to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 WEB

Have you ever felt so down, so lethargic, that you begin to ask yourself, 'What is the point of it all?' There are many things in this verse but the one that I want to mention today is the 'spirit of heaviness', better known by its bona fide name: 'Depression.'

It can settle on anyone given the right circumstances and none of us are immune to it. We all like to think that we have it together, but really we are just one phone call away from crying at any given moment.

Once when we were overworked and nearly burned out, we went to an exhilarating praise and worship conference that lasted for three days. After the first night, I began to feel lighter, and brighter. Soon I really got into it and by the end of the conference, I felt renewed.

When I left the conference, I felt like I was walking on air and didn't have a care in the world. When I had arrived, I was pretty down, but afterwards I was as light as a feather and cheerful. I would not have cared if the world were ending. What a stark contrast.

Praise and depression are polar opposites and repel each other. If you are down, depressed, heavy, you will not feel like praising the Lord. If you are praising the Lord, then you will not feel like being depressed. If you are feeling 'heavy' today find some good praise and worship music and soak in it for an hour. Begin to praise the Lord along with it and that spirit of heaviness will flee out of hearing range.

Prayer: Father, I praise You today, please deliver me from the spirit of heaviness. Fill my life with Your presence, bring the right people, the right music, and the right opportunities into my life, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Note: Happy Sunday! We pray that you all have a very blessed and peaceful day. If you have a prayer request, please remember you can send them in any day of the week to our private prayer network. Just click on the Prayer link on the site menu. We and the prayer team will be honored to lift up your needs!