“What to do when you come to the end of your Hope”
1st Kings 18-19
Distance runners, those who run marathons especially often experience what is called hitting the wall. A marathon is a 26 mile run and they say it usually happens around mile 20. Your energy runs out, your legs become numb and putting 1 foot in front of another becomes almost impossible and then doubt begins to set in. You start thinking will I ever reach the finish line? Will I be able to make it? One runner described hitting the wall this way. He said I felt like an elephant had jumped out of a tree onto my shoulders and he was making me carry him the rest of the way.
In life it seems that at least on occasion we all hit a wall. We feel like life has knocked us down... And there are barriers around us that keep us from going forward. According to 2 world renowned psychiatrists, Dr.’s Frank Minirth and Paul Meier, many Americans, suffer from a serious clinical depression at some point in their lives. Most never get professional help--just choosing to fight this battle on their own. I ran across an ad for Paxil; an antidepressant. The ad began with these words...
• Depressed mood
• loss of interest
• sleep problems
• difficulty concentrating
• agitation/restlessness
Then it concluded with these words: “life is too precious to let another day go by feeling not quite like yourself. If you’ve experienced some of the symptoms nearly every day, for at least two weeks, a chemical imbalance could be to blame. And life can feel difficult ALL DAY. Depression is a very real part of life for many people. At the Minirth/Meier clinics in an average week 50,000 people will visit for counseling. Dr. Meyer says that 75% of these clients will have either clinical depression or some sort of anxiety disorder. So I repeat, depression is a very real problem affecting many, many people.
Elijah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament had many of the classic symptoms of depression. Look with me.
v.3. Elijah was afraid. He ran for his life.
v.4 Elijah had thoughts of dying. Ending it all. I’ve had enough Lord. Take my life.
v. 5. Elijah experienced excessive tiredness. He laid down and slept.
v. 6. Then again.
v. 10. Elijah felt all alone. He felt rejected. He said, “The Israelites have rejected your covenant and broken 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” and these feelings continued on and on and on.
There are some helpful lessons in this passage for anyone who deals with depression. This is why you need to listen to this message. If you are one of those who is dealing with depression today I hope to show you something answers here from the Scripture. If you’re not one of those who is dealing with depression perhaps you can use this information to pass along to others that God puts in your path of influence.
First of all, depression can happen to anyone. When we first look at Elijah we don’t get the impression that he is a candidate for depression. In fact, just before the events in this story took place, Elijah had the greatest victory in the history of his ministry. This is the setting. The people of Israel had begun to worship the false God Baal. Elijah rebuked them for that and said, “how long will you waver between two opinions?” If the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal is God, then follow him. Then he issued a challenge to the prophets of Baal. Let’s each prepare a sacrifice, place it on the altar but don’t light it. Then call on the name of your God and I will call the name of my God and whoever answers by sending fire—that one is truly God. So they agreed. So from morning until noon they called upon Baal and nothing happened.
Verse 27. So Elisha began to taunt them. Verse 27. So they did what Elisha said but still there was no response. Then Elijah prepared his sacrifice. Verses 35-39.
This must’ve been the greatest day Elijah had ever experienced. There were 450 prophets he stood up against and he put his life on the line and as a result God brought the whole nation to repentance. Imagine how good he must’ve felt. And that’s when trouble started. His guard was down. He was vulnerable. Look at what he did. Chapter 19 versus 3-4. Elijah was afraid and ran. It doesn’t make sense that this kind of behavior would take place after such a big win/victory. It wasn’t characteristic of Elisha. But here’s the truth-it can happen to anyone. When the pressures of life become too intense, even if we are successful, that does not stop depression from setting in. The apostle Paul said... So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. Depression can happen to anyone.
2. Depression can destroy your ability to think clearly. A messenger came from Jezebel to threaten Elijah and something went wrong and he stopped thinking rationally. Remember he had just faced 450 men... And won….. At any point they could’ve killed him. He forgot immediately about the victory God had just given him. Jezebel sends this message in verse two and she was calling on the power of the same God’s he had just defeated. They were powerless the day before but for some reason now Elijah is afraid. And suddenly he has an overwhelming desire to run. So rather than face Jezebel he ran to the desert and there he begged God to let him die. Look at v.4 it seems obvious that Elijah really didn’t want to die because if he did he didn’t have to run to the desert... He could’ve stayed home and just waited for Jezebel’s hitman to come after him. What he really wanted was what we all want—for our problems to just go away.
