Worship Until The Worry Is Absorbed Into The Presence Of God – My Silver Bullet For Depression

Are you tired of worrying? Is much of your life spent considering the worst that could happen, rather than the best? Is there an ongoing fear of the next phone call, the next day of work, the next relational challenge that faces you?

click here to download as a Facebook cover photo; quote design by joel klampert

I know much about the feelings above. I’ve struggled with severe depression since I was in junior high school, and it has only been in the last few years that I have begun to experience more joy, more peace, and more energy than I had known in all the years before.

There has never been one silver bullet that fixed everything inside, all at once.

Prayer, diet, thyroid medication, a certain brand of ginseng supplement, new jobs, exercise, age, and changes in vocation have all helped.

But far outweighing them all has been my pattern of personal, musical worship.

It is the closest thing I have found, other than caring for someone else in need, to a silver bullet in my lifelong battle.

Worship, entered into willingly or painfully, attacks the fear within right at the core, and breaks it down.

I sit down at the keyboard, or with my guitar, and I sing the songs of Zion – the songs of Home.

If I’m not near my instruments, I fill my headphones with songs I deeply resonate with, believe, and that point me to Jesus.

I don’t turn to my “art” songs in these moments. I turn to my “faith” songs that will direct me Home.

And I sing.

And I sing.

And I sing.

I sing with the car windows down.

I sing on the mountain where I run.

I sing in my house when no one is there but God and me.

I sing until I lose myself in truth, in love, and in worship.

I worship until the worry is absorbed into the presence of God.

Find your songs. Find your space.

And sing until the fear bleeds and Hope flows once again through your veins.

“6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
    ‘This one was born in Zion.’

7 As they make music they will sing,
    ‘All my fountains are in you.'”

Psalm 87:6-7


Question: Can you recall a moment when fear gripped you, and then you sang until something changed? What song was it, and what happened in you? Leave a comment by clicking here.

AVAILABLE NOW

Sheltering Mercy and Endless Grace help us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. Sheltering Mercy helps the reader pray Psalms 1-75; Endless Grace leads in prayer through Psalms 76-150.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. Each book contains 75 prayers drawn from the Book of Psalms, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning there. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

These artful, poetic, and classic devotional books are a perfect gift, and feature compelling stunning illustrations and hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms. Co-written with Ryan Whitaker Smith, Brazos Publishing.

Pre-Order below, and join my email list, to get author notes and updates about the book and events around it. 

Get free eBooks and updates

Enter your email address to receive free ebooks, encouragements, updates, and news about events.
I'll only email you occasionally, and I always seek to send something that encourages you.