Psalm 77: Lessons For Turning to God to Overcome Depression
Introduction: Sometimes, believers feel trapped in their depression. They may know that God has delivered His people all throughout history. But what if your circumstances remain bleak for a prolonged time? The enemy will tell you that God is punishing you. Other believers may look at your depression the same way Job’s friends looked at him. They may question the sincerity of your faith if you don’t feel filled with joy. What can a believer do under these circumstances? Here, Asaph provides the answers through his own similar struggles. God wants you to respond to your depression by: (1) seeking His comfort, (2) lamenting to Him, (3) seeking His mercy, (4) remembering His faithfulness, (5) being grateful, (6) meditating on His love, and (7) worship.
First, Asaph cried out to God because he could not understand the reasons for his suffering. Sometimes, the answers for our suffering may feel unclear. When you feel depressed and the reasons for your suffering are unclear, God wants you to respond with prayer and seek His comfort. Second, with no relief in sight for his suffering, Asaph poured out his feelings of sadness to God. When you are suffering or feel depressed, God also wants you to pour out your heart to Him. Third, Asaph questioned if the Jews were being punished and beyond God’s mercy. Suffering is not always the result of your personal sins. But you can fight any feeling of depression tied to your own sins by seeking God’s mercy through Jesus Christ. Fourth, Asaph proclaimed that he would fight his depression by meditating on God’s faithfulness. God also wants you to fight your depression by remembering His faithfulness to you. Fifth, Asaph also fought his depression by being grateful for God’s blessings. You can also fight depression with gratitude for God’s multiple blessings in your life. Sixth, Asaph also fought his depression by meditating on God’s love through His wondrous works. You can also fight your depression by meditating on God’s love for you. Finally, Asaph also fought his depression by praising God for His power to deliver His people. You can also fight depression with praise and worship. When you stop dwelling on yourself and turn to God with praise, He will bless you with His peace.
1. Seeking Comfort: Fight Depression By Seeking God’s Comfort. Ps. 77:1-3.
Asaph cried out to God because his soul felt weary, and he could not find relief. Asaph knew of God’s many miracles. But this only made his depression feel stronger because he had not seen God intervene in the Jews’ struggle of his day the same way God had done so in the past: “For the music director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. 1 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will listen to me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; in the night my hand was stretched out and did not grow weary; My soul refused to be comforted. 3 When I remember God, then I am restless; when I sigh, then my spirit feels weak. Selah” (Ps. 77:1-3). “Given the questions that Asaph asks in the ensuing verses, it seems that at this point in his experience the songs of God’s mighty deeds in the past (likely songs now in the Psalter) only exacerbated Asaph’s desire for God to resolve the contradiction between his stated promises and purposes and the sorry state of the world. The fact that the world is evil beyond cure only makes the proof that God’s power and goodness could fix things more lacerating to Asaph’s soul.” (James M. Hamilton Jr., Evangelical Bible Theology Commentary Psalms (Vol. II: Psalms 73-150) (Lexham Academic 2021) p. 41). In other words, like many believers, Asaph wrestled with the question why God would not miraculously intervene as they cried out in a manner He has done in the past.
Even when relief does not come immediately, cry out to God when you feel depressed1
Cry out for God’s comfort when no answer will cure your feelings of depression. Asaph likely knew theology better than most people around him. But that did not make him feel better. As our example, all he could do was to cry out for God’s comfort under the circumstances (Ps. 77:1-2). David also frequently cried out when he could not find comfort: “I was crying out to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah” (Ps. 3:4). “To You, LORD, I called, and to the Lord I pleaded for compassion:” (Ps. 30:8). “Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. I cry out with my voice to the LORD; With my voice I implore the LORD for compassion.” (Ps. 142:1). When you are in need of comfort, cry out to God for His peace.
God offers you His compassion and comfort when you call out to Him. God offers you His comfort when you are feeling pain or sadness: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4; 7:6). Thus, if you are feeling sad or depressed, cry out to God and seek out His comfort.
Show others the same compassion and comfort that God offers you. When God comforts you, He asks you to show the same compassionate toward others: “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;” (Col. 3:12; Eph. 4:32). When someone around you is hurting, are you offering them the same compassion and comfort that God offers you?
2. Lamenting: Fight Depression By Pouring Out Your Heart to God. Ps. 77:4-6.
Asaph poured out his feelings of distress to God. In addition to crying out to God, Asaph lamented to God the feeling of intense sorrow and depression that had overcome him: “4 You have held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days of old, the years of long ago. 6 I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, and my spirit ponders:” (Ps. 77:4-6). Asaph showed that true faith does not require stoic silence. Instead, true faith involves pouring out your genuine feelings to God the way a child may cry out to his or her parents.
