October 1, 2023 | Luke Dahlenburg
Good God, Dark Days
Bible Reading: Psalm 42:1-11
Two in five people in Australia experience a mental health condition at some point in their life. These struggles affect all types of people across all walks of life.
Source: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/media/statistics
Toxic Positivity
Phrases like:
- Positive vibes only!
- It could be worse.
- What’s there to cry about? It’ll be fine.
- You have so much going for you – how can you be upset?
Has toxic positivity crept into Christianity?
- Have more faith.
- Pray harder.
- God wouldn’t want you to go through something like this.
- God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.
- The victory is yours if you just believe.
If you don’t confront or process emotions in an effective and timely manner, the science shows that it can lead to a myriad of psychological difficulties including disrupted sleep, increased substance abuse, risk of an acute stress response, anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Jaime Zuckerman, Clinical psychologist.
God has extraordinary love and compassion towards those facing mental health challenges.
Lament: A song of mourning or sorrow for the way things shouldn’t be but are. 59 (out of 150) Psalms are classified as lament.
Worry / Anxiety | μέριμνα – Merimna
2 Cor 11:28, Phil 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7 – Same word each time.
Being Christians and members of church does not make us immune from mental health challenges.
If you or someone you know might be struggling with mental health challenges, we want you to know we love you because Jesus loves you and that we want to walk alongside you as an important part of our church community. Please know that it’s important to seek professional help. Your GP is normally a good place to start
Psalm 42:1-5, Wave 1
The Community Of Comfort.
I Will Yet Praise Him.
- Rev 5:13
Psalm 42:6-11, Wave 2
Rivers Of Living Water.
- John 4:13-14, John 3:5
Jesus’ Psalm 42 Experience.
Claudia’s Story: https://mentalhealthinstitute.org.au/mental-health/claudias-story/