(mooseyscountrygarden.com)
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
I was reading Psalm 1 over the weekend. Verse 3 hit me between the eyes.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
God has planted me by streams of water, yet I have refused to drink.
Why?
What is so important in my life that I have chosen not to drink the life giving water?
Have I given depression kingship over my life? Is my mood more important than the Almighty God who can offer a cure?
As I search for help from doctors and medication I am stepping right over the stream of water which can bring me life I so desperately need.
As Psalms 1 states, you can either be a woman who delights in the Lord OR be like the wicked who are like chaff.
What is chaff? Dictionary.com says chaff is
- the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing.
- straw cut up for fodder (food for animals).
- worthless matter; refuse.
- the membranous, usually dry, brittle bracts of the flowers of certain plants.
OK, once I again I am cut to the core… worthless matter… refuse?
But yet, isn’t that exactly how I feel?
My life is a lot like chaff being blown in the wind. Depression blows with fierce strength and I am uprooted.
The cure?
It’s not another doctor’s appointment, a new medication, obedient children or even an understanding husband.
The cure is found in the water.
Drink.
Hello,
I love the Psalms of king David, and I have been diagnosed with major depression.
While reading The Psalms I discovered that king David, the psalmist of Israel also felt moments of depression.
Like his, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
Walking through the valley of the shadow of death sounds pretty depressing to me once I thought about it. Not the sort of day trip I think I’d like to plan for a Saturday afternoon.
He expresses so many different feelings and emotions in his writings.
To be king, and a warrior, and the psalmist of Israel, a musician, a prophet, a husband, a son, a father and a child of the Great King. The Book of Psalms is amazing.
And yet, I still have major depression.
I have been wondering if there is a connection between major depression and what has become known as The Dark Night of The Soul.
It is a mystery that I want to know more about.
God bless you, and keep blogging.
Have you read the Dark Night of the Soul? I have and parts of it were very helpful to me.
Hi Carol,
Yes I did read The Dark Night of The Soul by St. John of The Cross. But it was a long time ago.
I also read The Science of The Cross that was written later by St. Teresa Benedicta of The Cross a.k.a. Edith Stein.
Edith Stein was a very educated Jewess who converted to the Catholic faith and became a Carmelite nun.
Her volume, The Science of The Cross was her final book that she wrote. It was a volume where she elaborated on the works of John of The Cross.
Her manuscript was left laying on her bed the day the Nazi Storm Troupers entered her Convent and took her and her sister Rose away to Auschwitz where they were both murdered on August 9, 1942. She was # 44074.
http://darknightofthesoulus.wordpress.com/
Wow, I was just talking with my husband about something similar in our lives. How many time can God plant you at the water and we refuse to drink? We refuse to trust in God’s plan..Why, he asks and we have no answer. As a woman, and all the other titles in my life I don’t feel I can handle the tasks somedays. We’re suppose to be all together and strong what happens when we’re not and we forget to lay it at God’s feet…Darkness.
Let’s all Drink and savor His water!
VERY powerful, Shane. Very true. Thanks you.
I somehow happened upon your blog today. I am so glad that I did.
I loved this post.
Sometimes I think when God leads us to the water to refresh our soul and heal us, we are afraid to drink because we think that He is just going to make us feel better for the moment but our lives or the circumstances of our lives that are making us feel unhappy or out of control are not ever going to change. Maybe we are afraid that He wants us to just “Be Happy” with the lousy life that we have been dealt.
I think that this is the devil’s one and only trick that He continuously deals us over and over again. He wants us to believe that God is not really concerned about bringing provision in our lives. He just wants us to settle for whatever garbage that comes our way and think that God wants us to be happy about it. He wants us to believe that God is just bringing this in our life to teach us a lesson. If that were really the truth, who could trust a God that wanted us to be happy about all of the bad things that have happened to many people and caused such damage to their lives.
But the Living Water that God leads us to is Jesus Christ. And in Him are all of the provisions of all of the necessities of our lives, (spirit, soul, and body.) He does want us to learn to trust Him in the midst of our trials but also knowing that He is going to bring freedom from them as well. Jesus died to set us free from all of the destruction of sin. I think that if we really believe that He will deliver us from our circumstances and set us free from our bondages and not just want us to be happy in the midst of them, it will help us to desire to drink. God loves us and wants to bring us all the promises His Son has died for us to have. He is our hope!
I agree with you , nothing can cure except the Water! I too have been fighting depression..many medications, counselors, appointments, diet, etc…but the one thing that truly nourishes our souls and heals our minds is HIM! He is constant and unchanging…loving and merciful! Thank you for the word today!