Psalm 119:164 – Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.”
THEME OF THE DAY. BEATING THE BLUES. Every Christian goes through those spiritual experiences called “the blues”; those down times of sadness, maybe discouragement or depression, that just don’t have a cause. We are not in sin. Nor are we totally dysfunctional. We simply are stuck in a spiritual fog that has taken the spring out of our step, the joy to be less in our hearts, and the routines of life almost like little balls and chains dragging us down. Yes, each of us experiences these seasons; that is why it is cruel, unbiblical, and wrong to advertise the Christian life as problem-free and “happy in Jesus all the day long.” Granted, we live with sure hope, even in dark times, but not every day is lived on the Mount of Transfiguration or in the third heaven. Someday we will know constant joy and sunshine, but that day is not today or on any day this side of heaven. However, we can get through “the blues” and that quite quickly if we learn to do four things. Let’s consider them today.
First, get our focus off ourselves. When depression, discouragement, sadness, or “the blues” settles in, the first and strong tendency is to give all our attention to how bad we feel. We quickly become self-absorbed and anything with “self” attached except “self-control” and “self-denial” is destined to keep the dark clouds of “the blues” hanging over us. To beat this season, we must, under God’s power, get self out of the way; live crucified. Then, we are able to do the next three things to lift us out of “the blues.”
Next, give extended and structured time for prayer, but prayer for others. Be like Jesus in the work of intercession (John 17). Make a dedicated effort to carve out time to pray earnestly and fervently for others. Refuse to pray for yourself. Give the time over to lift-up brothers and sisters in the good work of interceding prayer. This is so liberating to the soul and makes us so much like the self-emptying Jesus.
A third thing to do to drive away “the blues” is go and serve people. Visit a shut-in, invest in a youth, get involved in a ministry of serving others in your church, mentor a brother or sister, or find somewhere who needs a listening ear. Opportunities to serve the Lord are daily and endless. “The blues” will not keep company with a self-denying servant of Christ.
A final act to bring sunshine back into our souls is in today’s scripture – build a lifelong habit of daily, frequent praise. Now the number seven in the reference isn’t a quota. It isn’t like we stop at certain times, seven times, to praise. The emphasis is on “very often.” Praise is to be a regular habit from the heart, no matter the day or season. And to praise is an act of the will. Try this. When “the blues” start to sneak up on us, start to praise. Start thanking God for who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised. Make it frequent. It will become habit-forming and when it does, prayer follows as a delightful habit; time in the Word becomes a delightful habit; serving the body of Christ becomes a delightful habit and “the blues” will not be able to cling to a praising, praying, studying, and serving child of God.
Due to sin, the devil, the world, and our weak flesh, “the blues” simply are a part of the Christian experience. However, we can go a long way in making that experience short-lived as we learn a life of focusing off ourselves, commit to intercessory prayer, serve others, and develop a life of praise.
PRAYER: “Lord, help me to live a life of praise everyday not just Sunday.”
QUOTE: “Praise, prayer and service are great ways to lift us out of the blues.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim