A PRESCRIPTION TO TAKE WHEN YOU ARE FEELING DOWN

YOU ARE FEELING DOWN

“Now after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one along the way. And whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they provide; for the laborer is deserving of his wages. Do not move from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat what is served to you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:1-9 NASB)

If you ever find yourself feeling down, depressed, or distanced from the feeling of joy, my prescription for you can be expressed in two words: “Serve Somebody.”

Let me be transparent and attest to the fact that this works. I got up a couple weekends ago and really did not feel like doing anything. I was down physically from going to a WNBA game and a NBA game on successive nights. I was down mentally, slightly depressed, because I spent too much time rewinding my life and noting how much more I could have done for the building up of the kingdom of God.

Well, I had made a commitment to help with the church’s clean-up effort at the city park across from our church. Realizing that sometimes you have to push through your issues and obstacles, I kept my commitment and extended some energy I did not know I had in the reservoir. (Somebody say, “He will give you strength!” Amen!) After the clean-up, I felt better! I did not feel down in any aspect but felt lifted up to the point of renewed joy and a realigned view on what lies behind. I used the prescription I mentioned in the opening paragraph. I served somebody!

Let me share some more proof. It was Sunday evening. I had been up since 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. I had attended Sunday School and preached a message entitled “Father Figures.” I turned down invites to dinner because I was tired. And of course, that was complicated by what preachers experience when they encounter the emptying that comes after releasing the word that the Lord had filled them with, a specific message for a specific purpose at a specific time. I had planned to lay in bed the rest of the day, alternating between napping and “watching” TV. Suddenly, unexpectedly, a loyal member needs help getting to the hospital. From out of nowhere, really that’s not true, so let me start the sentence again. From heaven above, the Lord gave me that kind of strength that makes you walk and not get weary, run and not faint. He blessed me to be alert and concerned about this loyal member. I stayed at the hospital emergency room until 1:15 a.m. Monday morning. Keep in mind that I got up at 2:00 a.m. Sunday. My energy level was so high, you would have thought I had drunk two cans of high energy drink or a pot of coffee. The prescription was validated again. Let me use repetition. It’s okay! Jesus used it in His ministry, right? SO, here goes! “If you ever find yourself feeling down, depressed, or distanced from the feeling of joy, my prescription for you can be expressed in two words: “Serve Somebody.”

Read the scriptures above and below for more validation related to the prescription. Be blessed!

“Now the seventy-two returned with joy…” (Luke 10:17a NASB)

Committed to the climb,

Mark L. King