Read (from the New Living Translation)

¹As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.

² I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?

³ Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?”

⁴ My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and ⁶ my God!
Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.

Psalm 42:1-6

Go Deep

With a name like “Joy” – depression was never something Joy Summers thought would be part of her story. But it is. Joy opens up about her struggle and the ways she has learned to overcome it in today’s video.

Joy explains her story and process of dealing with depression, then says, “… The key part for me, had to do with my walk with God… That’s when I turned to the Psalms. I think if anyone in the Bible dealt with depression, it was David… David is telling his emotions the truth even when he’s not feeling it.

So, when I was feeling like God completely abandoned me, I had to tell myself, “You’re gonna put your hope in God” because I knew that was true even when I wasn’t feeling it. And now that I’m healthier and on the other side of it, I see that God never left my side. Those were lies that I started to believe… And like David, I want to continue to remind myself to put my hope in God because He’s not going to fail me even when I’m struggling with depression.”

Notes from the Beyond Suffering Bible

Direct Your Longings to God – When suffering is extended or severe, we yearn for the past—a time when the pain wasn’t so intense, relationships were whole, and the future seemed bright. But dwelling on the past only brings discouragement. Instead, we can learn to redirect our passions and longings toward the God who is able to give us what we need most: hope.

Don’t miss out! This is only one of a 25-Day series called Beyond Suffering: Where Struggles Feel Endless, God’s Hope is Infinite. Sign up to get stories like this sent to your inbox each day.

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