Hope in the Hard Place of Depression (Psalm 42, 43)

“Hope in the Hard Place of Depression”

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5, NIV

Scripture Reading: Psalm 42:1-11; 43:1-5

The dark night of the soul is the title of a poem written by the 16^th century poet and Roman Catholic mystic, Saint John of the Cross. It is used as a metaphor today to describe a phase in a person’s spiritual life marked by a sense of loneliness and desolation. This is how many refer to times of depression among God’s people.

Hope is the belief that regardless of your circumstances, God is going to come through. When you’re depressed you lose the sense that God is near and that things are going to turn around. You feel spiritually dry, there is the absence of joy, and a feeling that God has forsaken you. It truly is a “dark night” for your soul.

The author of Psalm 42 and 43 is going through one of those “dark night of the soul” experiences. This Sunday, October 16^th during our morning worship service, we will use the framework of the Psalmists spiritual struggle to identify those characteristics of the dark night of the soul (what all believers experience at times), and second, we will look at how God renews our hope, how we move from the dark night of the soul to the light of day.

I hope that you will join us for worship at Carrollwood Baptist Church where all are welcome! Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. Bible study for all ages begins at 9:15 a.m. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we gather to exalt our wonderful God and Savior!

 

Pastor Joe

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3

 

"Hope in the Hard Place of Disappointment" Jeremiah 29:11

“Hope in the Hard Place of Disappointment”

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,

Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:4-7, 10-11

Sunday, October 9^th we begin a new series of messages that will look at some of the hard places in life that we find ourselves in. This Sunday we are looking at the hard place of disappointment. To disappoint is “to fail to meet the expectation or hope of.” What do you do when your expectations of how God should act on your behalf don’t come to pass?

In Jeremiah chapter 29, exiled to Babylon (removed from their land), God’s people were living in disappointment. God wasn’t coming through in the way that they had hoped for. Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles contains God’s instructions for how His people were to live while in Babylon. God wanted His people to know that He does have a plan for their future and that His plans are for His glory and their ultimate good. “Because God has good plans for your present and future, you can have a sure hope in the hard times of disappointment.”

Jeremiah 29:11 of course is a tremendous promise but it must be considered in light of its context. But rather than diminish its significance, understanding the context makes God’s promise even richer and more meaningful. I hope that you will be able to worship with us this Sunday as we explore this time in Israel’s history where in the midst of their diminished hope, God brought a message of encouragement and meaning in their suffering. God’s people would discover that they indeed had a tremendous hope and future, mapped out by God Himself!

Worship at Carrollwood Baptist Church, “Where All Are Welcome!” begins at 10:30 a.m. Bible study for all ages begins at 9:15 a.m. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we corporately exalt our wonderful God and Savior, for He is worthy!

Pastor Joe

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3