Finding Hope in the Midst of Anxiety and Depression: A Christ-Following Perspective on Mental Health

I love the story of Ms Ferdinand.

Ms Ferdinand is friends with one of our church members And just what a great reminder for us this morning that we're part of a much bigger story than just what we see Our gods that work around the world.

The same God that's showing up in Somerville and saving people and setting people free is at work in Madagascar the Sakalapa people, through people like Ms Ferdinand.

And you need to know this morning as well that when you give to Somerville Baptist Church, that 12 cents of every dollar that you give goes right out the door to missions, both here locally and around the world.

So when we give, we give so that the gospel can go to the ends of the earth, and I love that story.

So grateful to Ms Ferdinand and Braden for putting that together for us this morning.

But let's go to the Lord in prayer as we begin.

Father, we're grateful that we're part of your story.

We're grateful that, god, you are the supreme author.

You hold the world in your hands And, father, we believe that our lives are in your hands as well.

And so today, god, we pray that by the power of your spirit, you would speak to our hearts, to the pages of your word, father, that we would leave here not having simply sung some songs and listen to a message, but that we would leave here having encountered the risen and resurrected Jesus in a way that compels us to change.

Because of your great love, father, we love you and we thank you in Jesus' name, and everybody says together amen.

So I don't know if yesterday was a big day at your house, but it was a big day at our house.

It started early, kind of like Super Bowl Sunday, because yesterday was Coronation Day And my wife was up early yesterday morning She was on the phone with my mom and my sister, who were also up early, and they were watching the coronation of King Charles first coronation in almost 70 years.

The last one took place in 1953.

It was a big deal, my wife and my mom and my sister.

They had done their homework, they had watched film, they'd seen the crown on Netflix.

They were ready for Coronation Saturday And I entered the picture about the time that King Charles stepped out on the balcony for the first time.

I don't know if you saw that moment, but the doors opened and some of the guards stepped out And then the king came out wearing the crown.

He had the fur on, he had the regal attire on And he stepped out on the balcony and he saw the people for the first time as king.

And what happened before that was interesting too, because people were trying to make their way towards the gathering space in front of the balcony where the king would appear.

And there was a moment where the guards kind of moved out of the way And all of a sudden, what did you see?

People just began to run to see the king And as I watched that I just was thinking, like what was it like to be King Charles in that moment, when the doors opened and you step out on the balcony and you see your people, your subjects, if your kingdom running towards you to see you and you start to wait?

I just wonder, like what does it feel like as king to look out and know that in some way?

like whether you know how much influence he actually has and policies and all that we could debate that later But like in some way, shape or form, the people of the UK are looking to the king for leadership and influence and responsibility.

They're looking for a leader.

I just wonder, like what that weight feels like to be king and know that the people are watching you.

And I want to talk this morning about the idea of weight.

We all know what it's like to carry weight, to be under weight maybe not the weight of a king.

If you are a king, please tell me afterwards.

I'd love to hear that story and how you ended up here and what you're not.

You know why you're here, all that kind of stuff, but we all know what it's like to be under weight And I want to talk specifically today about the weight of anxiety and depression.

We're going to title today's message the weight of the world, because if you've ever been under anxiety or in depression, you know that that feels like you're being crushed by a weight that you cannot get out from underneath, and it's a big deal And it's a prevalent deal in our society today.

And I want to make a couple of opening remarks as we begin.

Number one this is an incredibly complex issue And we could spend multiple weeks talking about anxiety and multiple weeks talking about depression.

We're going to put them together in one conversation today And just know that we're not going to cover every facet, every nuance of this conversation today.

I'm not an expert on either of these subjects.

I'm a pastor.

I don't have a psychology degree or a counseling degree, but I have done my research.

This week.

I've talked to people that know much more about this subject than I do I've read.

I'm going to stick more closely to my notes than I normally do today Because I want to speak with clarity and with accuracy about an issue that affects a lot of people in really tangible ways, and I'm going to address it today from the spiritual angle.

And let me just say this There is a professional angle to this as well, and if you need to see a counselor, then we can get you connected to a counselor.

If you need to talk to a doctor and maybe use medication for a season to help you get a handle on anxiety and depression, i think God's given us a great gift in modern medicine that he can use for his glory to bring people out of a place of pain and darkness.

