Bog snorkeling is a popular sport in Wales. Competitors wear flippers and diving masks with snorkels attached and try to squirm through trenches cut through peat bogs without using their arms! While I have no idea how bog snorkeling got started, I know that getting “stuck in the mud” is nothing new.
David was in that spot—emotionally speaking—when he wrote, “Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper” (Psalm 69:14). If you’ve ever been depressed, you know what he was talking about. That struggle to stay above the mud can be overwhelming, frightening, and tiring.
David expressed feelings of hopelessness, but he also tried to encourage himself despite his despair. For example, he believed that he would eventually get out of the bog. He envisioned the end of his suffering as he wrote: “Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor Him with thanksgiving” (v.30). David believed God would set him free.
And check this out—David went on to say, “Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged” (v.32). The key phrase here is “seek God’s help.” Sometimes I think we’re too quick to outsource assistance to alcohol, advice from friends, or self-help books. Why are we so reluctant to beg for God’s help when we know He’s the only one who can truly rescue us?
After all, God “hears the cries of the needy” (v.33). He’s not going to dismiss our struggles and tell us to snap out of it. He’s “the God of compassion and mercy” (Exodus 34:6). He’s the One who is always available, always listening.
Do you know someone who’s sinking in the bog? Perhaps you’re that person. If so, remember that God can and will help you to stay above the mud. Seek Him today—no snorkel needed.
More:
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand (Isaiah 41:10).
Next:
How can asking for God’s help revive a soul in despair? How does David’s example give you encouragement?
Keneld on May 21, 2009 at 9:19 am
I really feel like David …..stuck in the mud……Please Pray for me
peg on May 21, 2009 at 11:49 am
Father God I ask you to help Keneld today. Please revive, and remind Keneld that You are near and and will never forsake or abandon. That You are only a whisper away. And that at The Name of Jesus, every knee will bow….Keneld is crying out for help, please help Lord. You O’Lord know what is happening in Keneld please come to the rescue.
jennifer benson schuldt on May 21, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Peg, thank you for your beautiful prayer. And Keneld, I pray this hour, that God would encourage you supernaturally and give you hope. He is the God of all comfort. Remember that even the darkness of depression can’t isolate us from His love–although it certainly may feel that way. God’s Word is true, and we can trust it when it says, “If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” (Psalm 139). I pray that God’s presence will reassure you, and that you would have a fresh sense of His strength and support.
Danya on May 21, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I feel like David as well. Need lots of prayer. I believe God will help me.
jamiesreid on May 21, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Dear Lord, I pray that Danya is refreshed and revived in the midst of whatever circumstances have her bogged down. Even now Lord I pray that the joy of her salvation is restored unto her. Lord, you said that through much tribulation we shall enter your kingdom and you alone will be our comfort and our strength in the midst of it all. Thank you for this dear sister Lord and may she experience anew the depths of your love for her. In Jesus Christ name.Amen!
2 Cor 1:3-5
jennifer benson schuldt on May 21, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Danya,
Just wanted to let you know that I prayed for you too. I prayed that the Lord would send caring Christians to support and help you through this difficult time. I asked that God would give you the strength to persevere and walk with Him. Progress takes time and I hope that little by little, you will see God at work in your life and let His touch inspire greater faith in Him and in His healing power.
Psalm 147:3
jonathanong on May 21, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I was depressed about 10 years and my doctor put me on Prozac. Eventually it’s my faith in God that freed me from depression. Everyone who suffers from depression, seeking medical help as well as praying for God’s guidance are the right things to do.
raptureready on November 23, 2009 at 6:38 am
jonathanong,
Excellent advice. I am a Christian counselor and I have heard the words “I have been told I just need more faith”. Clinical depression is a medical problem that needs to be addressed by a physician, preferrably a Christian physician.
Clinical depression is not a problem that can be ignored. It is usually genetic and it’s twin is anxiety. Dr. Michael Lyles, a Christian Psychiatrist, compares it’s effect with cancer. The combination of depression and anxiety can literally squeeze the life out of you.
In addition, depression and anxiety must be understood-which is where counseling by a Christian counselor comes into play. Once you understand what you are up against, that it is something you must and can manage and that you can find examples of depression and anxiety in the Scriptures, you can stop feeling guilty, useless, frustrated and overwhelmed and get to God’s plan for your life. He will use your experience with depression to bring others into the Kingdom and closer to Him.
jennifer benson schuldt on November 23, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Raptureready,
Great insights. Thank you so much for posting this information. We can all learn from it—whether we are sinking in the mud ourselves, or whether we know someone else who needs help.