Depression can be a very real problem. What I find interesting, is – God gives us a case study in clinical depression in I Kings chapter 19 From this text we find that Elijah experienced many of the classic symptoms… * Fear - “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life….” 1 Kings 19:3 * Suicidal tendencies – “(Elijah) prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ 1 Kings 19:4 * Excessive tiredness – “Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep…” 1 Kings 19:5 slept for a couple of days… maybe longer * Feelings of rejection – “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:10 * AND he experienced this depression for a long time – nearly 2 months Now, what’s really bizarre about this is (that just days before) Elijah had preached one of the greatest sermons of his life. He confronted 400 prophets of Baal on the Mt. Carmel and exposed them as the false prophets they really were. And because of Elijah’s faith & obedience God literally sent fire down out of the heavens to consume the sacrifice he’d placed on the altar, and then a few hours later sent a downpour of rain on a land that hadn’t had rain for 3 years. Why would a man who had preached a impressive message and had experienced some of the most powerful displays of God’s power… Why would he suddenly be crippled by fear, hopelessness and despair? Why would he run away to a desolate corner of the world and seek to die? There’s probably all kinds of reasons, but the fact is – he did. And what this tells us is that even God’s most dynamic servants can suffer from depression. It’s not necessarily a mark of a lack of faith. It’s not necessarily a mark of an immoral lifestyle. Elijah was THE man of God in his day. And now he’s so far DOWN in the depths of despair – even UP looks wrong t o him. But that’s not where God left him! God didn’t say: “well sorry Elijah – you have a chemical imbalance, and Paxil hasn’t been invented yet – so I can’t help you!” Oh no… long before psychiatry was ever thought of, long before healing could be bought in the little purple pills, long before we had clinics and psychiatrists and psychologists (not meaning any disrespect to psychiatrists or psychologists or the clinics they run) but, long before all of that… God healed a man of depression & it was not an isolated instance. And what God did for Elijah, He can do for you & me too. Our God will lift you up, no matter how far "down" you are!
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 10:06:16 +0000
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