But I don't want us to disconnect or discount the spiritual side of this conversation either, because we're holistic beings.

We're not spiritual here and emotional here and psychological or physical here.

We're all connected.

It all works together, and what I believe is that there is power, in the truth of God's word to shine a light into the darkness and set people free.

I'm going to talk more about that as we go, and last opening remark is this This issue, it exists on a spectrum, and what I mean by that.

In some ways, we're all sad When we read bad news or we hear something painful.

We all experience moments of sadness That's different than clinical depression that leaves you unable to get out of bed and go about your normal life.

We all experience the low level anxiety of life on this planet.

I'm running late for a meeting, i'm nervous about this day at work or this conversation with a boss, like.

We all experience that.

Some anxiety can even be positive because it might make you get to work and think through things a little more clearly so you can do your best, put your best foot forward.

We all experience some low level anxiety On the other end of that spectrum, our anxiety disorders that are crippling and leave us unable to function in the real world for fear of what could happen in the future.

So we understand a lot of nuance, a lot of more conversations to be had than simply today, but here's why we're talking about this today.

This past week, the US Surgeon General declared a new epidemic in our nation, an epidemic that he called the epidemic of loneliness And pre-COVID.

He told us that 51% of US adults reported significant levels of loneliness Pre-COVID.

And then we went through what we've been through the last three years.

I'll tell you that for two reasons.

One loneliness is directly linked to increased levels of anxiety and depression.

If you feel alone, of course you're going to become more anxious.

Of course you're going to become more depressed.

Beyond that, loneliness also carries with it a mortality impact.

That's the same equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

So not only is this an issue that's affecting our minds, it's literally impacting our lifespan at this point in time.

According to peer research, 41% of Americans have reported high levels of psychological distress over the last three years.

Not just a level of psychological distress, but high levels.

Four in 10 Americans, 44% of high school students, have said that at some point in time in the last 12 months they have felt sad or hopeless for two plus weeks in a row.

That left them unable to participate in normal activities.

So it's not just adults defecting our younger generations as well, and 40% of US parents say that they are worried or extremely worried about anxiety and depression in their children.

So chances are, if it's not affecting you, it's definitely affecting somebody that you're rubbing shoulders with, you're having conversations with every single day.

I was talking to a friend of mine who's a counselor and she defined anxiety as this.

Anxiety is being stuck in uncertainty about the future.

Depression is the presence of pain from the past that just won't go away.

So that's what we're talking about today, again, from a spiritual sense.

The question then becomes well, how does God speak to this issue?

May is mental health awareness.

Mom, is God aware of our mental health?

Does God care about our mental health?

So a couple of New Testament verses, and then we're going to go to Psalm 42.

The first verse from the New Testament is this Philippians 4, 6.

And this is many people's go-to verse when it comes to the conversation around anxiety.

This is where Paul, the apostle Paul, says this don't be anxious about anything, which is not that helpful If you're anxious about everything.

Right, i mean, it's like if somebody's struggling with anxiety and you read Philippians 4, 6, don't be anxious about everything, it's like, well, that's what I want, that's what I'm trying to do.

I'm trying not to be anxious about anything, but I'm actually anxious about everything.

I don't know how to get from everything to anything, and so what I want to talk about today is not just throw Philippians 4, 6 out there.

I want to say, hey, how do we get there?

How do we get to the place where we're able to say, like Paul does, don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, let's lay our anxieties at the feet of Jesus and find peace?

How do we get there?

If you're struggling today, how do we get there?

Well, you need to know this.

Number 2, second verse, romans 12, to God cares about your mental health.

This is what Paul writes in Romans 12.

Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

Isn't that powerful?

Almost 2,000 years ago, paul was like hey, your mental health matters.

In fact, it's the secret to a transformed life.

It's in your mind.

Don't let the world shape You, don't be conformed to the pattern of this world, but let the Holy Spirit do a work on the inside of you through the renewal of your mind.

With that we're going to go to Psalm 42.

It's been said that every emotion in a human experience is articulated in the Psalms, and I love that.

This is a real book, written by real people in real situations who are dealing with real stuff.

Aren't you glad that we don't have some sanitized version of life on the pages of Scripture, like we get the real thing.

We get people who, in their lowest moment, in the grip of anxiety and uncertainty, in the grip of deep sadness, say, hey, i'm going to hope in God anyway.

