To the Depressed & Fearful: You’ve Got a Friend in the Psalms

Have you ever felt so depressed it was an effort to hold up your head? Have you ever suspected that life is a sham and the game is stacked against you? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you’d find good company with King David.

On numerous occasions, David had good reason to be depressed and fearful.  David was often the target of military leaders who wanted him dead, he lived neck-deep in a sea of family dysfunction, and like all high-profile leaders, he had critics trash-talking him at every turn. Not many of us will experience the stress of being chased by military forces who are trying to kill us, but we all know what it’s like to feel depressed and fearful, experience family problems, or have someone who it seems has made it their life mission to make us miserable. So, not only can we relate to King David, but it’ll do us good to pay close attention to his prayer life.

He opened Psalm 3 with these words: “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high” (Psa. 3:1-3).

Like all of us, David had flaws, but one of David’s finest qualities was his authenticity. David didn’t hide behind a mask when he prayed—he let his emotions come spilling out. Browse through the Psalms, and you’ll see David cry, rage, delight, complain, praise, worship, celebrate, dance, and lament during prayer. David lived in constant communication with His Creator, and he was too genuine to censor his emotions.

When we are in trouble, it’s tempting to act like everything is OK, but David didn’t do that. Instead, he acknowledged he had enemies and repeated to God what his enemies were saying (v.1-2). At the same time, David didn’t make the rounds complaining to his closest friends—instead, he prayed about his problems. David understood that God is the only one who has the power to change an impossible situation, and therefore, God was the one who should be on the receiving end of David’s worries.

As David prayed, he praised God for His attributes. He said, “But you, Lord are a shield about me, my glory the One who lifts my head high (1:3). In doing so, David shifted his focus from his enemies to the goodness of God. Perhaps more than anyone in Scripture, David knew how to encourage himself. God had proven Himself faithful to David during previous trials, and David did himself good in reminding himself how God had been “his shield” and the “lifter of his head.”

When the bottom falls out, one of the few things we can control is our thinking. David could have obsessed about the strength of his enemies and the number of people who wished to do him harm. But instead, David chose to focus on the One who had never let him down, and that’s why he could refer to God as “the one who lifts my head.”

Practically speaking, what does that look like for us? It can be a number of things including:

• Call to mind the ways God has come through for you in the past. In doing so, you’ll stir your faith that God is present and active in your current circumstance. (And he is).
• Open your Bible and find Scriptures that speak to your specific problem. Pray the Scriptures. Say them out loud. Rehearse them over and over.  When a discouraging thought comes to mind interrupt that thought with the promises of God.
• Prioritize prayer. As we saw David do in the Psalms, let your emotions come spilling out and don’t hold back.

Of course, this isn’t a cure all for depression and fear. Depending on your circumstance, you may need to seek out help from a professional and if you’re struggling that’s a wise thing to do. And like David, we can be people who “encourage ourselves in the Lord” (1 Sam 30:6) and know God as “the one who lifts my head.”

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