"Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a
messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do
not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And
he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which
belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he
requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord,
take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:1-4)
1 Kings 18 tells of how Elijah was used by God to bring
about a great victory against the prophets of the false god Baal, whom Israel
was worshiping at that time, under the influence of evil King Ahab and Queen
Jezebel. Elijah prayed and God sent fire from heaven to consume the offering
Elijah had made, then Elijah had the prophets of Baal killed.
But when Ahab tells Jezebel what happened, the wicked queen
threatens Elijah’s life. After defeating 450 prophets, Elijah is now running
from one woman. He is so anxious and afraid that he prays to God to take his
life.
Why such a quick turnaround in the attitude and outlook of
Elijah the prophet?
Elijah had many of the symptoms of depression, for example
those found here:
Elijah’s mocking of the prophets of Baal and of the false
god itself, as well as the way he confronted the people of Israel about
worshiping Baal, may have expressed irritability.
During his great victory, he also shows signs of restlessness.
Elijah had not slept
excessively, if at all. However, early-morning wakefulness may have been
a factor. The day of battling with Baal’s prophets must have been exhausting.
Yet the prophet made a God-powered but still long hard run to Jezreel in which
he ran so fast he outran Ahab’s chariot. It is most probable that at this point
he experienced fatigue and decreased energy.
The prophet went from focused, clear and decisive to having difficulty concentrating on God instead
of the enemy. He seemed to have trouble remembering
the details of his very recent victory, which included God’s answer to his
prayer for rain after a three and a half year drought. He had a hard time making decisions about how best to deal
with Jezebel’s threats.
People suffering from depression usually have a loss of interest in activities or hobbies
they once found pleasurable. The prophet of God showed no interest in doing
anything but running away, fearful
for his life, the past victories and blessings of God forgotten.
It seems likely that Elijah got no sleep whatsoever before
getting the message from Jezebel to look out for his life and taking right off
for the wilderness. Insomnia very
likely contributed to his state of depression, and he twice fell asleep after
his run to the wilderness.
Overeating was no
problem for Elijah, as even food was likely not enjoyable to him at this point.
The prophet apparently had such a loss of
appetite that the angel of The
Lord had to twice fix food for him and urge him to eat.
Persistent aches or
pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with
treatment are often among the physical symptoms of depression. Elijah had
been through an exhausting battle and taken a long high speed run, then a trip
into the wilderness, almost certainly without food or sleep. It seems unlikely
he had no physical symptoms at all, as they are so common with depression, and
he showed so many of the psychological and spiritual symptoms.
While Elijah didn’t seem to feel guilt, he felt helpless
to do anything in the face of the threat against his life, and so worthless he wanted to die. He clearly
felt overwhelming pessimism and hopelessness. While Elijah made no
suicide attempts that we know of, he had definite thoughts of suicide, even praying to God and asking God to kill
him.
Elijah appeared to experience persistent sad, anxious, and "empty" feelings, at least
during his battle with Baal’s prophets, his run to Jezreel, his time in the
wilderness, and even during part of his time on the mountain of God.
Personal problems such
as social isolation due to other mental illnesses, physical problems, or being
cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
In a nation that had turned to worshiping a false god,
Elijah as a prophet of God had been an outcast. It was as though he lost his
“church”, the people he worshiped with, as well as his country. Now, the nation
had declared that they worshiped God again, so to some extent he had his
country and his “church” back.
Yet Elijah now seems to feel more isolated than ever. After
eating and sleeping, he goes to the mountain of God, Mount Horeb, and sets up
house in a cave. He tells God he is all alone, even though the people just
worshiped God with him a little over 40 days earlier. He also had forgotten
about the 100 prophets Obadiah had told him he had hidden in caves to protect
them from Jezebel (1 Kings 18:13).
So God tells Elijah gently, in the sound of a soft breeze,
that there are still 7,000 people in Israel who have not worshiped Baal at all.
That’s a lot of people, and a long way from being alone. Most of all, God was
with Elijah.
