- Being grounded on a daily basis in significant time with the Lord is a strong defense against anxiety and depression and provides a launchpad for witness.
A lot is going on in our nation and around the world in recent days, weeks, and months. Wars, rumors of more countries with more bombs, assassinations. Much of it has produced anger, anxiety, and a general tendency to despair amidst the chaos.
What might be the personal antidote to all of this?
A few years ago I had a mentor (now deceased) who was one of the wisest counselors and most effective disciple-makers I have ever known. I would call him every Friday at 10 a.m. After a few pleasantries he would say, “Well, what’s up this week in your life?” That was my cue to share a current situation – personal, church, work, family – after which he would lead us in a discussion, sharing wisdom from biblical and personal resources. I had the privilege of benefitting from his counsel for five wonderful years, before he passed.
But sometimes I would make that weekly call and, curiously, there was no answer on his end. I eventually learned that this happened when a bout of depression hit him. In those times, he practiced a mental health protocol that he and his Christian counselor had devised. It included getting out of the house and taking a walk, if possible amid nature and trees and a lake. This exercise was followed by singing a hymn or two to elevate his spirit. Next he would recite hope-filled Scripture passages. Finally, he prayed out loud, conversing with the Lord and fixing his thoughts on the holy God who was his redeemer and restorer. If necessary, he would repeat the process. The oral aspects of this protocol, especially, had positive physical, emotional and spiritual effects.
A daily ritual of biblical interaction with the Lord is hugely beneficial in difficult times. I am mindful of what Billy Graham used to say about his own devotional pattern: five Psalms daily taught him how to get along with God and a chapter from Proverbs taught him how to get along with his fellow man. In my case, I would say that the daily, devotional use of the Psalms teaches me how to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength; a Proverb a day teaches me how to pray for my family.
This is the general pattern I follow:
- I take a fifteen-minute walk as soon as I get up.
- Back home, using my Charles Wesley hymnbook (with well over 700 rarely- sung hymns) I sing a couple of his poems.
- Next I take A Metrical Psalter by Julie and Timothy Tennent (which contains all 150 psalms set to verse and paired with familiar hymn tunes) and sing two or three of those beautiful renderings.
- Then I recite five Psalms, putting the words in God’s voice for me, today. As an example, from Psalm 23: “I am your Shepherd today, Matt. And so today you will have no wants. I am going to make you lie down in green pastures today and lead you to quiet waters…”
- I read through a chapter of Proverbs and use those teachings to pray over my wife, my children, their spouses, and our grandchildren.
- Finally, I follow a Bible reading plan that daily includes portions of both Old and New Testaments.
The challenges of our personal lives, our neighborhoods, our churches, and our state and nation are unlikely to get easier. But being grounded on a daily basis in significant time with the Lord is a strong defense against anxiety and depression and provides a launchpad for witness.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you…” (Isaiah 26:3)
Matt Friedeman
