HLM Live | DEALING WITH DEPRESSION | You’re Blessed | Elvis Ghansah

Depression is described as negative things deeply pressing a person, a deep pressing of sorrow, fear, discouragement, and hopelessness on the soul. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is given as the foundation for coming out of every depressing situation, because the help begins with Christ living inside the child of God. Psalm 42 gives the anchor, because David speaks to his own soul and asks, “Why are you cast down, oh my soul?” The soul is the place of reasoning, emotions, intellect, decision making, happiness, sadness, and anger, so when the soul is affected, everything around the person begins to feel affected too.

David’s answer to his own despair is, “Hope in God.” Hope in God becomes the medicine for the sadness, the brokenness, the loneliness, and the disturbance within. Praise becomes the answer of faith, because David says, “I shall yet praise him,” and the help of God’s presence becomes the help of the countenance. What is going on inside eventually shows outside, so the soul must be spoken to and brought back to hope in God.

Depression does not discriminate. Rich or poor, believer or unbeliever, young or old, depression can come knocking. Scripture does not hide these struggles, because David, Elijah, Job, and Jeremiah all had low moments. The Christian life is not a denial of emotional pain, and seeking help from qualified counselors or health care professionals is not lack of faith. God works through prayer, scripture, supportive community, and medical care together.

God cares about every part of life: spirit, soul, and body. Psalm 34 says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit. God never abandons broken people. Friends may disappear, family may misunderstand, but God draws closer, like a trustworthy person present with a frightened child in a storm.

Elijah shows that even an anointed man can become afraid, exhausted, and ready to die. God did not first rebuke Elijah. God gave him rest, food, water, gentleness, renewed purpose, and companionship through Elisha. Exhausted people sometimes need restoration before instruction.

Depression may come through exhaustion, grief, loss, fear, anxiety, isolation, or spiritual attack. Fear magnifies problems, and Elijah forgot yesterday’s fire because today’s threat looked too big. Isolation deepens emotional pain, but God designed believers for fellowship and burden bearing. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came to give life more abundantly, so the child of God must not run away from God, but run into God.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Speak hope to the soul David did not wait for his feelings to become strong before speaking truth to his soul. The cast down soul needed a command: hope in God, wait expectantly, praise again. The child of God can name the restlessness within without allowing despair to become the final voice. [25:02]
• 2. God draws near to brokenness The brokenhearted person is not abandoned by God as damaged goods. Psalm 34 says the Lord is near, and that nearness matters even when the storm has not stopped. The presence of God becomes the trustworthy nearness that steadies the frightened heart. [39:46]
• 3. Restoration can come before instruction Elijah’s collapse did not receive a lecture first. God gave rest, bread, water, and gentleness before correcting and recommissioning him. The Lord knows that an exhausted person may need strength restored before the next assignment can even be heard. [51:29]
• 4. Fear magnifies today’s threat Elijah had seen fire fall, yet Jezebel’s words made yesterday’s miracle feel far away. Fear has a way of enlarging the present problem until God’s faithfulness seems small. Remembering what God has done becomes warfare against the lie that today’s trouble is bigger than God. [63:53]
• 5. Isolation deepens emotional pain Isolation gives pain too much room to speak alone. God designed the child of God for fellowship, burden bearing, prayer, and somebody to stand with the person in the hard place. Withdrawal may feel safe, but it can become the enemy’s strategy to press the soul deeper. [64:23]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [22:42] - Dealing With Depression
• [23:49] - The Prince of Peace Within
• [24:42] - David Speaks to His Soul
• [29:35] - Depression Does Not Discriminate
• [31:42] - Sadness, Grief, and Clinical Help
• [34:01] - What Depression Looks Like
• [39:46] - God Is Near the Brokenhearted
• [45:21] - Elijah Under the Broom Tree
• [53:12] - David Encouraged Himself
• [55:48] - Job’s Loss and Restoration
• [58:12] - Jeremiah Remembered God’s Faithfulness
• [59:35] - Why People Experience Depression
• [64:23] - Isolation Deepens Pain
• [66:40] - Spiritual Attacks and Hope
• [73:22] - Prayer for Breaking Free

Bible Reading

Psalm 42:5, 11
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. [...] Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” [25:02]

Psalm 34:18
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” [39:50]

1 Kings 19:1-18
“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.’ And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’ Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’ Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Observation questions

1. In Psalm 42, what words does David use to describe the condition of his soul, and what response does he give to his own soul? [27:43]
2. According to Psalm 34:18, where is the Lord in relation to the brokenhearted, and what does He do for those who are crushed in spirit? [42:31]
3. In Elijah’s story, what happened right after Jezebel threatened him, and what did Elijah ask the Lord to do? [50:52]
4. What practical help did Elijah receive before he received renewed direction? [51:29]

Interpretation questions

1. David speaks directly to his soul instead of letting his feelings speak the loudest. What does that show about the place of truth, hope, and praise when a person feels cast down? [28:16]
2. God is said to be near to the brokenhearted. How might that nearness help someone who still feels the storm around them has not yet stopped? [43:11]
3. Elijah had just seen God’s power in a mighty way, yet he still became afraid and overwhelmed. What does that reveal about how fear can distort a person’s perspective in the present moment? [01:03:53]
4. God gave Elijah rest, food, water, gentleness, purpose, and companionship. What does that suggest about the way God cares for the whole person—body, soul, and spirit? [52:23]

Application questions

1. When the soul feels restless, discouraged, or downcast, what truth does it most need to hear right now? What would it look like this week to say to the soul, “Hope in God”? [25:02]
2. Some people smile publicly while suffering privately. Is there any area of hidden heaviness, weariness, or hopelessness that needs to be brought into the light with God and with a trusted believer? [37:17]
3. Seeking help is not a lack of faith. If the burden has become too heavy, what step would be wise and humble right now—prayer with others, talking with a trusted friend, meeting with a counselor, or seeing a doctor? [32:23]
4. Exhaustion can press the soul deeply. Is there a need for rest, better sleep, healthier rhythms, or care for the body that has been ignored for too long? [01:00:27]
5. Fear magnifies today’s threat and makes yesterday’s miracle feel far away. What fear has been looking bigger than God lately, and what past faithfulness of God needs to be remembered again? [01:04:02]
6. Isolation gives pain too much room to speak alone. In what ways has there been a pull to withdraw from people, and what would reconnecting to godly community look like this week? [01:04:23]
7. Running away from God only pushes a person deeper into the enemy’s pressure. In this present struggle, what would it mean in practical terms to run into God instead of away from Him? [49:47]