Luke 1:46-50 — Defeat Depression with Praise
And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
“And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
Mary must have longed to understand her mysterious God. Her giant doubts must have terrorized her as she tried to reason how she could do all of the will of God and not be destroyed by it.
But here Mary teaches us the way to joy. When the burdens of life are too much for you, do not see it as a suffering that has come only to you. Read the Scriptures and you will see that nearly all of God’s servants have suffered from depression. Men and women throughout history have felt despair, and endured a spiritual depression that can rarely be shaken off by intention alone.
But there is a way to beat this despair and Mary shows us how. Give yourself to praise.
Mary learned there was only one way to deal with spiritual and psychological depression one sure way to forget your grief; exalt the Lord. In praising Him, we drive back the demons of self-pity.
When we fail to sing, we give darkness a place in our soul; we wallow in the defeat we are trying to escape. We cannot focus on His greatness and our depression at the same time. If we remain focused on how bad we feel, we will be unable to concentrate on the Savior. But focus on His greatness and you will find it impossible to dwell on your own painful circumstances.
Whatever Mary’s emotional state was as she began her praise, it must have reached an exalted mood by the time she finished it. So it is with praise. Let it sweep the gloom from your heart and replace it with the joy that comes from adoration.
Say this prayer:
O Father, forgive me when I allow depression to overwhelm me. Prompt me to shout joyfully to You and to come before You with joyful singing. Remind me to enter Your gates with thanksgiving, and Your courts with praise. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
“My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
“And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him.
Mary must have longed to understand her mysterious God. Her giant doubts must have terrorized her as she tried to reason how she could do all of the will of God and not be destroyed by it.
But here Mary teaches us the way to joy. When the burdens of life are too much for you, do not see it as a suffering that has come only to you. Read the Scriptures and you will see that nearly all of God’s servants have suffered from depression. Men and women throughout history have felt despair, and endured a spiritual depression that can rarely be shaken off by intention alone.
But there is a way to beat this despair and Mary shows us how. Give yourself to praise.
Mary learned there was only one way to deal with spiritual and psychological depression one sure way to forget your grief; exalt the Lord. In praising Him, we drive back the demons of self-pity.
When we fail to sing, we give darkness a place in our soul; we wallow in the defeat we are trying to escape. We cannot focus on His greatness and our depression at the same time. If we remain focused on how bad we feel, we will be unable to concentrate on the Savior. But focus on His greatness and you will find it impossible to dwell on your own painful circumstances.
Whatever Mary’s emotional state was as she began her praise, it must have reached an exalted mood by the time she finished it. So it is with praise. Let it sweep the gloom from your heart and replace it with the joy that comes from adoration.
Say this prayer:
O Father, forgive me when I allow depression to overwhelm me. Prompt me to shout joyfully to You and to come before You with joyful singing. Remind me to enter Your gates with thanksgiving, and Your courts with praise. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
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