And we're going to see that today in Psalm 42.

And what we're going to get from Psalm 42 is a picture of how God wants to renew our minds.

So Psalm 42, the Psalmist writes this as a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, oh God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my food day and night.

They say to me all the day long where is your God?

These things I remember, as I pour out my soul, how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, oh my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God, my soul, is cast down within me.

Therefore, i remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mazar.

Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls, all your breakers and your waves have gone over me by the day, by day.

The Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning Because of the oppression of the enemy, as with the deadly wound in my bones my adversaries taught me?

now they say to me all the day long where is your God?

Why are you cast down, o my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God".

This is a psalm that is full of tension.

Did you catch it as we were reading Like, on one hand, the psalmist is over here and he's praising God, he's thanking God, it's steadfast love and faithfulness.

On the other hand, he's like where's God?

Full of tension.

So let's talk about the tension in Psalm 42, just for a moment.

There's a tension here between where the psalmist is and where the psalmist used to be Where I am and where I was.

See, we like to talk about the tension between where I am and where I want to be.

Right, i'm not yet who I need to be and where I want to be, but I'm not yet where I used to be either.

But the psalmist here.

He's like let's not even talk about the future quite yet, let's just say here's where I am and here's where I used to be, and that's what he says.

He says here, where I am is this I am longing for a sense of God's presence.

As the deer pants for flowing streams, so thirst my soul for the living God Like.

I deeply desire to sense God's presence in my life.

Like a deer looking for water in the wilderness, i want the presence of God, but right now I'm feeling alone.

When shall I come and appear before God?

Have you ever felt like God was distant?

It's where the psalmist is.

Not only that, but psalmist is experiencing overwhelming sadness.

My tears have been my food, day and night.

You ever cried so much you could taste it.

So many tears has run into your mouth Like.

This is where he is.

My tears have been my food, but not only that.

My tears are taunting me.

The weight, the pain is taunting me, saying where is your God?

It's where he is.

Then he's like that's not where I used to be, it's not where I was.

And I love what he says in verse four.

These things I remember as I pour out my soul.

I'm talking to God about the pain in my life And I'm remembering when I used to lead the procession to the house of God.

What he's saying is hey, i used to be the worship leader.

I used to be out front leading the charge.

I used to be leading the way.

I'm on the front row of my hands lifted, singing praises to God.

I got glad shouts of festival of praise.

I used to be right there, but now tears for food, overwhelming sense of loneliness, like God has forgotten me.

Second tension in this passage is the tension between what I know and what I feel.

So I'm gonna say I know.

I know that I need to hope in God.

I know that I will again praise him.

I know he's my salvation.

I know he's my God.

I know he was faithful from Jordan to Herman Mount Mazzar.

I know he's been faithful in the past.

I know that even when deep calls to deep, that literally means chaos, speaks to chaos When the chaos of life is all around me.

I know that God's faithful, his love, is present there.

I know that at night his song is with me.

I know he's my rock, i know it, but I don't feel it.

You ever been there, i know, like I know it in my head, but the circumstances in my heart, like I don't feel it right now, and that's what the Psalmist says.

I say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me?

I know you're there, but I feel like you've forgotten me.

I feel like I'm alone And I feel like I'm in pain.

I'm mourning because the enemy seems like he's got his thumb on me.

I feel like there's a deadly wound in my bones, like deep on the inside.

Do you hear his pain?

I'm anxious about the future, uncertain about the future And I'm in pain.

My adversaries they taught me all the day long saying where is your God?

So there's tension between where he is and where he was.

There's tension between what he knows and what he feels.

And isn't that sometimes, where we all live our life, used to be leading the way, leading worship?

Maybe you didn't actually lead worship.

Some of you don't need to lead worship.

You just need to sing from where you are, and that's me.

I need to sing from where I am.

I don't need a microphone to sing up here.

That's fine, not where I was anymore, it's where I am.

I know God is good, i know he's faithful, i know he's present, but what I feel is like God's forgotten me, like I'm in mourning, like I've been beaten down by enemies.

There's pain, a deadly wound.

I'm surrounded by the taunting voices of those who are against me And I want you to know this morning that in the struggle of anxiety and depression, the enemy will speak to you.

Jesus in the New Testament talks about how Satan is.

