What Are You Doing Here?
As the deer longs for streams of water so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. – Psalm 42:1-6
Prayer
OKAY – so, we have been in this series called, ‘Such Things Were Written’, our theme verse is…
‘Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises. – Romans 15:4
AND LISTEN – here’s the deal, since July 19… we have been taught, warned… and given hope and encouragement from.
• The story of Naomi and Ruth
• David and Goliath
• The Life of Jeremiah
• A surprising warrior named Gideon
• Two periods of Israel history (Wilderness/Conquest)
• The life of Solomon
• 4 chapters in the life of David that taught us that…. our God can use anyone, His power can do anything, His timing is anytime, and His grace can be found anywhere.
• And also from the time when the nation of Israel experienced a major breakup (it’s not you; it’s me) forming 2 separate kingdoms, and among other things we learned last week that they to heal and prevent breakups is to – pray, draw closer to God, put on the attitude of Christ, seek godly counsel, make wise decision (based on whether it will hurt or help create unity) and remember your ultimate purpose
NOW – this morning we are going to unpack a conversation called, “What are you doing here?”
IT’S - a conversation about depression.
ABOUT – how we fall into it, and how we can climb out of it.
QUESTION – have you ever been in a season of life where it just seems like everything is going wrong.
A SEASON – where when your phone rings or an email comes you don’t want to answer or open it up, because you are certain that it is only going to be more bad news?
A SEASON – where you are not even sure if you want to get out of bed, where - you are just weighed down with worry and fear. You wonder what’s next. LIKE- when will the next shoe drop. Your exhausted from anxiety and stress.
A SEASON – where it doesn’t seem to matter what you do, you are always just so tired. And you wonder if things are ever going to turn around in your life and get better.
I MEAN – it’s like satan is seems to be attacking you every day and on multiple fronts.
Have you ever been there? Are you there?
NOW UNDERSTAND - difficult and unexpected circumstances happen, they are just a part of life on this planet
(as Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble….)
AND SO – I am not talking about the kind of discouragement, that just pretty comes and goes…
IT COMES – when something bad happens, and
AND IT GOES – when something good happens.
INSTEAD – I’m talking about a deep discouragement…
YOU KNOW – the kind that just hangs around, this dark cloud of despair that sets up camp in your heart and mind, making you feel like things are never going to turn around and get better…. “What are you doing here?”
AND LISTEN – right out the gates I want to make 2 things perfectly clear…
#1 -it is not a sin to be depressed.
#2 – struggling with depression does not make you a weak Christian or a bad person.
IN FACT – some pretty influential people throughout history have struggled with bouts of depression….
• Charles Dickens
• Winston Churchill
• Martin Luther
• Charles Spurgeon
• Isaac Newton - his college notebooks are filled with descriptions of personal anxiety, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem and bouts of fear.
• Abraham Lincoln - Though it’s rarely taught in history class, President Lincoln fought clinical depression his entire life. Even as a young man, he talked of suicide more than once. His law partner William Herndon said of Lincoln, “His melancholy dripped from him as he walked,”
AND – there are some people well known our day who hae fought this same battle
• Dwayne Johnson, Katy Perry, Jim Carey, JK Rowling, Michael Phelps, Robin Williams
AND THEN – you also have many people in the Bible who battled with depression.
• Moses, King David (“why are you downcast O my soul), Jeremiah, Job, the apostle Paul (I was so overwhelmed I despaired of life itself)… and the guy who is the focus of this morning’s conversation, the great prophet Elijah.
AGAIN – let me repeat that struggling with depression does not mean that… You are a weak Christian, a bad person… or that God cannot use you. AMEN
NOW - depression is unfortunately pretty common today…
18 million people ‘diagnosed’ (and how about not diagnosed)…
2/3 of all suicides
NOW – I conducted an informal poll on my Facebook wall Wednesday…
It was a simple 'yes' or 'no' poll.
'YES' = I have occasionally struggled with bouts of depression
'NO' = Depression has never been an issue for me.
