When God's Servant's Get Depressed

Depression comes to everyone at one time or another in life. But what happens when it hits the man or woman of God. Aren't they supposed to be stronger than others? Doesn't the very fact that they are in Christian service exclude them from experiencing symptoms of depression? Don't they have supernatural strength in their "shoulders" to continually bear the burdens of others?

What happens when the the servant of God suffers from depression? In 1 Kings 19 we see a glimpse of one of God's faithful servants who suffers from the illness of depression. Elijah had just finished winning one of the biggest battles in his life. God showed up and proved that HE WAS GOD! But right after that victory Elijah's life is threatened and he runs away in fear. He travels to Beersheba (well of the Oath of God) and leaves his servant there and travels another full days journey alone. (aprx. 25-30 miles) He sets down under a Juniper tree sheltered from the sun and wind and requests that God will let him die and then he fell asleep.

In my experience with depression you can become so overwhelmed with difficult life situations that you experience total exhaustion. This is not at all a healthy fatigue because it is the result of your body kicking into a self preservation mode to protect you from a complete breakdown. I believe Elijah was at this place in his life.

What happenened? Elijah was visited by an angel of the Lord. The angel said to Elijah, "Arise and eat"...so Elijah rose up and found a cake(probably of unleavened barley; typical of the day) and a cruse (bottle) of water which were supernaturally placed there. Elijah rose up, ate and drank and then he laid down and fell asleep again.

God sent Elijah provision in the time of his distress.

Sandy Patti mentioned that a friend came and took her out to get some ice cream. She declared to her listeners that, "Sometimes only a friend and a banana split can help!" I think it was one of those times for Elijah too.

Then the angel of the Lord came and visited a second time. Only this time he touched Elijah and then said, "Arise and eat; because the journey is to great for thee."

Elijah rose up and ate again, but this time he was strengthened so much that he was able to go onward a 40 days journey in supernatural strength on the simple meal that the angel of the Lord had provided. He ends up at Mt. Horeb (the Mt. of God) where he finds a cave to dwell in.

This gives me hope. If God sent an angel to visit, speak, touch and feed a man of God supernaturally in the O.T. then surely he can do the same for us when we are weary in the work of ministry. (Note also that God gave earthly provision right alongside his heavenly provision.)

While here, the word of the Lord comes to him saying,"Elijah, what are you doing here?" After Elijah's response, he is told to "go forth and stand before the Mt. of God." Elijah obeys and God shows up in power and demonstration as the Lord himself passes by... and when he does a great and strong wind rends the mountain, rocks fall before the Lord and an earthquake and fire come and lastly a still small voice...but God is not in the wind, earthquake or fire...but he is in the still small voice.

At this Elijah wraps his face in his mantle and goes and stands in the entrance of the cave where he has been dwelling and the still small voice of the Lord comes and asks a second time, "Elijah, what are you doing here?

Servant of God, "What are you doing here?"

Note that Elijah's response never changed in his answer to the Lord; however he was able to recognize the still small voice as the Lord's and he went obediently forward after he was commanded to "Go and return...and....."

Often when servants of God get depressed, we call out for the thunderbolt demonstrations of God on our behalf. "Oh God, that you would rend the heavens and come down!!!" Only the Lord knows what we would add onto this request when we are in despair....

If we just listen; which may require getting totally alone until we hear that "still small voice" of our Lord...then we will be given the strength to "Go, return and do"... whatever the Lord commands for us to do in order to continue the work of His Kingdom.

Elijah wasn't the only one who got tired and despaired of life. There were many others.

If you are a servant of the Lord; take heart! There is still a God who hears and answers prayer. Not just the prayers and burdens of others, but ours too. Don't look for the wind to blow, the rocks to fall, the fire to come...but "be still and know" that He is God; he will show up and he will whisper in that "still small voice" and lead you out of your cave of depression and onward in the strength of His word so that you can accomplish the plans that he has for your life. "A plan to prosper and not harm to give you a future and a hope" as you continually extend "a future and hope" to others that you are ministering to.

Beginning Again

I hate starting over! It is completely out of my comfort zone! Life throws obstacles into your pathway that you cannot walk around. A simple "falling rock" sign on the roadside in which you are traveling can quickly become an entire "mountain slide" where you discover that the only safe solution is to simply carve out a new way around it.
When this happens we feel totally and utterly helpless. We find that this is where we are most vulnerable and frightened by the "unknown" of it all. We are no longer in control... Yet, God gives us hope and wisdom to start over...or begin again. We pick ourselves up and begin to prepare "new ground" as we follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. This is called process! It isn't always easy or painfree, but as we carefully walk each step in the new direction God leads, we will find that the pathway becomes much clearer, brighter and our hope becomes renewed. Our perspective is extremely important at this time. Our disasterous situations should be viewed as "God's Opportunities". When we adopt this kind of thinking we begin to see that God's viewpoint of carving out a new way for us is not the impossible task we fretted that it would be, but daily as we cooperate with God, it becomes a visible reality!
God always has our best intentions at heart. He is full of love for his children. This does not mean that bad things never will happen to us; that death-type situations won't come, but it means that God has a divine solution to everything we face in life. There is a way through!