October 5, 2012 (Friday)
A couple of Sundays ago, our Sunday School teacher, Johnny Melton, asked the class, “Why did Elijah run away from Jezebel?” Before he asked that question, he reminded us of Elijah’s boldness and bravery and unbounded faith demonstrated at Mount Carmel, when he called down fire from God and decimated idolatry in the land. Then came Queen Jezebel’s threat to kill Elijah and he ran. Why? The simple answer is, he was afraid.
Of course, there is much more to the story than that. There are some wonderful lessons for all of us in Elijah’s experiences as he fled into the desert and finally to Mount Horeb, where God met with him. The lessons are mainly about exhaustion and depression and how God helps us deal with them.
Upon Mount Carmel, Elijah had reached the high point of his career. Suddenly he had attained his life’s goals, had become the number one celebrity of his time, and was relishing the euphoria of victory as he watched God send down miraculous fire in reponse to his prayer. It was an exquisite moment. At such a time in one’s life, he/she is extremely vulnerable. Jezebel, one of the most wicked and vicious monarchs who ever lived, sent word to him that she would kill him. Fear gripped his heart, and he fled. What a rollercoaster of emotion–he had fallen from the heights of joy to the depths of despair in one exasperating moment. Suddenly he was whisked into a state of depression.
He told God he wanted to die. He felt all alone with his ideals and his faith. He was totally exhausted physically and mentally. He was hungry. He needed rest. He needed food. He needed comfort and encouragement. God gave him all these, but he needed more, so God led him farther through the wilderness to the mountain where Moses had met God many years before, and spoke to him there. There were violent demonstrations of nature, but Elijah heard nothing from God in them. Then there was the still silence and the voice within–the voice of God, who assured him that his life was brimming over with meaning and purpose, that he would continue to do mighty things, only now it would be with a companion, Elisha, who would help him and learn from him so that his work could be continued after he was gone.
He needed help; God gave it to him, in abundant measure. He left the mountain to find new victories, real purpose, and exciting meaning in his life. His depression was gone. God helped him, and He can help you, too.
Read an excellent message on Elijah’s experience and overcoming depression by clicking here.