AND – the results (from people of - all ages, both genders, different states and even different countries) were…
YES – 46 (87%)
NO - 7
OKAY – a few more quick things before we dive into Elijah’s story…
#1 – there are certain personality types that are more prone to depression than others. So the fact that some people struggle with depression and others do not…
OFTEN - has more to do with their personality type and not with their faith or lack thereof.
#2 – I realize the limits of a Sunday morning sermon (people can spend months in counseling,
YET… - I still believe in power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to do something significant today. AMEN?!
#3 – I know that depression can at times be caused by chemical imbalances within the body that require medication. SO UNDERSTAND – that this morning I am not talking about medical causes of depression, because I am not a doctor. LIKE - I am not telling you to throw your pills away without referring to your doctor.
OKAY – here’s the deal… this morning 10/4/2020. I want to talk about the kind of depression that comes when the circumstances in life just become too much for us to bear up under.
THEY - depress us and weigh us down.
This is sometimes referred to as ‘situational’ depression.
OKAY – let’s do this…
‘What are you doing here’
a conversation about depression.
Our text is found in 1 Kings 19…
NOW - 1 Kings 19 opens up this way…
(btw this event takes place about 60 years after that nasty breakup of the kingdom of Israel)…
When Ahab
(he is the 7th king of Israel, and a very evil king.)
got home, he told Jezebel
(his wife and she is even more evil… Jezebel = a wicked, shameless, morally unrestrained woman)
everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day.
He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. – 1 Kings 19:1-5
OKAY - Elijah sitting down under a tree (“I have had enough Lord”) and praying that God would take his life?
NOW THAT – (being so depressed that he wants to die) doesn’t sound like Elijah the great prophet who is known for being taking up in a whirlwind by a fiery chariot. I MEAN…
• HERE - is a man who (just 3 years earlier, 1 Kings 17) had stood boldly before Ahab proclaiming to the King, that because of his sin and the nations sin of rejecting the Living God, there would be no rain in the Land, until he said so.
• HERE - is a man who was sustained in the desert by God sending food by ravens, each morning and night.
• HERE – is a man who preformed powerful miracles in the home of the widow of Zarephath, miraculously multiplying her food supply, and he even raising her son from the dead. Surely a man who walked that close to, and was used so powerfully by God, would not get depressed -- but he did.
AND SERIOUSLY – who would expect a guy who had just (a few days earlier) won a great showdown against 850 false prophets on Mt Carmel.
Proving to God’s people, that the God of Israel was the one true God and that the people needed to choose to follow Him.
NO - you wouldn’t expect a man who experienced such a dramatic and total victory over his enemies to get depressed, to get down -- but he did.
THEN - following that great victory on Mt Carmel, Elijah experienced a dramatic answer to prayer.
YOU SEE – while still on the mountain, Elijah said the following to Ahab,
“Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. – 1 Kings 18:41-46
That’s awesome! The power of the Lord came upon Elijah enabling him to outrun a chariot, in the pouring down rain, all the way to Jezreel, 18 miles away.
NOW I THINK - that Elijah wanted to be in Jezreel when Ahab returned to tell Jezebel about the upset victory on Mt. Carmel...
YEAH - Elijah wanted to be there, an "In your face Jezebel" moment, and to implement any reformation process that Ahab might choose to do...
MGCC - you wouldn’t expect a man who just had a prayer answered and had just outran a horse and chariot to get depressed, but he did…
YOU KBOW - in James 5… we read these words… Elijah was a man just like us… - James 5:17
YEAH – he certainly was (and just like 87% of the people in my Facebook poll) he got depressed.
‘Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises. – Romans 15:4
OKAY – so what do you say, that we let God’s Word and His prophet Elijah not only teach us this morning, but also give us hope and encouragement in this area of depression.
AND LISTEN HERE IS HOW - we are going to attack this conversation… BY – unpacking two simple statements…
• Falling into depression
• Climbing out of depression
I. Falling Into Depression
Falling into Depression.
YOU KNOW – if Elijah were here today giving this message, or if He was sitting across from us at a restaurant…
I – kind of picture him telling us,
“Hey, if you want to find yourself falling into a depression just like I did 2800 years, let me tell 4 things that will pretty much get you there, every time. And you may want to take notes….
