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Spurgeon's Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression, by Zack Eswine
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Christians should have the answers, shouldn't they? Depression affects many people both personally and through the ones we love. Here Zack Eswine draws from C.H Spurgeon, 'the Prince of Preachers' experience to encourage us. What Spurgeon found in his darkness can serve as a light in our own darkness. Zack Eskwine brings you here, not a self-help guide, rather 'a handwritten note of one who wishes you well.'
- Sales Rank: #37313 in Books
- Published on: 2014-11-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.70" h x .30" w x 5.00" l, .84 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 144 pages
Review
For those struggling with depression and assuming they are confined to the sidelines because of their mental health, Spurgeon's example should serve as a great encouragement. Spurgeon knew what to do when the lights were on. And after awhile he knew how to take time off in the midst of darkness. We've much to learn here.
Eswine's book is poetic and mercifully short. There are sentences and paragraphs throughout that are life-giving. The writing is compelling and the type of language which resonates with one in the pit. To this end I pray that many who are battling depression will read this book and hold onto these tiny morsels.
(Mike Leake)
Review
...Spurgeon from early years to final days found dark distress ever hovering on the edges of his mind and sometimes launching an all out assault on his very being. How he managed all this, by the grace of God, both for himself and for others, drives both the gripping content and the riveting literary style of Zack Eswine in Spurgeon's Sorrows. (Tom J. Nettles ~ Senior Professor of Historical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)
The river of life often flows through sloughs of despond. Charles Spurgeon knew that well... Ditto Zack Eswine in this unusual, refreshing, sensible book... Read it, and take it to heart. (David Powlison ~ CCEF Executive Director, Senior Editor, Journal of Biblical Counseling)
Zack Eswine is a pastor with the mind of a scholar and the heart of a poet. His wisdom gleaned from Charles Spurgeon's struggle with depression is theologically profound and pastorally lucid. (Jason Byassee ~ Senior Pastor, Boone United Methodist Church, Boone, North Carolina)
Zack Eswine, like Spurgeon, a preacher, pastor, and no stranger to suffering... there is much encouragement, comfort and practical help to be found in this rich and poetic treasure. (Richard Winter ~ Author of When Life Goes Dark: Finding Hope in the Midst of Depression, Director of Counseling at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri)
About the Author
Zack Eswine is the Senior Pastor at the Riverside Church, St Louis, Missouri. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Covenant Theological Seminary, St Louis, Missouri. A list of his writings can be found at zackeswine.com or on his blog at preachingbarefoot.com.
Most helpful customer reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
A Gift in a World of Suffering
By Darryl Dash
“I used to think that the book of Job is in the Bible because this story of suffering is so extreme, so rare, improbable, and unusual,” said Ray Ortlund in a recent sermon. “I don’t think that anymore. Now I think that the book of Job is in the Bible because this story is so common and typical.”
I suspect that Charles Spurgeon, the famous Baptist preacher of the 1800s, would have agreed. Zack Eswine’s book Spurgeon's Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression is a gift in a world in which suffering is so pervasive, both for the depressed and those of us who have a hard time understanding why depression is so hard.
THE SUFFERING OF SPURGEON
Spurgeon was unique. He was one of the first megachurch pastors ever. He was British, Victorian, and Baptist. He was uniquely gifted and accomplished. He was renowned for his quick wit and sense of humor. Yet, he also suffered with poor health and recurring depression.
In October of 1856, Spurgeon preached at Surrey Hall to a crowd thousands when a prankster yelled, “Fire!” In the ensuing panic, seven died and twenty-eight were left seriously injured. Spurgeon, only 22 years old, was ten months into his new marriage, and one month into parenting twin boys in a new house full of unpacked boxes. “The senseless tragedy and the public accusation nearly broke Charles’ mind,” writes Eswine, “not only in those early moments but also with lasting effects.”
As a result, Spurgeon knew what it was like to suffer. He could say, "I have endured tribulation from many flails. Sharp bodily pain succeeded mental depression, and this was accompanied both by bereavement, and affliction in the person of one dear as life. The waters rolled in continually, wave upon wave. I do not mention this to exact sympathy, but simply to let the reader see that I am no dry-land sailor."
Because of this, Spurgeon is qualified to help us. Switching metaphors, Spurgeon compared himself to someone who has been in the dark dungeon, and knows the way to bread and water. He is able to help both those of us who have encountered depression, and those of us have a hard time understanding what it’s like.
