Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see.

T’was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise then when we first begun.

Lesson 4 “When You Are Troubled or Depressed”

Finding God When You Need Him Most  Each lesson addresses a need common to us all  Each lesson is viewed in the light of a specific Psalm.

Psalm 77 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted. 3 When I remember God, then I am disturbed; When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint.

Psalm 77 4 Thou hast 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. 7 Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again.

Psalm 77 8 Has His lovingkindness 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 Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?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.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 L ORD ; Surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.”

Psalm I will meditate on all Thy work, And muse on Thy deeds. 13 Thy way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? 14 Thou art the God who workest wonders; Thou hast made known Thy strength among the peoples. 15 Thou hast by Thy power redeemed Thy people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. The waters saw Thee, O God; The waters saw Thee,

Psalm 77 they were in anguish; The deeps also trembled. The clouds poured out water; The skies gave forth a sound; Thy arrows flashed here and there. 18 The sound of Thy thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook. Thy way was in the sea, And Thy paths in the mighty waters, And Thy footprints may not be known.

Psalm Thou didst lead Thy people like a flock, By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Depression Facts 1.Depression is as common as a cold; a fact God knows full well. 2.Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Job, David, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis all documented their battle with depression.

Depression Facts 3. Depression cannot be stopped on command. 4. God rarely helps any two people out of depression in the same way. “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him.” Lamentations 3:24

God’s Remedies 1.Cry out to God – vss. 1-3 God is never put off by your expressions of honest heartfelt emotion. It is therapeutic and powerful to verbalize out loud to God what you are feeling.

God’s Remedies 2. Recall past blessings vss. 4-6 When you are not depressed, make a list of all God’s blessings, keep it where you can find it!

God’s Remedies 3. Ask hard questions. vss. 7-9 The problem is not asking hard questions, the problem is asking the right person!

God’s Remedies 4. Chose to redirect your thoughts. vss I shall…remember (KJV) I will….meditate (NASB) I will….reflect (Holman) I will…recall (NLT)

God’s Remedies 5.Magnify God to make your problems look smaller. vss “Don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big your God is!”

God’s Remedies 6.Trust God to be your Deliverer. vss He is highly qualified. He is always available. He loves you more than you can imagine!

These lessons are based on a Biblical study of the book Finding God When You Need Him Most By Chip Ingram