#1 – if you want to fall into depression…
A) Wear yourself out
AND THAT – is exactly what Elijah had been doing for 3 years straight.
• Confronting powerful leaders for God
• Living in the desert
• Hiding in caves
• Encouraging other prophets of God
• Constantly calling on a rebellious, stubborn and stiff necked people to repent and return to God
• Taking care of a widow and her son
NOT TO MENTION – the massive physical and emotional drain when he jumped into the octagon on Mount Carmel taking on 850 false prophet...
FOLLOWED BY – an 18 mile run (in the rain) back to Jezreel outpacing Ahab’s chariot…
FOLLOWED BY - his 100 mile run from Jezreel to Beersheba.
YEAH – there was no doubt about it, Elijah was totally worn out physically and emotionally...
Ever been there? Are you there?
NOW - There is an old Indian proverb that says,
“You will break the bow if you always keep it bent”
SO - you wonder, “Why am I depressed?”
ANSWER – because you’ve worn yourself plumb out, LIKE…
• Some of you moms, you, you’re, you’re working a full-time job, taking care of the house, putting dinner on the table, carting your kids all over the world.
• Some of you are full time students, working a part time job and trying to have a social life and also being involved at church.
• BOTTOM LINE - some of you are just trying to do too much,
for too long, for too many people, too much of the time.
UNDERSTAND MGCC – no one is exempt from fatigue induced depression.
YEAH – I know that we think that we can - run and run, do and do, go an go some more
AND - never be exhausted, never expend our energy.
BUT - we are wrong.
BECAUSE – the truth is that…
WHEN YOU ARE - emotionally or physically depleted,
WHEN YOU ARE- running on 1/2 a tank (OR LESS)
WHEN YOU ARE - emotionally and physically drained
YOU ARE - especially vulnerable to depression and despair.
It doesn’t take as much to get you down, does it?
How do you fall into depression?
#1 wear yourself out (and some of you are doing just that)
#2
B) Shut other people out
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day.-1 Kings 19:3,4
He what…? ‘left’ his servant there
And he went…? on ‘alone’ into the wilderness
SO - step number one for falling into depression is to wear yourself out. AND - Step number two is to shut people out
AGAIN THAT’S - exactly what Elijah did. He left his closest friend, his servant… He said, “You stay here, and I’m going on into the wilder alone.”
AND TO BE HONEST - that’s what a lot of us do when we get overwhelmed and depressed, LIKE…
I’m not going to let you in.
I’m not going to tell you what I’m going through.
If I did, you wouldn’t understand, anyway,”
SO - we wall up and we start to push other people away.
We think – man, I just don’t have the energy to fake it or pretend anymore, I don’t want them to see me ‘weak’ and ‘so frail’ like this,
AND - I most definitely don’t want to have answer their questions about how I am doing.
BUT UNDERSTAND - when we go on alone into the wilderness, when we isolated from other people and shut them out.
WE - tend to wallow in our misery, driving ourselves lower than we would have gone, if we had let people in who could encourage us, help us see the situation more clearly and give us some much needed perspective.
LISTEN – shutting other people out (and maybe some of you are doing that) go on alone into the wilderness if very dangerous and it is exactly what you enemy (the thief) wants you to do…
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8
SO - step number one for falling into depression is to wear yourself out.
AND - Step number two is to shut people out
AND – step #3 is to have
C) Have unrealistic expectations of how thing will turn out
Which always leads to a sense of futility
And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 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.” – 1 Kings 19:9,10
YOU KNOW – I am convinced that Elijah was sure that after what he had accomplished on Mt Carmel that Jezebel would either repent or at least loose some of her influence in the Kingdom... He just knew things would be different.
HOWEVER - nothing had changed. And now the whole victory on MT Carmel seemed so meaningless...
"Why bother, what’s the use, I’m still a fugitive, I still have a price on my head and that wicked Jezebel she is still running the show. I’m not getting anywhere, I’m just spinning my wheels.."