We don’t know that depression, at least as what today would
be a mental health diagnosis, was a lifelong thing for Elijah. The prophet’s
depression may have started with his conflict with and triumph over the
prophets of Baal and his fearful flight from Jezebel, and it may have ended
soon after with the comforting voice of God and the assurance that in spite of
how he felt, in how he felt, he was not alone.
The rest of the story of Elijah in God’s word indicates that
his depression either ended or was under control, no longer and never again
debilitating, once God spoke to Him in that still small voice in a cave in the
mountain of God.
The story of Elijah shows us both what depression looks like
and how we can cope with and overcome depression.
But in order to live with and above depression, we must know
not only the symptoms but the causes, so that we can get to the roots and pull
them out. Just as Elijah suffered these symptoms of depression, his depression
was caused by the same things that can cause depression for any of us.
Physical, sexual,
emotional or spiritual abuses are almost certain to cause serious depression.
At the least, Elijah was severely abused emotionally and spiritually. Abuse is
always bad, and anyone in an abusive situation needs to get out, get away, and
get help, just as Elijah did.
Major life events may
be good or bad; a new job or a lost job, divorce or marriage, the loss of a
child or the birth of a child, graduation or failure to graduate, being
arrested or freed from jail, promotion or downsizing, moving, changing schools.
Elijah definitely went through a number of major life events in a short period
of time. We all deal with different changes in different ways at different
times, so any kind of major life event can bring on depression. Unlike abuse,
change can be accepted or embraced.
Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members, friends,
enemies, anyone. This is true whether the conflict is constructive or
destructive, and whether it is handled positively or negatively. Elijah had
plenty of personal conflicts and disputes, and so will we; it is part of life. Conflict
can worked out and worked through, it can be dealt with.
Probably everyone gets depressed sometime, to some degree.
Maybe not to the point of clinical depression, but in any case it disrupts life
enough to make us aware of what depression can do to a person.
Numbers vary, and but some estimates indicate that 14.8, about
7% of the U.S. adult population, suffer from a major depressive disorder in any
given year. Major depressive disorders are the leading cause of disability in
the U.S. for ages 18-44. Many more deal with depression that might not be
medically classified as “major”, and it may not disable a person. But
depression is like surgery, it’s only minor when it happens to someone else.
Speaking from experience, it is best not to delay dealing
with depression. It may be enough to talk to trusted friends or family about
what is depressing you, or you may need short or long term counseling,
medication or both. It depends on everything from genes, family history, living
environment, what has happened, how often it happens, how long it has happened,
what kind of support system you have or do not have, and a lot more.
If you feel depressed, if people are commenting or asking
about you being depressed, or if you have symptoms of depression, it is
important to at least look into it further and seek out those who might be able
to help.
Avoid those giving simplistic answers of any kind,
particularly “spiritual answers” like “pray more” or “get closer to God”. Of
course we all need to pray and get closer to God, but there are a lot of ways
to do that.
Whether church, family, friends, groups in which you
participate, professional counselors, medical professionals, or all of the above, a strong support system
is important not only to living with and above depression, but also to lowering
the risks of having further major bouts of depression.
May is National Mental Health Month in the USA. Depression
is just one of many mental illnesses Elijah may have fought with and that many
of us or people we know may fight with as well. Forty million Americans 18 and
older, 18% of us, have various anxiety disorders such as panic, obsessive
compulsive and post traumatic stress, as well as various phobias and
personality disorders.
Depression is a more common mental health issue that most
people can relate to out of some experience sometime in their life. If you have
never been depressed, you surely know someone who has, probably someone close
to you. We can all relate to depression, we can to some degree understand it as
a reality even if we have trouble grasping the degrees to which it can
overwhelm someone.
So let’s remember and reach out to those around us dealing
with depression, and with other mental illnesses. Even if you don’t think you
can help them at all—and don’t underestimate yourself, or especially how God
can use you—then surely you can help your depressed family members and friends
find others who can help more than you might be able to.
During this National Mental Health Month, please pray for
those coping with depression and other mental illnesses. Help the depressed
around you, help others be aware so they can help. Any of us can face
depression just as Elijah did, and any of us can overcome depression just as
Elijah did, with the help and support of others and by the grace of God.
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