We then see that he is consumed with self-pity. First Elijah said “I’m no better than my ancestors.” For many people it is always a temptation to place responsibility for their problems or bad habits on their parents. Elijah was saying my parents had problems and I’ve turned out to be just like them. They were good people and neither am I. The truth is that Elijah’s parents had nothing to do with his current difficulties. Elijah says I’m the only one left Lord who is serving you. But God says, “nope there’s 7000 men and women who have not bowed down to Baal. Hestill thinks he is all alone so he runs.
[1] Depression can happen to anyone.
[2] Depression can destroy your ability to think clearly.
[3] Depression will not just go away. You must confront it. Depression can be a giant. A giant that most of us have dealt with at one time or another. But there are also those of us who deal with it more frequently. Monthly, weekly, even daily.
Elijah did some things that you may did need to do as well.
[1] He took a nap. Not now. And when he woke up.....
[2] He took a private retreat to get his life back in order. You may need to do the same thing.
[3] He took care of his physical needs. Look at verses 5--6. He got some sleep. He got some food. He rested. For many depression can be due to a chemical imbalance. Unfortunately it can be genetic. Often medication is required to move out of it. If you are struggling with depression and have been for more than a few weeks see your doctor as soon as possible. If he prescribes medication give it a chance. At least one month before you give up. It doesn’t work over night.
[4] He got alone with God. Elijah traveled for 40 days until he reached the mountain of God. When he got there he went into a cave and spent the night. Again he reminded God that he felt all alone. He reminded him twice. God had already told him there were 7000 others standing with him.
Depression often causes individuals to feel completely alone;
although they clearly are not.
Too many of us have shut everyone out including God and we only make matters worse. But something happen in Elijah and he decided to listen. V. 11.
• As Elijah just stood on the mountain a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks but the Lord was not in the wind.
• Then there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
• Then there was a fire with the Lord was not in the fire.
• Then there was a gentle to whisper. The still small voice and in that whisper in Elijah found what he was looking for. He needed to be in the presence of Almighty God.
The presence of God is what we all need. The Bible says that we are instructed us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age…..All the time looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. What is this saying? When you come to the end of your hope…hope again.
My favorite word in the Bible is hope. The way we use the word hope if very weak. We hope the sun will shine tomorrow, that it won’t rain, our kids hope for certain gifts at Christmas, we hope our retirement funds will make more money but the truth is we don’t expect anything to happen. We use the word hope like we use the word wish. But the word hope in the NT has two elements. They are {1} desire and {2} expectation. See, I don’t wish for Jesus to come back, I expect Him to come back. I don’t wish that God will help me, I expect God to help me. The Bible promises He will and I believe it.
I have found that when I feel depression setting in that several things help…..if I am tired, I rest, if I am hungry I eat. If I need to talk to someone I talk. If OI need to get away, get away. Another thing I do is make a list of all the things I have to be thankful for. All of the things that give me hope. Things I have to look forward to and I focus on them for a while. Many counselors feel that Hope is the answer for people who are depressed at times. I agree. If you have stopped hoping and you think that everything is only going to get worse, then you are on the verge of falling into depression.
So you have to hope again. Never give up. A young man that I visited at the hospital about ten years ago had been in a terrible accident. I knew some of his family and they asked me to see him. They told him he would never walk again and he began to lose hope. But he met someone special and she began to encourage him. They then began to date and she continued to encourage him. They decided they wanted to be married. She said to him however only on one condition… you have to get up and walk. He didn’t hear from her for a period of time after that and he thought I wonder why she’s not calling anymore. What has happened? Then he remembered what she said. She was serious. He had to get up and walk or there would be no marriage.
So he did. He pressed through the pain and the people telling him it was impossible. And he did it. Some friends encouraged him and he got up from his wheelchair and he walked. When you come to the end of your hope…hope again because hope never runs out.