The father of lies, says he's been lying from the beginning.

You go all the way back to Genesis, chapter three.

What is Satan's strategy?

in the garden with Adam and Eve, he tries to convince them of a lie.

Did God really say Surely?

he didn't really say.

It's lies that are the strategy of the enemy.

And the psalmist in this moment says that when anxiety and depression is present in your life, the lie of the enemy becomes this Where is your God?

Where's your God?

You're under a weight You can't get out from underneath.

Where's your God?

now You're walking through pain that you didn't choose and that you can't fix.

Where's your God now?

You used to be leading the way, feeling full of faith, and now your life feels empty and broken.

Where's your God?

Life used to be vibrant, full of hope, but now it's dark and hopeless.

Where is your God?

That is where the enemy wants us to have that refrain in our minds Where is your God?

I just want to take a few moments this morning and offer some application thoughts from Psalm 42.

If you want to title this section, you can.

You can write down these are ways to fight the lie.

This isn't a four-step process to get out from under the weight of anxiety and depression.

I just want to give us some practical handholds from the Scriptures that we can use to fight the lie of the enemy When he begins to speak into our ears.

Where's your God?

Where's your God?

Where's your God?

We need something to hang on to, and the first application is this If you're walking through anxiety or depression, you're struggling with your mental health, name the weight, but don't let the weight name you.

Name the weight, but don't let the weight name you.

I love the honesty of the Psalmist in Psalm 42.

Like the deer pants for water, so I am longing for God.

I am honest about my longing, my desire for God, and I'm honest about the pain that I'm walking through.

I was talking to my friend that's a counselor and she described how sometimes, when it comes to anxiety and depression, it's like we're trying to hold a beach ball under the water.

We want to keep it buried, keep it hidden, not let anybody see, so that on the surface everything looks good, but under the surface we're struggling, trying to keep this beach ball pressed down under the water.

What eventually happens if you try to keep a beach ball pressed under the water?

You get hit by a wave or something happens.

You lose your footing and all of a sudden the beach ball flies up, it knocks you in the face, it splatters water and it makes a mess.

And her point was this when it comes to anxiety and depression, we cannot keep it buried.

When we're struggling, we cannot keep it buried.

Name it, speak it out loud.

Say I'm dealing with blank.

Talk to somebody.

Maybe start and talk to God, he knows.

Anyway.

Say God, i'm dealing with this, i'm anxious about this, this situation.

This is breaking my heart.

I'm concerned about my career.

I'm uncertain about the landscape of the, whatever it is Like.

Name the weight.

God, i'm dealing with this.

Bring your life group in, bring a mentor in, bring in somebody you trust, because honesty lets the light in.

It's like opening a window in a dark room.

All of a sudden you've got an access point for truth and light to go into the darkness.

You don't have to hold the beach ball under the water alone.

Let the light in, name it, but don't let it name you.

Our tendency in our world today is to say I'm sad, i think I must be depressed.

I'm depressed Or I'm struggling with anxiety.

Therefore, i am anxious And we label ourselves, we label people and then all of a sudden it just becomes this self-perpetuating cycle where we have just received a name, a label.

Only God has the right to name you and to define your life, to tell you who you are.

The struggle you are facing today does not define your future.

You're not defined by the lowest moment.

You're not defined by the part of you that you want to keep hidden.

You are who God says you are.

You're a love son or daughter of the King.

You're a joint heir with Jesus, who shed his blood because he loves you.

You're seated with Christ in heavenly places.

You're the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

You're forgiven, you're set free.

Your sin is separated from you as far as the east is from the west.

Don't let the lie of the enemy label you in a moment of weakness and a season of struggle.

Only God has the right to define your life.

Only God has the right to define who you are.

Second thing we want to do we want to get a vision for what's possible.

We want to dream again.

We want to hope again.

We want to believe that where we are isn't where we're going to stay.

Just because you're struggling today doesn't mean the rest of your life is going to be characterized by the season that you're currently in.

I love the Psalmist.

Here.

He says hey, i remember.

I'm pouring out my soul to God.

I'm telling him about my pain, my uncertainty, my fear, my anxiety, my depression.

I'm telling him about it, and all the while, i'm remembering that this is not always how it's been And I'm reminding myself that this is not always how it will be.