I’ve had enough. I’m, I’m no better than my ancestors.”
What’s funny is, nobody was asking if he was, but in his mind, this self-pity started to take over.
AND UNDERSTAND – that is what self pity does is, it exaggerates. Doesn’t it?
“I’m never going to be any good.
I’m always going to be stuck in this life.
My life’s never going to get any better.
I’m never going to get into that school after this grade.
I mean, I’m never going to get the promotion.
I’m, I, my, my life is always going to be this way.
QUESTION
Have you ever felt that way?
Like you’re not getting anywhere?
Like all your effort is in vain?
Like nothing is turning out the way you hoped and expected.
Just so many problems and difficulties and stress and struggles.
I MEAN - you try and try to do what’s right -- to be: a good husband, wife, child, mother, father and worker...etc.
You pour out your blood, your sweat and your tears, you give it your best.
AND - you look up at the scoreboard -- expecting to see a change -- anticipating that you have either caught up or gone a head, only to discover that you are actually several more points behind than before...
Things haven’t changed -- the same old problems are still there, and even a few new ones have popped up their ugly heads.
UNDERSTAND - a sense of futility is almost a certain path to depression.
YOU KNOW – I have a hunch that Elijah mistakenly expected that spiritual high from his victory on Mount Carmel to become His new emotional norm.
LIKE – expecting the love, joy and celebration of the wedding day to be the norm for the marriage.
UNDERSTAND MGCC – there is one truth about celebrating a mountaintop victory (one that we would rather avoid)…
THAT WHEN - you are on a mountain top, the only way to go, is down. For every mountain peak there is a valley. For every high there is a corresponding low.
THIS IS WHY - successful people are often more vulnerable to depression than people who are not.
YOU SEE - they expect the exhilaration of success to be continuous, but it is not.
AND THEN - when they get down, they get disgusted with themselves for even feeling that way.
Bros and Sisters, we need to not only understand, but we need to be prepared -- for the letdown that usually follows a great victory.
What goes up, will come down…. GET IT?
HEY – anyone know who this guy is?
(A Picture of Michael Phelps)
Most decorated Olympian in history 28 medals, 23 gold
This pic is Michael Phelps - 2012 Olympics in London (4 gold, 2 silver)
Looks pretty happy.
However, the games he spent 5 days in his bedroom not wanting to live anymore. And then he got help for his depression
SO – you want to fall into depression
• Step #1- wear yourself out (some of you are doing that?)
• Step #2 - shut other people out (some of you are doing that?)
• Step #3 - have unrealistic expectations of how things will turn out. (some of you are doing that?)
AND - Step #4 if you want to fall into depression
D) Leave God out
Leave what?
Which is exactly what Elijah did.
AND YOU – Elijah leaving God out, is kind of crazy considering all the powerful ways that he had seen God move in his life.
• Answering a prayer to close up the skies to stop the rain
• Providing water from a brook and food delivered daily by ravens
• Multiplying a widow’s flour and oil every day so that the jars never were empty
• Raising her son from the dead
• Sending fire from heaven on Mt Carmel, outnumbered yet, defeating 850 false prophets
• Answering a prayer to open the skies and bring rain after 3 years
• Empowering to outrun a chariot 18 miles in the rain
AND – now under this broom tree is like not even considering that God could do anything to help Him out in his current situation.
“Oh, God, I know that you’re not going to come through for me, so could you just kill me”
QUESTION – do you tend to leave God out when you are faced with a tough, trying and difficult time?
IF – we are being honest I think we all do at times, I know I do. AND – doing so makes about as much sense as dd for Elijah.
I MEAN - I can look back at the faithfulness of God in my life. He was there. He provided. He comforted. He, He was a strength. He was everything I needed…
HOWEVER - in this moment, when I am depressed, when I’m down, I can forget the faithfulness of God and leave Him out.