Pour out your heart to God when you feel sadness, pain or depression. Asaph was so depressed that he could neither sleep nor speak (Ps. 77:4). David was also frequently overcome with grief. When he had no one to turn to, He knew that he could always pour out his heart to God: “My eye has wasted away with grief; it has grown old because of all my enemies.” (Ps. 6:7). “My eye grows dim from misery; I have called upon You every day, LORD; I have spread out my hands to You.” (Ps. 88:9). “My eye has also become inexpressive because of grief, and all my body parts are like a shadow.” (Job 17:7). God also wants you to pour out your heart to Him when you feel grief.
God delights in your prayers. God loves you and delights in your prayers to Him: “It will no longer be said to you, ‘Forsaken,’ . . . for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married.” (Is. 62:4). He seeks to restore you when you pray to Him: “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation.” (Is. 60:15). “The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (Zeph. 3:17). Thus, our God is not a cold or distant Creator. He desires to hear your cries and restore you.
Be patient for God’s timing when your grief feels ongoing. David tried to overcome his feelings of grief and depression by reminding himself that he needed to wait on God for His perfect timing: “Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him for the help of His presence, my God.” (Ps. 42:5). “But as for me, I will wait continually, and will praise You yet more and more.” (Ps. 71:14). “Israel, wait for the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.” (Ps. 130:7). When you cry out to God, don’t demand immediate results. God wants you to trust in Him and be patient for His perfect timing.
Encourage one another in times of distress. If God has delivered you, He also wants you to be His hands and feet by being a source of encouragement to others. “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13). “But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.” (Heb. 13:22). Will you encourage others the way God is always there for you?
3. Seeking His Mercy: Fight Depression By Seeking God’s Mercy. Ps. 77:7-9.
Asaph pleaded with God to forgive the Jews’ sins and restore their blessings. The Jews had repeatedly sinned against God. Thus, Asaph questioned if their discipline would end: “7 Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? 8 Has His favor ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious, or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah” (Ps. 77:7-9). “God’s hand was obviously for Israel when they were brought out of Egypt, but now that they have broken the covenant His hand is against them. Thus the pain Asaph feels.” (Hamilton at p. 42) (italics original). Suffering is not always the result of your personal sins. But when your depression is the result of your sins, you can give thanks that God has provided a guaranteed path to forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ.
When you experience discipline because of sin, give your burdens to God. When believers sin, other believers are frequently slow to be compassionate. But even when you sin, you can cry out to God the way Asaph did (Ps. 77:7-9). David also cried out to God when either he or the Jews experienced trials or discipline because of sin: “A Psalm of David. How long, LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Ps. 13:1). “I will say to God my rock, ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”’ (Ps. 42:9). “For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Ps. 43:2). “Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor, and do not go out with our armies . . . Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?” (Ps. 44:9, 24). “A Maskil of Asaph. God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?” (Ps. 74:1). “Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?” (Ps. 85:5). Even when you commit terrible sins, you can give thanks that God is compassionate. He wants to hear your prayers.
Give thanks that God is merciful and forgiving. God does not desire to punish His people. Even when you sin, He is filled with love and compassion: “Remember, LORD, Your compassion and Your faithfulness, for they have been from of old.” (Ps. 25:6). “You, LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.” (Ps. 40:11). Thus, God wants to show you His mercy.
God’s blessings are thankfully not conditioned upon your righteousness. Every person is a sinner (Ecc. 7:20). Thus, Moses warned the Jews not to assume that God had exalted them because of their righteousness. “Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.” (Dt. 9:4-6). Thankfully, God does not expect you to be without sin. Even though you have your faults, He desires to bless you and use you. Your knowledge of your sins will only help to keep you humble.
Through Jesus, God blessed you with forgiveness. If you have faith in Jesus and repent of your sins, He will also bless you by forgiving you (1 Jo. 1:9). If a nation will turn back to God and repent, He will also heal it: “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14). If you have repented of your sins, don’t let the enemy tell you that you remain unworthy.
Jesus can also clean your heart of sin and allow you to go boldly into the throne room. As a cleansed sinner, David spoke with boldness regarding his righteousness. “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Ps. 23:3-5). Unfortunately, David’s ability to speak boldly in God’s righteousness would not last because of his sins. Unlike David, even if you have committed terrible sins, you can act with boldness before God. Through His death on the cross, Jesus has made you blameless with His righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). Through His righteousness, you can then approach God the Father in the throne room in boldness as you pray for others (Heb. 4:16). Are you praying boldly for others?
