DEALING WITH DEPRESSION
Sarah Madding
Today's Scripture: “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree.” 1 Kings 19:4a, ESV
Theme: To get out of the valley, go a distance from where you started, move your body, exercise, blow off some steam.
ELIJAH AND ME
For years, I’ve struggled with depression. Often, it came in the form of debilitating sadness which left me wanting to spend my days in bed. Every new day seemed insurmountable. In those seasons of darkness, I could so easily relate to Elijah, who saw God’s power and yet, after witnessing amazing victories, he fled in fear.
After seeing God triumph, Elijah doubted God could care for and protect his life. At first this story doesn’t make sense. How could Elijah trust so much and then doubt so fully? It seems utterly confusing unless you, too, have walked the path of depression and anxiety; unless you have stood amid overwhelming fears based not on truth, but on your changing moods and altered perceptions.
KING DAVID’S STRUGGLES
In Psalms 43:5, King David describes this mood as a “downcast soul” or spirit. David’s Psalms so often speak to what depression is and how it feels. He says of God that, “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Psalm 40:2, ESV).
The good news is that not only are there many examples of people who are considered heroes of the Bible who also struggle with depression, but that God does not look down on them. He does not despise them for the battles waging within their hearts and minds. In fact, it is said of David that he was “a man after Gods own heart.” And that encourages me.
GOD LOVES US
God loves and cares for us through our struggles, and He knows exactly what we need. He created us and knows what will help us during our times of turmoil. After Elijah flees and begs God to let him die, God sends an angel to meet with him and provide food, water and rest for him. Then God sends him on a long journey.
WHAT ELIJAH AND I LEARNED
Over the many years of walking through my own pit of depression, I have learned that what helped Elijah also helps me. First, I need rest and then eat properly. As Elijah was sent out on a 40-day walk to Horeb, I also need a mission, something other than myself on which I can focus. I also need a physical outlet. As Elijah walked for forty days, I found that I must get up and move to get my endorphins pumping and life flowing through me again. And finally, at the end of his journey, Elijah met with God. That is truly what restores my mental health.
Make It Personal: Maybe you’ve never struggled with depression; you don’t know what it feels like to be in a “pit of despair.” Chances are there’s someone in your life who does deal with depression and who may be there now. Can you be an encouragement to them and help them as they seek to restore their mental health? Maybe you feel like Elijah today. Would you use the example God showed us through Elijah about how to deal with your altered mental state? Would you seek to rest, to eat properly, to find a mission and people to invest your heart into, to exercise, and to meet with God? God doesn’t judge you because of your struggles. Instead, He longs to restore you and to meet your needs, wherever you are.
Pray: God, I thank You that You love me despite my struggles, failures, and fears. I thank You for giving us examples in Your Word of how to battle stress and depression and to become healthier, both physically and mentally. Just as you restored Elijah, please restore me. Help me to experience Your presence, Your peace, and the joyful and abundant life You have for me. Help me to be a light and an example to others, so that they might see Your goodness, Your love, and Your provision through how You care for me. In Your Name, Jesus, Amen.
Read: 1 Kings 19:3-8; Psalm 40:1-5, 6:6-9, 43:5
Weekly Memory Verse: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9, ESV