7:6, ESV; “depressed,” NASB), to tell us to rest upon his grace and strength, and thankfully, not a simple “pull yourself up by your bootstraps!” Boasting in our spiritual depression is not declaring our joy in being depressed, but rejoicing that we can experience the power of Christ even more!

That is the simple principle in all of this: to realize there is unbelief still hovering in the periphery and acknowledge that only Christ can deliver us. But what about the practicalities? MLJ looks to Psalm 42 as the guide: 

The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: “Why art thou cast down”—what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: “Hope thou in God”—instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: “I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance  and my God.” (21) 

Ah, preaching these truths to yourself. We’ve heard this before, but how readily do we apply that simple action? There is much gain to do so. MLJ again: “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself ?” (20). He also adds that “the Christian gospel [needs to] dominate the entire life of the Christian ”(276).

Who can achieve this in their own power and strength? Nobody. This is precisely why MLJ takes a strong look at Philippians 4:13 (ESV) in his concluding chapter: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” There is no cure for our spiritual maladies without this happy truth.

Being spiritually depressed is not a goal, of course, and is what MLJ says can be a deterrent for nonbelievers (11). But nonetheless, this is a reality that needs to be addressed by the gospel and Christ himself.

We have noticed that the stigma of talking about mental health, anxiety, and depression is subsiding in our world today. And that’s a good thing. Perhaps we could equally embrace removing the stigma of talking about spiritual depression, too. If we are to listen to Romans 12:15 (ESV), “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep,” then we also have an opportunity to apply this to those who are spiritually depressed and downcast. Thank God that he designed for his people to belong to a local church and to admit to one another the need for encouragement, help, and mutual sharing of life. Who knows how many of us at our church are suffering from this spiritual malady.

The Psalms as a guide

Over the years in ministry, I’ve often told congregants who were going through a rough stretch of life to look to the psalms. The psalms grant believers a way to articulate some of the pain, emotion, and confusion that life brings. Sometimes the language is raw. Sometimes the psalmists pray things I would feel uncomfortable saying. But when you’re experiencing spiritual depression (to any degree), God’s Word lends us language we can express freely. How freeing, indeed. If God could have the patience and understanding to hear those psalmists, certainly he can understand our predicaments and emotions, too.

Often, I may look at a person’s life situation and think to myself, “They must not have a care in the world,” or, “They must really be loving life” only to find out that deep inside they’re hurting, emotionally exhausted, and frightened in some distinct way.

I hope this post helps in some way, but I’m confident that the word of God will be the light you need for any darkened paths ahead.

[1] https://www.mljtrust.org/

[2] Lloyd-Jones, Martyn. Spiritual Depression. Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (All page numbers are referenced in parentheses hereafter)

Robin Cho is a pastoral resident at Holy Trinity Church North Side. Previously, he was a church planter in Chicago for 6.5 years. He enjoys watching Chicago sports and eating out with friends.