Written by Kerry Patton, Pastoral Care
Ministry
And there were shepherds living out
in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the
Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were terrified. But the angel said to
them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be
for all the people. Today in the town of
David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:8-11
“…Good
news of great joy…” Practically by design,
Christmas is intended to be a time of joyful expectation. But real life happens, and sometimes
Christmas can be a time of emotional darkness, painful reflection, loneliness
and sadness. Financial stresses,
relationship difficulties, health problems, and other factors can cause the
season to turn on us and transform “the most wonderful time of the year” into
an emotional adversary. Perhaps you can
identify with these words.
In Psalm 22,
one of the clearest scriptural portraits of human suffering and emotional
darkness is painted by David. In Matthew 27:46,
when Jesus was suffering upon Calvary’s cross, at one point he cried out: My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me? – quoting a portion of that very Psalm.
Consider the following
words from this same passage of Psalm
22: Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my
groaning? O my God, I cry out by day,
but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent…” and later: “I am poured
out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted
away within me.
If you are one such person
who really struggles during the holidays, these passages may resonate with
you. If so, what insight and assistance
can you find to help in coping with very difficult times? What does faith have to say when you are
battling depression?
Psalm
22 - that passage that was on the mind of Jesus during
his darkest hours of suffering, is not only a pronouncement of suffering, but
also a hymn of praise. In the midst of
unspeakable suffering, Psalm
22 helped Jesus cast himself upon and hold strong to the
unfailing presence of his Father. The
text reads in verses 4-5:
In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved. They trusted and were not disappointed.
A powerful help for when
you are depressed is the knowledge that you are not alone in your
suffering. Many of us struggle with
depression…particularly during the holidays.
But even more so, we are never alone
in our suffering. Our God is with
us. We trust in the Lord Jesus, and cry
out to him. In doing so, we give voice to our pain and darkness, and we are
reminded that we have not been abandoned in our place of pain. Our Heavenly Father is by our side and he
will not leave us alone. His love for us
is immeasurable and unfailing, and in our weakness, we will be made strong
through the storm. By his grace and
loving kindness, you are going to make it!
Scripture to Claim:
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will
never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22
Psalm 55:22