OKAY MGCC – how to fall into depression in four easy steps…
1. Wear yourself out
2. Shut other people out
3. Have unrealistic expectations of how things will turn out
4. Leave God out
NOW…
Let’s see how with God’s we can climb out of depression
II. Climbing Out Of Depression
NOW – basically there are 4 things that Elijah would tell us to do in order to climb out of depression…
They are in fact, 4 things that he himself did in 1 Kings 19…
Step #1 to climb out of depression is to.
A) Eat and Rest
As he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. – I Kings 19:5,6
NOW UNDERSTAND – at tis time Elijah, he didn’t have any hope. He’s hiding out, wanting to die, he’s physically and emotionally depleted,
AND SO - God sends an angel, and hey did you to notice what God, does not do, through this angel.
LIKE…
There is no sermon. There is no rebuke, there is no shame.
The angel doesn’t say,
“Oh come Elijah, if you only had more faith, if you only memorized more Bible verses, if you just quoted the Bible more verses and quit acting like such a baby, I can’t ebelive you bro…”
BUT - there is no rebuke, nothing negative.
IN FACT - the very first thing that the angel of the Lord says, is “Eat and rest.”
NOW - I’m a pretty big fan of food, and that just makes me thankful. Okay?
Scripture says, “He ate and drank and then lay down again.” Eat and rest. (remember he had wore himself out)
UNDERSTAND – for some of you, the most spiritual thing you that can do… IS NOT - go to another meeting, NOT - read another Bible verse, BUT INSTEAD - the most spiritual thing you can do is eat and rest.
AND YEAH - I know what you are thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing.
“But, I got to do this, and I’ve got to do this, and I got to do that,” and I believe God would say to you..;
• It does not matter if the clothes are dirty.
• It doesn’t matter if the house is not clean.
• It does not matter if the yard is not mowed.
• It doesn’t matter if a few things go undone,
BECAUSE - the most important thing, the most spiritual thing you could do right now (which I modeled on day 7 of creation) is to rest.
The angel of the Lord provides food, and lets Elijah take a nap.
QUESTION – is God telling you right now, to do the same.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” – Mark 6:31
OKAY – let’s read on and uncover the next step God uses to help Elijah climb out of his depression….
Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
In other words if you do not take care of yourself physically the journey will be too much for you.
So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. – 1 Kings 19:7,8
(a 260 mile journey through the wilderness)
Okay so, to climb out of depression…
Step #1 - we need to ‘eat and rest’ and then we need to…
B) Go to where God Is
AND MGCC – that is exactly what Elijah did, right?
HE WENT – to the mountain of LORD , the same mountain were God had meet Moses and gave him the 10 commandments…
You need to go to where God is, and listen that may mean…
• Going to His church
• Opening up your bible
• Listening to songs of worship
• Heading a quiet place to meet with Him
AND LISTEN - beginning in 1 Kings 19:9, we see what God does for those who go to where He is…
But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain.
It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied again, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” - 1 Kings 19:9-14
OKAY MGCC – when we go to where God is, there are some things that HE will do that are exactly what HIS depressed people need.
1) He will remind you of His presence
NOTICE – the wording of God’s question…
HE SAYS - “what are you doing here?”
NOT – what are you doing there?
UNDERSTAND – ‘here’ means…
• Elijah I am right here, present with you
• I am an ever present help in times of trouble
• I am here, I with you
NEXT…
2) He will listen to your troubled heart
God listens to Elijah as he pours out his troubled heart.
I MEAN – he just listens to him, even though Elijah just keeps repeating the exact same thing.
Did you notice that God was very patient and sympathetic with Elijah? He doesn’t condemn him, or interrupt him, even though Elijah is saying things that are not true and is making things worse than they really are (something depressed people do).
You see, God knows that depressed people are fragile people. they need to be listened to more than they need advice. It doesn’t help to slap them on the back and say, "come on get with it, snap out of it.. it ‘s not so bad..... you know, you really have it pretty good."
When we get depressed, we need to talk about it, verbalizing our feelings it is helpful in getting us on track again...
And let me say this, God still wants to listen to His servants today...
I often pour my heart and thoughts out to God and I have received from him a new perspective...
NEXT
3) He will reset your focus
QUESTION – where was Elijah’s focus?
