Orig: 11/18/02
"O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer.” 2 Samuel 7:27
"You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. O LORD , you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O LORD , have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever." 1 Chronicles 17: 25-27
As I walked down the pitch black canyon of the Yolo Bolly wilderness I knew I was close to danger. Missing the surveyor tape I tied to a shrub to point my way, I headed down the mountain knowing camp was somewhere in the canyon below. The words of warning prior to dawn haunted me, “If you miss camp to the south you will head miles into the canyon and will get lost for days.”
At that, I hurried back to the top just as my headlamp died sending me into a near panic, until I remembered to STOP (Sit, Think , Observe, Plan/Pray). I was a virgin to this wilderness but as I fumbled in the darkness for two AA batteries it hit me- I have a radio!
Calling out I got the return of laughter, the fire popping in the background and, “Fire a shot so we know where you are.”
Fifteen minutes later I was greeted by a set of headlights, and a short ride to camp where I was teased mercilessly. That lesson taught me two things about being lost in the dark wild. Sometimes you have to either call out, shoot out, or both!
I usually look at life through the half-full glass, but I have had seasons of struggling in the darkness of depression and despair. My bouts with this depression are less and less frequent but I have shaken hands with that dark side of my heart on more than one occasion. Have you ever struggled with depression?
Sometimes events bring these dark seasons back to life. Sometimes it appears as a ghost; random and free floating. Often without cause, it strikes. Other times exhaustion is the catalyst. When an empty emotional tank runs dry before refueling (Ecclesiastes 2:20). Although never personally having to resort to medication, anyone who has struggled with this will tell you that you cannot simply snap out of it.
Depression is like a dark corridor with no exit lights.
During a bout of depression the desire to pray is lost. As the spirit struggles for joy the heart forgets to pray. When the human spirit is dark the spirit of prayer is swallowed by the night shadows of the soul. However easy it is to stay lost and isolated the godly man does the right thing if he does not feel like it. He does it because a man does what is right and then feels good about it, rather than the boy waiting until he feels good to do it!
When lost in the dark canyons of despair a man must turn on his radio, load his rifle and pull the trigger saying, “So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer.” Let your prayer pierce the darkness of the soul to penetrate the throne of the Father. Sometimes prayer must be courageously forced even if a man does not feel like it. When you are not feeling at the top of your game and find yourself wandering into the canyon of despair remember Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
During a bout of depression the desire to pray is lost. As the spirit struggles for joy the heart forgets to pray. When the human spirit is dark the spirit of prayer is swallowed by the night shadows of the soul. However easy it is to stay lost and isolated the godly man does the right thing if he does not feel like it. He does it because a man does what is right and then feels good about it, rather than the boy waiting until he feels good to do it!
When lost in the dark canyons of despair a man must turn on his radio, load his rifle and pull the trigger saying, “So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer.” Let your prayer pierce the darkness of the soul to penetrate the throne of the Father. Sometimes prayer must be courageously forced even if a man does not feel like it. When you are not feeling at the top of your game and find yourself wandering into the canyon of despair remember Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
