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Written by Jocelynn Goff, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
Did you know Elijah suffered from depression? Elijah had numerous mountaintop experiences. Yet, he became depressed and had a low valley experience shortly after a significant mountaintop event.
First Kings 17-19, 21, and 2 Kings 1-2 tell the stories of Elijah. His list of mountaintop experiences in partnership with God include:
• Being fed by ravens and water from a brook during a drought.
• Praying for jars of flour and oil not to run out until rain comes again, and it happens.
• Raising a widow’s son to life.
• Challenging and winning the battle between Baal and the LORD God at Mt. Carmel.
• Hearing the people after the battle proclaim “The LORD – He is God! The LORD – He is God” (1 Kings 18: 39b).
• Praying for rain to return after a 3+ year drought and it happens.
• Running over 30 miles fast enough to beat a horse.
This is quite an impressive resume. Yet, immediately after all of this, when he heard the threats of Jezebel to take his life, he runs far away, actually over 100 miles. It is then we read, “I have had enough, LORD. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4b). He has run into the desert and sits under a broom tree. It is here he experiences a valley or wilderness experience. He is afraid for his life, exhausted in spirit, mind, and body, disappointed in his inability to keep Israel faithful to God, and plagued with feelings of being completely alone.
He has stepped into an extremely negative perspective of his life. Intellectually, we know as we read Elijah’s story that God is in control and yet we feel his pain, despair, and deep depression. God does not hide depression or mental illness in the stories of His characters in the Bible. James 5:17a tells us, “Elijah was a man just like us,” and we get to see his depression in this story. David, Moses, and Job were other faithful heroes who struggled with depression.
We can take comfort and learn from the overall story and lessons from Elijah’s valley of depression. Let’s consider what perpetuated his depression. First to consider, he hears a threat against his life and he’s afraid. He knows Jezebel and her ruthlessness so he knows this is a valid threat. His fear paralyzes him from any other thought so he runs.
Secondly, he’s exhausted. Often the energy involved in a mountaintop experience drains your reserves to fight off negative emotions and thought processes. Specifically, the Mt. Carmel battle lasted a full day. Then, after God’s success, he climbs to the top of Mt. Carmel to pray for rain. As soon as he hears there’s a small cloud, he sends word to Ahab but ends up running ahead of Ahab, who’s on horseback, over 30 miles to Jezreel. Additionally, he runs 100 miles after hearing the threat of Jezebel. I doubt he was merely plagued with shin splints after all that running. No, he was seriously exhausted!
As Elijah ran those 100 miles, he was running away from his community. In other words, he was isolating himself both physically and psychologically. This removed him from hearing any voice but his own that was quickly spiraling into negativity and depression. He began convincing himself that he was alone and the only one left, plagued with the futility of the task.
“I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, 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” (1 Kings 19:10).
What can we learn from Elijah’s experience with depression? First, God is there with Elijah and He will be with us. Elijah rightly presents his pain, frustration, and feelings of aloneness and worthlessness to God. God is the first one for us to share our burden.
God provided rest and nourishment for Elijah before anything else. He allowed him to sleep, then sends an angel to encourage him to “get up and eat” (1 Kings 19:5b). Elijah ate and slept again. Then “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” (1 Kings 19:7). Elijah complies with the instructions from the angel. We should look and listen to those messengers of truth through His Word—friendships, trusted spiritual guides, and mental health counselors can also be a needed resource. At times, medication is a useful and necessary tool, either for a temporary time period or longer term. A psychiatrist and mental health counselor are valuable sources for this assessment.
Elijah travels 40 days and 40 nights and sleeps in a cave. It is then that The LORD begins to speak to him. However, it isn’t spoken through a powerful wind, nor an earthquake, nor a fire but in a gentle whisper. Even though God spoke in an overt display of fire at Mt. Carmel, this time He speaks in a quiet way.
God begins by giving him a mission. He is to anoint certain kings and anoint Elisha as his successor. We all need a purpose in our life, something that helps motivate us each moment of each day. We also need a partner in the Gospel. Someone that encourages and reminds us of our common mission for our LORD. It is after giving him a purpose and Elisha as a partner in the Gospel that God refocuses his perspective with the truth that he is not alone. “Yet, I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have now bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him” (1 Kings 19: 18).
Since, “Elijah was a man just like us” (James 5:17a) we can take note of not only that he suffered with depression but also recognize the signs of depression. Then, we can also learn through Elijah how the Presence of God gives rest, nourishment, mission, partnership, and assurances in the healing process.
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Written by Beliza Patrícia, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in João Pessoa, Brazil.
It is said that the first step is the most important one on the journey. What we do before waking up says a lot about our day. We dress up fancy for a first date because we know the impact that moment will have in our relationship. The first step itself does not determine the whole journey, but it’s a fact that it is important and special.
That’s also what happens in the Christian life, whether you were born in a christian household and were exposed to the gospel at a young age or you only learned about the path to salvation when you were already an adult. The fact is, everybody faces the choice of being a christian, a disciple of Christ. That doesn’t happen as if from magic, we all have habits and temptations that pull us closer and further away from God. Overcoming those is not an easy task and asks for though choices from us, big or small. But this journey starts with baptism.
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:37-38)
After listening to Peter’s sermon during Pentecosts, the Jews understood what they had done. They recognized they needed to do something, change their attitude. Peter’s guidelines were clear, they needed to repent and be baptized. That moment, where three thousand people are baptized is considered the beginning of the church. If we read the following verses we can see that some people changed their way of living. Meaning, baptism was not just a ceremony, baptism marked the beginning of a new life. Sin no longer had power over those people, over their thoughts and actions. They were free! Free to become more and more like Jesus.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When I speak with people getting closer to the Church their opinion is most usually that baptism is only a symbol, not something that important, what really matters is doing the will of God daily. I would like to shed some light on that idea through scripture:
After resurrection, Jesus told his disciples:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [...] (Mateus 28:19)
Jesus sent his apostles to every nation to make disciples, His followers, and the way to make disciples was clear, through baptism.
I recognize there’s willingness to want to do God’s will, but the truth is: we can’t do it alone. The Bible shows us that we can’t be saved by anything we do. Sin parts us from God and it’s consequence is spiritual death, have our spirit far away from our Creator. Only through Christ, who sacrificed for us even though he had no sin, we can be saved. And the way to connect to Christ is through baptism.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Romanos 6:3-8)
Baptism doesn’t need a specific day, doesn’t need to be done in group, doesn’t need to be on a specific place (see Acts 8:36-38). But it does need a heart that believes Jesus is the son of God. That in that moment when we accept Jesus paid the debt for our sins we receive the Holy Spirit of God in us and that at that moment we’re starting a new life. It is through faith (in Jesus Christ) and not because of our own actions that we are saved.
If you’ve already made the decision to start a pact with God and be baptized for forgiveness of your sins receiving the Holy Spirit, I want to invite you to remember that day. Remember all the bible studies that led you to that decision, the brothers and sisters in Christ that were with you on that day…and may that memory bring you strength and encouragement! You are a new creature! Keep following the goal! If you haven’t made that decision yet, I want to invite you to study what the bible says about who Jesus is and who you are, and you’ll be ready to start your journey with Christ.
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