UNDERSTAND - Elijah like most depressed people had his eyes on himself... and all he could see therefore, was the problems, the difficulties, the storms, the waves and his own inadequacies.
AND THOUGH - inward reflection is at times valuable -- we need to realize that if we spend too much time focusing on ourselves, it can take us down low.
YOU SEE - what Elijah needed now was a fresh dose of God, He needed to see God again... to stand once more in the presence of the Lord..
What he needed to do, was to start looking up again, towards God.
To be in awe of His might and power
And to be drawn in by His gentle whisper and still small voice.
NEXT
4) He will replace the lies you have believed with His truth
UNDERSTAND – Elijah like most depressed people in his despair had believed some lies.
• He believed that he was the only one left, the only one to do the work, the only one who cared – not true.
IN FACT – is about to tell him he has 7000 who are still going strong. Don’t believe the lies, you are not the only one.
• He also believed that all of Israel was wanting to kill him – not true it was just Jezebel.
When you go to where God is…
• He will remind you of His presence
• He will listen to your troubled heart
• He will reset your focus,
• He will replace the lies we have believed in our depression with His truth…
MGCC – I can only imagine what God would say to so many of us today, about the lies we have believed in our depression…
• That relationship could never be healed
• It will always be this way
• I’ll never be good enough
• I will always be a failure
• I never overcome that hurt, that pain, that failure
• Things will never turn around
• I will never do anything that matters
Why? Why? With God, all things are possible. Replace the lie with the truth.
Where are you right now? Where are you? Some of you, if you would speak verbally, you might just speak a lie. “I’m always going to be depressed. It’s always going to be just me against this.”
Well, maybe God might take that and say, “That’s actually not the whole truth. There’s seven thousand … there are people who care about you.
There are believers who will surround you.
There’s a Holy Spirit who will comfort you.
Don’t believe the lies.”
Replace the lies that you are believing with the truth of God.
Eat and Rest
Go to where God is, and
C) Go back the way you came
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. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet… - 1 Kings 19:15-17
Elijah go back the way you came
In other words, “Go back to doing what prophets do. Go back to doing what prophets do,”
Do what you were doing
Be who you were being
AND MGCC - I believe that God would (is) saying to many of us today, “There is something yet for you to do.”
You, you feel down. You feel blue. You feel hopeless.
You feel afraid. You’re unsure. You’ve lost your confidence. You don’t see it, and God may say,
“If you are still alive, you are not done!”
If you are still here, it is because God has something for you to do.
Go back the way you came.
Go back to doing what prophets do.
You may say, “Well, I am not a prophet.” Well, what are you? You’re a mom, go back to doing what moms do.
Are you a business person?
Go back to doing what a business person do
Are, are you a person of prayer? Go back to praying like people of God pray.
Do you have the gift of serving? Go back and serve someone. Do you have the gift of giving? Go and give something.
Go back and do what God called you to do, and watch as He brings life back out of you!
During a lecture on mental health someone once asked the famous Dr. Carl Menninger:
"What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?"
Most people at the conference thought he would say, "Go see a psychiatrist immediately," but he didn’t.
Much to everyone’s astonishment, Dr. Menninger replied,
"Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find somebody in need, and help that person." To overcome discouragement he said: "Don’t focus on yourself, get involved in the lives of other people."
D) Stay no longer alone
The first thing Elijah does is...
So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. – 1 Kings 19:19
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. - Eccl 4:9-12
• Eat and rest
• Go to where God is
• Go back the way you came
• Stay no longer alone
HEY - did you notice what the first letters of each statement spells? EGGS
Perhaps you've notice the cartoon of eggs on my table.
EGGS like depressed people are very fragile.
They break very easily.
(break the egg in my hands)
AGAIN - why did I do this?
To help you remember EGGS EGGS EGGS
is how to climb out of your depression so you don't have to crack up
Eat and rest
Go to where God is
Go back the way you came
Stay no longer alone
Let's pray.
(Note - some ideas came from a message heard on Youtube By Craig Groeshel)
