The rock-bottom salvation of Charles Spurgeon for preaching, month after month in and out of depression was the sovereignty of God.

That God was over it, in it, turning it, controlling it, assigning it, assigning it, designing it. He never lost that faith. He could

always say that, no matter how black it was, he could at least confess that.

If you are listening he could at least confess that.

If you are listening to this episode, chances are you've struggled either with depression yourself

or you know someone close to you who has.

In this episode of Light and Truth,

John Piper finds rich encouragement by considering how Charles Spurgeon

himself navigated his lifelong battle with depression.

This talk was originally given at the Desiring God 1995 conference for pastors.

The adversity of depression is not easy for me, I don't know if it is for you to imagine

the omnipotent eloquent brilliant full of energy mighty

spurgeon weeping like a baby for no reason that he could think of.

You ever done that?

He said, my spirits were sunken so low, this is age 24, 1858, the first

serious bout with depression. My spirits were sunk in so low that I could weep by the hour like a child and

yet I knew not what I wept for.

He wrote,

Cautless Depression cannot be reasoned with, nor can David's harp charm it away by sweet

discoursings. You may as well fight with the mist as with

the shapeless, undefinable, yet all beclouding hopelessness. The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in gloomy prison needs a heavenly hand to push it back.

He regarded his despondency or his depression as his worst feature.

...