There's a moment in John, chapter 5, where Jesus encounters a man who is blind and lame and paralyzed, laying by a pool called Bethesda.

John 5 · chapter mention

Jesus walks up to him and his question to the man is do you want to be healed?

And the man instantly is like, well, i can't get in the pool, i can't get in the water.

I've been laying here for 30 something years, i just can't get there.

And Jesus is like that's not the question.

Do you believe it's possible that you could be better?

And I want to ask us that today.

Do you believe it's possible that God can step into your story, that He can do something and change something?

and in a moment God could change it all?

And, if we're honest, isn't that sometimes part of the problem?

Because we're like I know that if God wanted to, in an instant He could step in and He could do.

Whatever God does, he could speak or snap His fingers or look the right way, he could do something and He could fix it all in a moment.

Sometimes He does, sometimes it's like a switch flips and everything changes.

But sometimes, maybe most of the time, god chooses to work through a process, one degree to the next, incremental change by incremental change, until one day you wake up and you realize that, hey, god has lifted a weight that you could not lift on your own And all of a sudden there's real hope, real vibrancy in your life again.

And God has done it.

It took a long time and it didn't happen nearly as quickly as I would have liked or you would have liked, but God has done something.

We're struggling today.

Let's get a vision for what's possible.

God can do it.

God can do it.

He can redeem, he can restore, he can give back what the locusts have taken.

God can do it.

See it through the eyes of faith.

Number three we want to anchor truth in our heart.

In the midst of the struggle, when the lies of the enemy are beating on us, the weight is pressing down, we want to anchor truth in our heart.

Right in the middle of this Psalm, verse five, the enemy, or the Psalmist, says this why are you cast down?

Oh, my soul, he stops talking to the enemy, he stops thinking about the enemy And he's like, hey, i need to preach to myself right now.

And he's like, hey, soul, what's the matter with you?

Why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God.

Sometimes you just need to look at yourself and remind you hey, self, i am going to hope in God today.

Jesus came, jesus died, jesus resurrected.

He saved me and set me free.

We need to preach the gospel to ourselves so that we have the strength in to live it out in the world.

The psalmist says hoping God, i will again praise him, my salvation and my God And I love what happens.

Next He says, hey, in the middle of the chaos, in the middle of the circumstances that are outside of my control, i know that the Lord commands his steadfast love.

I know his love is present.

Remind your soul of that.

Sometimes, in the midst of the struggle, god, your love is with me.

And then this phrase I love this phrase.

And at night, his song is with me.

Why do we want to anchor truth in our hearts?

so that in the darkness we've got a song to sing.

Maybe it's a scripture that's encouraging you and building you up.

You need to write it on a post-it note and stick it on your mirror.

So the first thing in the morning, instead of the lies of the enemy, you see the truth of God's Word.

Or set it as a background on your phone, write it, stick it on your bedside table, write it on your hand.

I couldn't do that growing up, but I'm a grown man now so I can write a piece of scripture on my hand if I want to.

You know My parents were against tattoos.

Didn't stop Sam.

But you know, we were in the upstate earlier and Judah, my three-year-old, walks out of the bedroom and he had gotten in a pen and he came out with scribble all over his thighs And he was like, oh, i'm gonna get this.

And he was like, look, i got tattoos, like Sam, you know.

And so, hey, if that works for you, write it on your arm.

So when it says in Deuteronomy, right, bind it on your forehead Like write it, write down the truth, put it somewhere where you see it.

Remind yourself of the truth of God's Word so that in the dark, you've got a song to sing.

You ever been riding in the car, going down the road and all of a sudden, at the right moment, the right song comes on the radio And I know like it's not always Scripture, but it's maybe inspired by the truth of God's Word and there's something in the song that just gets anchored in your heart.

And next time you're in a circumstance you're like, that song comes to me.

Sing the song in the dark.

Don't wait for the light to sing the song, anchor truth in your heart and sing God's song at night.

Last, we wanna remember forever.

Remember forever, i love.

Where the Psalmist lands this, he repeats what he says in verse five, in verse 11.

He says again why are you cast down on my soul, why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God, for I will again praise him, my salvation and my God.

So he says, hey, i'm gonna remember his faithfulness in the past and be honest about the situation that I'm walking through.

I'm gonna anchor the truth in my heart in the midst of the darkness.