4. Remembrance: Depression Fails in the Face of God’s Faithfulness. Ps. 77:10-11.
Asaph declared that he would remember God’s faithfulness. It is common for any believer to focus on their current trial and assume that it will have no positive resolution. But God wants you to remember that He has always been faithful to you: “10 Then I said, ‘It is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed.’ 11 I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; I will certainly remember Your wonders of old.” “Very wisely this good man argued with himself, and sought to cure his unbelief. He treated himself homeopathically, treating like with like. As he was attacked by the disease of questioning, he gave himself questions as a medicine. Observe how he kills one question with another, as men fight fire with fire. Here we have six questions, one after another, each one striking at the very heart of unbelief.” (Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 77).2 God is always faithful. He wants you to remember that any trial you may encounter has a purpose, and that purpose will ultimately serve His greater good (Ro. 8:28).
When you feel depressed, remember all the times that God has been faithful to you. As our example, the Psalms remind believers that they should focus on God’s wondrous works and His faithfulness any time they struggle through a trial: “Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments spoken by His mouth,” (Ps. 105:5). “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your accomplishments; I reflect on the work of Your hands.” (Ps. 143:5). “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,” (Ps. 63:6). “While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.” (Jonah 2:7). If you are feeling depressed, focus on the many times when God has been faithful to you.
God also can allow the innocent to suffer. God may sometimes allow the innocent to suffer when it is necessary as part of His greater plan. The best example of this was Jesus. He died without sin so that mankind’s sins could be cast upon Him (2 Cor. 5:21). Thus, never assume that God is punishing you after you repent.
Remember God’s miracles in your life when you feel depressed3
Praise God because He is faithful even when you are not. The Jews did not deserve to receive an eternal covenant. But God remained faithful, even when the Jews were not. He will also remain faithful to you when your faith fails you: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13). Are you singing God’s praises for remaining faithful to you when you are not?
5. Gratitude: Fight Depression By Being Grateful for God’s Grace. Ps. 77:12.
Asaph declared that he would meditate with thanksgiving on God’s great works. Asaph found the courage to overcome his depression by being grateful for God’s goodness: “12 I will meditate on all Your work, and on Your deeds with thanksgiving.” (Ps. 77:12). Gratitude towards God is also one of the best antidotes for your feelings of depression.
Thank God in songs and prayers for His faithfulness. As an example to you, many of David’s psalms or Solomon’s proverbs contain gratitude to God for His deliverance: “A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David. I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.” (Ps. 30:1). “A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” (Ps. 27:1). “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:4). “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wonders.” (Ps. 105:2). “My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.” (Ps. 144:2). “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.” (Ps. 3:3). “On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.” (Ps. 62:7). “The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble;” (Ps. 9:9). “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” (Prov. 18:10). If you feel under attack, give thanks for God’s deliverance.
Turn your testing into your testimony. When God delivers you from depression or sadness, He wants you to share your testimony to encourage and help deliver others: “Asaph presented a three-step process to encouragement and healing. It begins with remembering God’s great works, His wonders of old. Then we should meditate on those works, and what they may have to teach us today. The third step is to talk of these great things with others.” (David Guzik on Psalm 77) (emphasis in original).4
6. God’s Love: Fight Depression By Meditating on God’s Love. Ps. 77:13-15.
Asaph focused on God’s holy character and His love for His people. Asaph could not solve his own depression. But he found a solution by focusing on God’s love for His people: “13 Your way, God, is holy; what god is great like our God? 14 You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. 15 By Your power You have redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah” (Ps. 77:13-15). “At this point in the psalm, instead of talking about praying, Asaph begins to talk to God, and instead of talking about himself Asaph begins to talk about what God has done. The turning point for Asaph comes when he stops talking about himself and starts praising the Lord.” (Hamilton at p. 42) (italics original).
There is no one who will love you the way God does. Asaph remarked that there was no one like God (Ps. 77:13). Moses made a similar declaration: “Who is like You among the gods, LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” (Ex. 15:11). There is no one like God: “For You are great, and you do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” (Ps. 86:10). If you lack the ability to understand God’s wonders to meditate on them, ask for God to give you understanding: “Make me understand the way of Your precepts, and I will meditate on Your wonders.” (Ps. 119:27). “On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” (Ps. 145:5). In your darkest hour, meditate on God’s love for you.
God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to die for you. Jesus’ death on the cross is a testament to God the Father’s loving character and His desire to be reconciled to you: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jo. 3:16). “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (Jo. 10:11). “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (Jo. 15:13). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Ro. 5:8). Jesus does not merely want to save you. He wants to delight in your fellowship, symbolized by His desire to dine with you: ‘“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20). Are you seeking out His love and fellowship?
Jesus can relate to any pain you experience because He suffered for you. Jesus suffered for mankind without sinning (Heb. 2:18). Through His suffering, Jesus can sympathize with your suffering: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15). There is no pain or burden that Jesus cannot relate to. You can show your appreciation by showing love and empathy to those who are in pain.
