God and Depression

By Liz Saunders    10th March 2002    0 responses

Psalm 139:11   Expand passage

Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me

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Depression and feelings of hopelessness and despair are unfortunately experienced by most of us at some point in our lives. For some this manifests itself in a bad mood or a bad day, but for others it can develop into a very real illness lasting months and even years. As you continue to read I hope you will see that (contrary to popular belief) this is not a new phenomenon and that God offers us very real and practical help in dealing with these feelings.

Feelings of hopelessness and despair can become really big obstacles in our walk with God. Although depression in itself is not a sin, it can often cause us to do so. Psalm 139 reassures us that there is nowhere we can go (including the depth of depression) to flee from Gods presence, however the very nature of depression can often leave us feeling very isolated and alienated form God.

Depression can affect each and every one of us, no matter who we are, or what we have achieved in life. Martin Luther (the great pioneer of the reformation), William Cowper (Hymn Writer) and Abraham Lincoln experienced severe periods of depression. The Bible gives us several examples of people suffering from depression, and the way in which God dealt with these situations. I believe God has given us very clear guidance on how we can help ourselves and other people who feel depressed.

The following is a passage from the book of 1 Kings in which we see Elijah, one of the great prophets, facing his own struggle with depression:

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.  (1 Kings: 19)

In this chapter, Elijah was feeling so desperate that he prayed that he might die. From reading earlier texts about Elijah’s life his depression seems to stem from, exhaustion, fear, loneliness and the feeling of futility. By looking at the causes of depression we can begin to see ways in which we can help and support our friends.

The beginning of chapter 19 finds Elijah completely exhausted. To put it mildly Elijah had had a very physically and mentally exhausting few days/weeks. He had been up and down mountains, spent hours praying in reverent concentration and to top it all had just completed a 20-mile run to arrive in Jezreel ahead of the king’s chariot (See 1 Kings chapter 18). Is it any wonder that the man was feeling low? Regular meals, sleep and leisure time are all essential for our spiritual and mental health. God emphasises this later in the chapter by providing these things for Elijah. We should not underestimate the importance of getting a good night’s sleep, eating properly and allowing ourselves leisure time.

Elijah was a brave man; he had contended against the principalities and powers of the world, and he trusted God in the most extreme of circumstances. He had seen God perform miracles. However Chapter 19 shows him fleeing in fear of his life. Why? Because he was threatened by a women (Queen Jezebel), who had to issue her threats through a messenger. Elijah was in no imminent danger; the Queen had sent a messenger and not an assassin. Elijah stood firm in more severe circumstances, so why did he flee in fear now? I believe that his courage was diminished because he was exhausted. As the saying goes it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Depression can some times be triggered by small, and to the outside world seemingly insignificant or minimal events. Whatever the origin of the depression, it can cause us to react uncharacteristically.

Loneliness was another factor in Elijah’s depression, exhausted and afraid he felt alone. We were created to live in relationship with one another, and as such find it very hard when we are alone.

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18.

By the end of 1 Kings, chapter 19 God had not only provided bread and water for Elijah he had also provided company and fellowship (with Elisha). I believe friendship and fellowship is essential on our Christian journey, and is an essential part of the healing process for those suffering from depression.

Elijah must have been very frustrated by the threats issued by Queen Jezebel, after everything he had been through and everything he had achieved things were still not right. Feelings of futility can leave even the best of us wondering what the point is, and feeling despondent and depressed. For me the image of this mighty prophet lying exhausted and despondent under a tree, praying to die is very powerful. It is a timely reminder that it is only in God that we have strength, and that it is the perceived isolation from God that allows depression to weaken us.

Loneliness, exhaustion, futility are all powerful emotions which very often end up as depression and thoughts of suicide. Depression can leave us feeling very isolated from God, but it is important (however difficult) that we remember and trust God not to leave our side even when we are feeling so low. The rest of 1 Kings, Chapter 19, details how God did not leave Elijah and helped him out of the depression. I believe God can, will and does do this for us also. It also shows us ways in which we can help friends who are suffering from depression.

God gently took Elijah in hand, he did not rebuke or condemn him, or tell him to ‘pull himself together’ instead he gave Elijah time and space to talk. Although Elijah is desperate to hear God’s voice, he was not at first ready to listen. The only voice Elijah could hear was his own. When Elijah had talked himself out he was able to sleep. God then provided him with something to eat and drink. God gave him time to rest and to regain his strength. It is logical to assume that if exhaustion is a major factor in depression then the basic provision of having time to sleep and for some one to feed you will help immeasurably. This is something we can easily do for friends who are feeling depressed and low. How often do we underestimate the ability to offer this to our friends, this was the first thing God did for Elijah in this situation. Even the smallest act of kindness can mean so much to a friend who is feeling low.

When Elijah was rested he travelled to the Horeb, the mountain of God. Elijah wanted to speak to God and to hear God’s voice. So he went back to a place where he had met God and heard His voice before. Just like Elijah, depressed people need to, and do find comfort from going back to the familiar and comfortable, back to the foundations, back to the gospel, and the Cross.

In verse 11 of Chapter 19 Elijah is instructed to stand outside the cave and wait, great and powerful winds tore at the mountain, followed by an earthquake and a fire. Previously Elijah had known God in each of these things, but this time God was not there. Previously these things had been the power of God and there was no reason for God to be distinguishable from them. However this time in the stillness that followed Elijah heard God talking to him in a way he had never heard before. We cannot, by searching, find out God, but while we search, God finds out us. A subtle but important distinction. When we are depressed and feeling isolated from God, it is important to remember that we will not find him entirely on our own, and that He will find us at some point on the search, when the time is right for us.

The road out of depression was not easy for Elijah, and God did not ‘wave a magic wand and make it all better’ but he did help Elijah through it and helped him see a point in living. He gave him hope, and the kind of reassurance that only God can offer.

I believe Chapter 19 is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. God cares about us and does not desert us if we fall into the darkest depression; even thought it can sometimes feel as though he has. We do not have to go through depression alone, God promises to provide for us and he offers us hope. Maybe He will bring a friend into your life or give you time and space to rest, or even bake you a cake as in Chapter 19! Most importantly He will listen to you through prayer and when you are ready, meet you just as He wants to. In Ephesians 5:1, we are called to be imitators of God, perhaps one of the easiest ways of doing this is by helping a friend in the small but important ways God helped Elijah.

Footnote: The author of this piece wishes to make it clear, that there are some cases where medical intervention is needed to treat depression and that this article should not be viewed as an encouragement for people to ‘go it alone’ without medical treatment.

Acknowledgements: Rev. Paul T. Harrison B.D. ‘Where is God’

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By Liz Saunders

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