But I'm looking forward to a day when again I will praise God, when I will know that God is my salvation.

I'll see faith made sight.

I'll experience the fullness of God's presence.

What's the last word of Psalm 42?

God.

God gets the final word over anxiety and depression.

Revelation 21 puts it like this I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more.

And I saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death will be no more.

Neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore for the former things have passed away.

And he who was seated on the throne said behold, i am making all things new.

And he said write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

Isn't that good That in the midst of the uncertainty, under the weight of anxiety and depression, we have a God who has said there is coming a day.

Well, i will wipe the tears from your eyes And all that is broken now will be made new.

It'll all be redeemed.

You can trust it, because it's true.

This season isn't the end of the story.

God is at work and he is in the process of redeeming and restoring all things.

So, in the darkness of this day, we want to remember the glory of that day.

The darkness of today, we want to remember the glory of Revelation, 21, day when we see God and all that's made new.

And if you're here today and you're struggling with anxiety and depression, it's pretty normal for you to feel like you're all alone.

I just want to say today you're not alone.

You're not alone.

God sees you, god loves you, god's with you, he's for you, he's at work in you And God's going to be present through the struggle.

He's walking with you through the valley of the shadow of death.

For our family, tara and I, the last couple of years have been challenging in a lot of ways, really difficult in a lot of ways.

We together have lost four grandparents.

Tara's uncle passed tragically and suddenly my mom was diagnosed with cancer and continues to fight cancer.

She's doing great, but continues to fight cancer.

Through COVID watched a lot of families that I know and love struggle and try as best they knew how to deal with the weight of the world, and for me, it weighed on me to the point where, over the last 18 months, about 18 months ago, i had a panic attack for the first time in my life And it happened again.

I got migraines for the first time in my life And this conversation about anxiety became something that, for the first time in my life, was something that I was dealing with, and I'm here today to say that, by the grace of God and with a lot of love and encouragement from my wife and prayers of people, i'm in a good spot.

I know this beyond a shadow of a doubt today that in the darkness, god's grace is real.

In the darkness, his grace is real.

He is our ever present help in times of trouble.

He's faithful in the fire.

His love is everlasting.

His faithfulness is steadfast.

He is our anchor in the waves and his voice still calms the storm.

In the name of Jesus, there is a peace that passes understanding, and in the name of Jesus, there is a hope that pushes back the darkness.

And that can be true in your life today as well.

You may feel today like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, but can I tell you today that we serve a God who holds the world in his hands and the weight that we are under God is able to bear.

God is able to bear.

So, father, i pray now for my friends and my family in this room today who this conversation about anxiety and depression is more than just an issue for somebody else.

It's a reality that they're living through.

And, father, i pray that by the power of your spirit, that you would give a strength in the midst of the struggle, a song in the night, a hope that pushes back the darkness.

Father, may we look to you, trust you, believe you.

Father, may you bring the people alongside of us that will help us through this journey, father, to lead us to a place where our mind is renewed and our lives are being transformed.

God, we know it's possible, so we look to you today in Jesus' name.

Amen, worship team, you guys go ahead and come back, as the team's coming back.

I want to say one more thing In this conversation about anxiety and depression.

For some people, it gets to the point where the only way out seems to be to end it, and I want to say this today that is not the only option on the table.

Psalm 118, 17 says this I will not die, but I will live and I will declare what the Lord has done.

And so today, if you're in the grip of that struggle, do not leave this space without shining a light into the darkness and bringing somebody into the conversation, because your story doesn't end here.

I will not die but live and I will proclaim what the Lord has done.

So we're going to stand and we're going to sing together, and as we do, if the altar is open, if you need to pray, pray with somebody.

Grab somebody near you.

Come, grab me.

Love to pray with you this morning.

If, for the first time, you want to give your life to Jesus, you need the hope and the darkness that only Jesus offers.

Maybe today is the day where, by grace, through faith, you trust Jesus as your savior.

Maybe today is the day you say, hey, i want to plant my roots at Somerville Baptist Church.

We'd love to have that conversation with you as well.

We're going to stand together and we're going to sing about the goodness of God.

Let's just declare this with all the faith in our heart that God, you're good, your goodness, your mercy is running after me.

All my life you've been faithful.

Let's stand and let's sing.

Let's believe it from the deepest part of who we are.