Focusing on God’s love is best antidote for depression. One commentator observes that “Meditation on the power and love of God revealed in His great acts of deliverance will turn lamentation into praise and doubt into comfort. This psalm beautifully traces this transformation in the psalmist’s experience. He is at first frustrated and afraid, sensing that God’s love for him has come to end; but the more he thinks about God the more he remembers God’s incomparable saving acts, and he is filled with praise and adoration. By focusing on the love and power of God, the suffering saints of all ages find comfort and reassurances in their faith.” (Allen Ross, A Commentary of the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89), Kregel Academic (2013) p. 645-46) (italics in original).
7. Worship: Depression Fails When You Praise God for Delivering You. Ps. 77:16-20.
Asaph worshiped God for His amazing acts of deliverance. Asaph concluded by praising God that He loved His people enough to deliver them in their times of struggle. He specifically invoked God’s deliverance of His people at the Red Sea as proof of His love: “16 The waters saw You, God; the waters saw You, they were in anguish; the ocean depths also trembled. 17 The clouds poured out water; the skies sounded out; Your arrows flashed here and there. 18 The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19 Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, and Your footprints were not known. 20 You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Ps. 77:16-20). If you turn to God in worship for His amazing acts of deliverance, you will stop focusing on your own problems. This will in turn allow God to heal your depression by giving you peace.
God’s deliverance at the Red Sea after 400 years of oppression was proof of God’s love. Asaph had wondered if God’s absence meant that He had stopped loving His people. But he realized that God’s deliverance of His people at the Red Sea was proof that God had not abandoned His people (Ps. 77:16-20; Ex. 14:21; Josh. 2:10; Is. 51:10). Why did Asaph pick this miracle over others? Because the Jews had to wait 400 years to be delivered from their oppression. God had not forgotten the Jews. He simply waited for His timing to deliver His people. If Psalm 76 dealt with the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews, a descendant of Asaph may have drafted Psalm 77 during the Jews’ exile. During both periods of captivity, the Jews had to be patient for God’s deliverance.
God miraculously parted the waters and allowed His people to pass on dry ground5
God’s voice carries amazing power like thunder. Although not recorded in the original Exodus account, Asaph reveals that God’s voice thundered and commanded the Red Sea: “18 The sound of Your thunder . . .” (Ps. 77:18). David likewise extolled how that “The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.” (Ps. 18:13). “The voice of the LORD is on the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters.” (Ps. 29:3). “So He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and He led them through the mighty waters, as through the wilderness.” (Ps. 106:9). In David’s song of deliverance, he also stated: “The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.” (2 Sam. 22:14). “The voice of the LORD is on the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters.” (Ps. 29:3). Hannah also declared in her prayer: “Those who contend with the LORD will be terrified; against them He will thunder in the heavens, the LORD will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed.” (1 Sam. 2:10). Jeremiah also declared: “When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, and He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings out wind from His storehouses.” (Jer. 51:16). In the book of Job, Elihu also stated of God: “Its thundering voice declares His presence; the livestock also, concerning what is coming up.” (Job 36:33). “At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place. Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, and His lightning travels to the ends of the earth. After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, and He does not restrain the lightning when His voice is heard.” (Job 37:1-4). These persons stood in awe of God’s power.
Give thanks that God wants to use His power to deliver you. Moses referred to God as awe inspiring or “awesome”: “You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.” (Dt. 7:21). The psalmists also referred to God as being awesome: “Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works! . . . . Come and see the works of God, who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.”’ (Ps. 66:3, 5). “O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!” (Ps. 68:35). “Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness.” (Ps. 145:6; 106:22; Is. 64:3). The judge Deborah also used similar words in her song of deliverance to describe God (Jdgs. 5:4-5); (Nahum 1:5; Is. 64:1; Hab. 3:3-15). God further uses His power to protect His people (1 Sam. 7:10). He also wants to help you as well. But He seeks a faith that leads to a desire to follow and trust Him.
Sing praises to God’s power to boost your faith in times when it is weak. Like Asaph, God wants you to trust in His absolute power to solve your problems. He also wants you to boost your faith by including similar praises for His mighty power in your prayers and praises (Ro. 10:17). ‘“Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,’ . . . ‘Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”’ (Jer. 32:17, 27). “And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”’ (Matt. 19:26; Gen. 18:14). “In Your faithfulness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; in Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.” (Ex. 15:13). “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Ex. 20:2). If God does not respond to your prayer requests, it may be because you are asking amiss or it is not His will. Yet, if He does not respond, it will never be because He lacks the power to do so.
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