DEALING WITH DEPRESSION
I Kings 19:1-8
In America, today, we are dealing with a national epidemic. It’s not a virus, a bacterial infection, or germ of any kind. It is a spiritual, emotional, and physical epidemic called depression.
** 15% of Americans will require medical treatment for depression in their lifetime.
** Around 8 million Americans are clinically depressed to the point that they cannot function at their jobs.
** Depression affects each of us at one time or another and to one degree or another.
No one is immune to depression, not preachers, prophets, etc.
** Many strong believers in the Bible suffered from immense depression at some point during their life: Moses, John the Baptist, David, Jonah, and the Apostle Paul. Today, we will look at Elijah.
I Kings 19:1-4 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
Elijah has despaired so much that he just wishes he was dead. Have you ever thought or said that yourself?
A. WHY DID ELIJAH BECOME DEPRESSED TO THE POINT OF DEATH?
1. Elijah was overcome with irrational thoughts. FEAR!
His fear came as a result of being threatened by a woman. He’s not thinking rationally, or he would have remembered all that God had done and the victory that He won, and realized that this Jezebel was no match for God.
We often do the same thing when we have seemingly insurmountable problems come into our lives. We feel overwhelmed and helpless. **Helpless is not a bad place to be, though, when we know we are helpless we should go to the Lord of Glory who can handle any problem. Faith is the Key!!
2. Elijah had become a loner.
Facing a long hard battle by himself took a huge toll on Elijah. When faced with this great problem, he continued to separate himself from his friends and went on alone. His discouragement drove him further into depression because he isolated himself. This isolation further perpetuated his depression via loneliness.
Oftentimes, when things get tough we do the same thing. We get off by ourselves and stew on the problems alone. Our friends are a great support group and when we are battling depression, that is the worst time to abandon our support group.
3. Elijah was feeling the “normalness” that comes after a great Victory.
Elijah was a strong man of God. His valleys were higher than most people’s mountains. Reality was that he was back to normal after a great spiritual victory. His thought process, though, told him different. He experienced the awesome power of God to such a level, that “normalness” seemed a deep, terrible valley.
My missions experiences. When I was a missions minister, I would lead mission teams overseas 3 to 4 times a year. While on these trips, I would feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit working in and through me. I would see God do amazing things. I would see many people come to faith in Jesus Christ. I would then come home and things would go back to normal. I would go to work in the pharmacy each day. Now, normal wasn't a bad place to be, but when you've been on the spiritual mountaintop for 2 weeks or longer, going back to normal seemed like the lowest valley on the earth.
4. Elijah was physically exhausted, spiritually drained, and emotionally spent.
Elijah had been living under grueling conditions and stress for many years fighting a great spiritual battle that kept him under enormous pressure. He has just experienced the climax of an awesome spiritual battle and Elijah is just physically drained.
*** old saying.... “You will break the bow if you keep it always bent.”..... In other words, If you’re living under constant, relentless stress, you’ll finally break under the pressure. You must give yourself time for rest and refreshment.
5. Elijah was lost in Self-Pity.
“I alone am left”.......actually he wasn’t, this was his feelings talking; not reality.
“I am no better than my fathers”.... so what? Who put that pressure on him to be better than his father? Himself!
“Let me die”... death is not the answer.
B. SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
** feelings of hopelessness and despair.
** long-term feelings of sadness and apathy.
** Loss of perspective concerning life, work, family, etc.
** Changes in physical activities...... appetite, sleep patterns, sex.
** Low self-esteem
** Withdrawal from other people.
** Avoidance of problems.... escapism.... thoughts of suicide... desire for death.
** Hypersensitive feelings about what others say.
** Difficulty in handling emotions, especially anger.
** guilt
C. HOW GOD STRENGTHENED ELIJAH
2 Kings 19:5-8 5 He lay down and slept under a [h]juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” 6 Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
There are 3 things that happened to Elijah here that renewed his strength enough to continue the journey.
1. God gave Elijah a place to rest.
He was weary, emotionally spent and spiritually drained.
Have you ever been there? Are you there now?
2. God fed Elijah.
Yes, here it is physical food, but we are fed by reading the Word of God. When you are being bashed around, that is when you need to feast on the Word more than ever.
3. God spoke to Elijah.
He sent an angel to minister to Elijah to feed him, to give him rest, and to give him a fresh Word from God.
D. 7 PRACTICAL WAYS TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION
1. Eat Right and Exercise
** Avoid sugar and caffeine.... get more immediate energy, but also creates anxiety.
** Avoid alcohol.... extreme depressant
** Exercise
A. Releases endorphines which are natural mood enhancers in the body.
B. You rest better at night when you exerted yourself in the day.
2. Get enough Light/Sunshine
** Melatonin is a substance that promotes relaxation, but also is a physical depressant.
Melatonin is produced in the body while in a dark environment.
** Depression increases in the winter........ Get out of the house and get some sunshine!!
3. Get actively engaged in something you enjoy!
** find a new hobby.
** Do something creative and fun.
** find a new purpose in your life!
4. Be Social.
** Depression leads to a desire to be alone.... which only perpetuates the problem.
** Force yourself and design your life to where you have to mingle with other people in a vital way.
5. Prayer/Meditation/Bible Study
** God still speaks to those who diligently seek Him.
6. Minister to others!
** Nothing takes your mind off your own problems quicker than helping other people with their problems.
7. Medical/Professional Help.
** depression sometimes caused by a chemical imbalance.
There is no shame in taking medicine.
There is no shame in seeking the wisdom and knowledge of someone wiser.
The only shame is wasting a single day wallowing in depression when God doesn’t intend for you to do so.