A FRIEND FOR SUFFERERS
“The fact that such a prominent Christian pastor struggled with depression and talked so openly about it invites us to friendship with a fellow sufferer,” writes Eswine. Depression is horribly lonely; Spurgeon’s Sorrows is a reminder that while the feelings of loneliness may persist, we are not alone. It is a relief to read a book that describes depression and speaks truth, but without glib answers. It’s more of a travel guide about someone who has been there too.
While there are no easy answers for the depressed, there is company. “Broken hearted one, Jesus Christ knows all your troubles, for similar troubles were his portion too,” said Spurgeon. Other great Christians also struggled with depression. “You are not the first child of God who has been depressed or troubled…Do not, therefore, think that you are quite alone in your sorrow.” Others may not understand your depression, but God does, and he is compassionate.
A HELP TO FRIENDS OF SUFFERERS
For those who have never been depressed, it’s hard to understand the sufferings of the depressed. Ironically, Christians can sometimes be the least prepared to understand or help. Spurgeon’s Sorrows helps us here too. Depression is “neither a sign of laziness nor a sin,” Eswine writes, “neither negative thinking nor a weakness…No saint or hero is immune.” Having never experienced depression ourselves, we should be slow to judge. “We should feel more for the prisoner if we knew more about the prison,” said Spurgeon.
Spurgeon also helps us understand that Christians can continue to struggle with depression. “We do not profess that the religion of Christ will so thoroughly change a man as to take away from him all his natural tendencies.” Because of this, “Depression of spirit is no index of declining grace.” Depression is a “misfortune not a fault,” and therefore it does not merit our condemnation.
Spurgeon helps us understand how dark things can get. “I wonder every day that there are not more suicides, considering the troubles of this life,” he said. Indeed, he believed that some miseries we experience are worse than death. Spurgeon reasoned with those who felt suicidal, believing that while suicide is not the unpardonable sin, the temptation should be resisted. Still, Eswine says, “We must take great care before judging someone who tries to overcome miseries that we ourselves have never encountered.”
Finally, Spurgeon also helps us see that our words often fail when it comes to helping the depressed. Right theology, trite sayings, and quick fixes are not enough. Depression is complex, with circumstantial, biological, and spiritual contributors. “There is a limit to human power,” said Spurgeon. “God alone can take away the iron when it enters into the soul.” A Christianity that is only prepared for sunshine and positive thinking is a counterfeit Christianity.
This message is especially important for those of us who preach. We should be careful in how we address the complexities of life, and preach with understanding and compassion to those who are hurting.
THANKFUL FOR THIS BOOK
As a young pastor, I was ill equipped to deal with depression. Years later, I am better acquainted with the weight of suffering that many — indeed, most — carry. But I still need help. I still need to grow in my capacity to care for others, to resist easy answers, and to learn from the suffering that I would rather avoid.
Zack Eswine has served us well by helping us learn from Spurgeon’s sorrows. It’s a book that deserves to be read widely, both by those who suffer with depression, and the rest of us — especially pastors — who want to care for those who suffer.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Book on Depression
By Michael C. Boling
Depression is a painful experience. It can draw one into the depths of despair with the accompanying belief there is no way out of the fog and back into the light of day and happiness. Many suffer from depression and struggle to understand why they are experiencing this malady. Furthermore, those around them are often ill-prepared to be of assistance and there are even more who believe they are helping those in despair but in reality are merely making matters worse. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon was one quite familiar with depression and Zack Eswine, in his very helpful book Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for Those Who Suffer From Depression, examines the salient biblical advice of Spurgeon on the topic of depression.
Eswine divides his thoughts into three sections, each focused on addressing a specific aspect of depression. The first section provides the reader with valuable information with what depression looks like and what those who are suffering depression are feeling. The second section addresses means by which we can help those in depression, and the final section deals with helpful ways to cope with the daily struggle with depression so many face.
I truly appreciated the gentle way Eswine engages the topic of depression. It seems as if many take the approach of placing a clinical prescription or title to one’s depression, thinking that if that person takes the correct medicine, sees the correct psychiatrist, or pulls themselves up by their bootstraps, they can move forward from the doldrums of despair. If moving forward from depression were that easy, one would think everyone would be well on their way to happier times.
There are a number of important points Eswine notes, foremost the fact that suffering from depression is not a sin. There are many reasons why someone may be depressed, many of which I had no clue about. It is very important for those suffering from depression to realize what they are going through is not a sinful act, although one’s reaction to that situation could result in sinful behavior.
