Suffering Depression? So Did God's Prophet Elijah

As a retired pastor looking back over my forty-four years of pastoring six churches, there were times of great joy and satisfaction but there were also times of deep depression.  Most church members have no idea of the stress pastors endure and the depression they often experience as a result.  But they need to know because it is important to understand that experiencing depression doesn’t mean you don’t love God or have faith. It means you are human.  Even the greatest servants of God experienced dark days.  A prime example is the great prophet Elijah.

God’s Prophet Elijah, A Study In Contrasts

God’s prophet Elijah is a study in contrasts. On one hand, Elijah is a man of faith.  In 1 Kings 17, Elijah boldly confronts King Ahab with God’s judgment for Israel’s idolatry.  There would be no rain for three and a half years.  At the end of that time, in 1 Kings 18, Elijah challenges the prophets of the false god, Baal, to a contest to see who was truly God.  Which one could bring down fire from heaven?  At the end of the contest, Jehovah was indisputably proven to be the one true God. All the people declared their faith in Jehovah, and Elijah slew all the priests and priestesses of Baal.   

But in 1 Kings 19, a strange thing happens to this man of faith. Queen Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah.  In fear, he runs into the wilderness where he sits under a juniper tree and goes into a depression so severe that he prays for death.  Exhausted, he twice falls asleep and an angel feeds him.  The angel then sends him on a journey to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  There, he spends the night in a cave where he complains to God that he is the only faithful prophet in Israel and his enemies seek his life.  God tells Elijah to stand on the mountain where a great wind blows, shattering the rocks, but God is not in the wind.  Then comes an earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake.  Then there is a fire, but God is not in the fire.  Finally, there is a gentle whisper where God tells Elijah that he is to return to his life and anoint two new kings as well as his successor, Elisha, who together will deal with the unfaithful in Israel and leave seven-thousand who have not bowed to the false idol Baal.

God’s Prophet Elijah Demonstrates
Four Factors In Depression

What caused God’s prophet Elijah to fall from determination on Mount Carmel into depression under the juniper tree?  Depression isn’t caused by just one thing, but many factors.

Fear

1 Kings 19:3 says, “He was afraid and arose and ran for his life…”  Fear is almost always a factor in depression: fear of what others will think or do, fear of loneliness, fear of not getting a job done, fear of not finishing school, fear of our marriage not going right.

Failure

In 1 Kings 19:4 he said, “I am not better than my fathers.”  He saw himself as no more successful in stopping Israel’s idolatry than were the prophets before him. In depression, it is typical to begin thinking, “I’m useless.  I’m incompetent.  I’m a failure.”

Fatigue

In 1 Kings 19:5 we find God’s prophet Elijah emotionally and physically exhausted, falling asleep under a juniper tree.  One thing about mountaintop experiences, times of activity that yield great success, is that they tend to drain you without your realizing it.  People who say, “I don’t need a day off or a vacation; I don’t need to rest and relax” are setting themselves up for a fall.  Depression is always related to or reflected in our physical condition.

Futility

In 1 Kings 19:10, Elijah declares that he is the only faithful prophet and they are seeking to kill him.  He feels alone, isolated, and hopeless.  He has negative expectations of the future.  He is paranoid, thinking everyone is out to get him.  He was looking at life through the lens of futility.  He saw no way out.  Is that you right now?

God’s Prophet Elijah
Demonstrates What To Do When You’re Depressed

Take some time off

Elijah had been so busy attending to the needs of others that he’d neglected self-care. So, God gave him a vacation where he could get physically and emotionally recharged.  When we use up our emotional and physical energy, we become exhausted, which leads to depression.  So, we need to find ways to recharge our batteries so that we don’t experience burn out and depression.  People who say, “I’d rather burn out than rust out” are headed for the juniper tree.  We need sleep, rest, exercise, and good food.

Share your honest feelings

As Elijah sat in the cave wallowing in his depression, God asked him in verse 9, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  In the Bible, God often asks people questions to which He already knows the answer.  He does that because He knows that sometimes we have feelings that are poisonous emotionally, and we need to get rid of them by talking them out.  One great way to do that is through Christian counseling.  Studies show that the act of putting our problems and emotions into words enables the brain to cope.    

Get perspective

Elijah’s depression told him, “You have been faithful to God and what good has it done?  God has abandoned you, you have failed, and hope is gone.” Depressed people have a distorted view of God, self, and the world.  So, God showed Elijah powerful displays without God and then stillness with God. Great activity like what happened on Mount Carmel isn’t always a sign of God’s presence; God is there even in the stillness. Then God adjusted Elijah’s view of himself as indispensable to God’s work in the world. Elijah said, “I’m the only one still faithful and they seek my life.” That is, “Without me, there is no hope.” So, God reminded him, “I have seven thousand prophets who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  Then He had Elijah anoint the successor God had already chosen to carry on his work.  Sometimes we think that everything depends on us, when really everything depends on God.  If God’s plan depended solely on us, He would be in serious trouble!

Return to the routine

Get back in the mainstream of life and go to work again.  God allowed Elijah to sit in his depression just so long. Then He told him to get up and return to his way, his life, and get to work again.  There is no medicine so powerful as a new task.  Sometimes the best way out of depression is to get our focus off of ourselves and onto a new purpose, a new mission.  Find someone who needs you, and help them.  When you help others, you help yourself.

If you are struggling with depression, know that there is help and there is hope. One of our trained therapists at SoulCare Counseling is waiting to help you out of the darkness and into the light. I encourage you to read about depression treatment at SoulCare Counseling, and reach out to us to schedule a free thirty-minute consultation.

Dr. Mark Riley is the co-founder and executive director of SoulCare Counseling.  He holds Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees, and is retired from 44 years as a pastor. He is the husband of Dr. Bernis Riley.