Of further note is those who are in a state of depression are not alone. Eswine shares the fact that many great men of God went through periods of depression in their lives to include King David, Martin Luther, and of course Charles Spurgeon. When one looks at how these men of God dealt with depression, it is clear they looked to the pages of Scripture for assistance. Eswine reminds the reader that in the Psalms, we find King David describing what depression and despair looked like for him.
Most importantly, our Savior Jesus Christ went through the depths of despair. For anyone dealing with depression, this is perhaps the greatest truth to grasp. Moreover, that reality is also important for those helping those around them who in a state of depression to understand. Tossing around a future hope of a time when sin and death and pain are no more, while indeed an absolute biblical truth, often does not help in the here and now of despair. Eswine aptly notes that “when we search for someone, anyone, to know what it means to walk in our shoes, Jesus emerges as the preeminent and truest companion for our afflictions.” Spurgeon also affirmed a similar approach, stating “the afflicted do not so much look for comfort to Christ as he will come a second time…as to Christ as he came the first time, a weary man and full of woes”, the man of sorrows.
When those in depression look to Christ as that man of sorrows, who endured what they are enduring and who is at every moment comforting and making intercession for us, that knowledge places the issue of depression within the grander scheme of God’s plan. As Eswine so rightly avers, the feeling of remoteness from God is lessened and the depressed begin to understand that God cares and our affliction, though tiresome, is not a burden we have to carry alone.
Eswine also deals with the issue of suicide, a choice far too many believe is the only solution to getting out of the state of depression. This is a difficult topic and Eswine addresses it with both grace and firmness. Again looking at the life of Spurgeon, Eswine comments that even Spurgeon “knew this desire for death. He found language for it in the story of Job whose profound description of misery not only reveals why in our afflictions of body and mind we would want to die but also the manifest mercy of God who would inspire such grief words and call them Scripture.” Those who feel like taking their own life need to read the salient statement by Eswine that “a larger story exists in Jesus. In time, even hope demolished can become hope rebuilt, if it is realistic and rooted, not just in the cross and empty tomb but also in the garden and the sweat-like blood.”
I highly recommend this book for all believers. The wisdom examined by Eswine from the pen of Charles Spurgeon regarding depression is outstanding and will greatly help those suffering from this issue to begin to grab hold of Jesus who suffered as we did, even to the point of death on a cross. I know I learned much about depression and how to help those suffering from this pain in their life. Look to the man of sorrows for he cares for you. That was the approach Spurgeon took and it is the correct one.
I received this book for free from Christian Focus Publications for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Hope for the Hurting
By Dr. David Steele
I have a friend who was born in 1834. That would make him 180 years old. He went home to be with Jesus in 1892 - at the peak of his ministry and in the prime of his life. I have often asked why God takes the heroes of the faith so soon - Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, and John Calvin all died in their 50's. David Brainerd and Jim Elliot died before they reached the age of 30. While the question is interesting to ponder, the question is not ours to ask. Enter the Creator --
"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" (Job 38:2, ESV).
"You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great" (Job 38:21, ESV).
"And the LORD said to Job: 'Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it'" (Job 40:2, ESV).
I have been learning from my friend, C.H. Spurgeon for nearly 25 years now. He has taught me many lessons. He introduced me to Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, a book he read over 100 times in his short life. Spurgeon has taught me the importance of expositional preaching. On many occasions, he has reminded me about the importance of the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching, not to mention living the Christian life. He has inspired courage and conviction and prompted me to be unwavering, even in the darkest of days.
But one of the greatest lessons I've learned from my British friend is how to deal with melancholy. Zack Eswine helps highlight some of those lessons in his book, Spurgeon's Sorrows. The subtitle accurately reflects the basic theme of the book, Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression.
Spurgeon's Sorrows is arranged in three parts. Part One walks readers through the basics of depression. What is it? How can one recognize it? What is spiritual depression? Part Two presents a path for helping people who suffer from depression. And Part Three is a practical section that offers practical assistance for dealing with depression.
Chapter nine is worth the price of the book as the author directs readers to the promises of God and shows how Spurgeon utilized this habit of claiming the promises of Jesus in his daily walk with God.
Spurgeon's Sorrows is a short book filled with biblical counsel for people who battle depression and provides help for anyone who is reaching out to folks who are wading through the Slough of Despondence. In the final analysis, readers are encouraged to cling to their Savior who promises to walk with them through every valley.
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