Dealing With Discouragement

Introduction

The CDC released a study that showed from 2009 to 2021, the percentage of American High School students that said they struggle with persistent sadness and hopelessness rose from 26 percent to 44 percent.

With numbers like this, it’s hard to imagine that we all don’t know of someone struggling with this issue, if not you yourself.

Over the last several years I’ve known three people to commit suicide, the most recent one being my cousin Jennifer Brasfield who ended her life last week.

Today we are going to address the topic of discouragement. The issue of depression, or discouragement, is not foreign to the Bible, and when it comes to this problem we aren’t allowed to ignore what it has for us whether we are medically diagnosed with depression or self diagnosed. Today we will be looking at the discouragement of a man named Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Now, I’m not using the word “depression” because I’m hoping to avoid the medical overtones, so I’m saying, “discouragement”, but in reality I’m talking about the same thing

Now, there are many reason for such issues. Some people struggle with feeling sad and hopeless when they lose a loved one, or when they’re neglected or betrayed by friends or family, some struggle when the loss of a job or a stressful situation. Some people find themselves feeling hopeless when they fail to reach their dreams or goal, and some struggle with guilt that sends them into a dark place.

And this dark place may look something like this:

Feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness.

Angry outbursts, irritability, and frustration even over small things.

Loss of interest in things that once excited you.

Problems sleeping or problems sleeping too much.

Tiredness and lack of energy.

Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased food cravings and weight gain.

Anxiety, agitation and restlessness.

Feeling worthless or guilty. Focusing on past failures constantly.

Frequent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts.

But there is also what Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones called, “Spiritual Depression” which, at it’s core, is feeling deserted by God. It is the feeling that God has abandoned you to your pain and that He is against you. It is the feeling that God is here for others, but never for me. That you are the outcast child.

Maybe something I’ve said describes you or someone that you know. If that’s the case, I hope today’s lessons encourages you as we look at the discouragement of Elijah.

The Discouragement of Elijah

Now as we look at this passage, we are reading the story of a man who has witnessed some absolutely mind blowing stuff in his life. Just the chapter before this one Elijah challenges the priests of a false god named Baal to a challenge where God sends down fire from Heaven and Elijah kills all of the enemy priests, then he prophesies the end to a huge drought all in one passage. But as we flip over to chapter 19 today we find that the high doesn’t last forever as he is receives a message from a wicked queen named Jezebel who threatens to murder him before the day ends and it absolutely destroys Elijah.

Though He Witnessed Great Victories, The Voice of The Enemy Drowned Out All Remembrance of Victory (1-3)

It was as though this threat went ahead and ended the ministry of Elijah when he recieved it. Now, Elijah just challenged the priests of Jezebels god to a war and proved that their god wasn’t real so he clearly should’ve known that the threats of the enemy had no power against him, but he didn’t think that, did he?

You and I may be dealing with the attacks of Satan upon our thought life lately, but just as Baal had already been proven weak, so is our adversary for Jesus has publicly embarrassed him when he rose from the grave.

The Sense of Isolation and Hopelessness (3-4, 10)

The Reassurance of Elijah

Take Advantage of God’s Provision of Food and Rest (5-6)

If you are dealing with depression. You should take advantage of the physical provisions that God has given us. Go to the doctor and have him evaluate your sleep and diet. If there’s a chemical imbalance you should receive help for that.

Be Reminded of God’s Faithfulness (5-8, 11-18)

What we find here is that Elijah is once again nourished by the Lord in verses 5-8. This should immediately draw him back to the time, in 1 Kings 17, where God nourishes the prophet with bread and meat by sending Ravens to bring him food.

And then, in the midst of discouragement, God brings Elijah through a 40 day hike where God provides the food to strengthen him and once he arrives God sends all of this magnificent signs, but speaks softly to him with a still small voice. God speaks to a weakened and broken down prophet with gentleness.

In the midst of your broken heartedness, remember that God isn’t laughing at your pain. He hasn’t forsaken you. The psalmist tells us that God is near to the brokenhearted. Our God is the faithful God that will never leave us, nor forsake us. And sometimes, in the midst of darkness, God will allow our head to drop that His may be the hand to lift our chin to behold His glory. Do you feel alone? Do you feel hopeless and betrayed? Do you feel worthless? Remember that the God that formed you in your mothers womb is the same God that saved you and He is the same God that is there in the darkness of our misery.

Be Reminded of God’s Power (15-18)

What does God do after this? He gives a command to the Prophet to go anoint two kings.

Now, first, He commands Elijah to anoint Hazael as King over Syria. And then he commands him anoint Jehu as king over Israel. But why is this significant? Because Syria is a wicked place that is a non-Israelite nation and Israel is the rebellious Northern Kingdom. What we find here is a depiction of God’s absolute authority over all things, even the kings of nations that hate Him. The broken hearted prophet who just few verses ago was confident this wicked queen would kill him, would learn that God is in control over all things.

Are you in fear? The Lord calls us not to worry. He knows the hairs on your head and that not a single one will fall without the Lord’s knowing. If God cares for the sparrow, He surely cares for you as His own child so much more. Not a single thing will cross the path of your life that isn’t allowed by God.

Conclusion

On October 19th, 1856 a prankster yelled out, “Fire!” in the middle of the preaching of Charles Spurgeon. The prank led to a stampede that would kill 7 and wound 28 others. Spurgeon struggled so severely with this catastrophe that those around him were worried that he might never preach again. It was said that even the sight of a Bible caused him to burst into tears but as he brought himself to read Philippians 2:8-9 which says,

Philippians 2:8–9 NKJV

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

Spurgeon found himself encouraged by this thought: “The same Heavenly Father who picked up His Son out of the muck, misery and mistreatment can do the same for me.”

Now, a lot of people might think to themselves, “Doesn’t the saving grace of God cure all depression?” One writer said, “Our hope does not reside in our ability to preserve a good mood, but in His ability to bear us up.”

But sometimes thinking on the promises of God don’t cheer us up immediately, do they? Some times the darkness we’re in is so dark that we are even blinded to the warm light of God’s promises. The Psalmist felt that way as he said:

Psalm 77:3 CSB

3 I think of God; I groan; I meditate; my spirit becomes weak. Selah

Maybe this is you. And maybe your terrified and you think to yourself, “How could I be a Christian and feel this way?” Spurgeon said, “Your spiritual life does not depend upon nature, else it might expire; it depends upon grace, and grace will never cease to shine till it lights you into glory.”

You might be weak and afraid, but bring them to Christ. He is strong enough to deal with them. A lot of times we don’t know how to approach God because we don’t think He knows how we feel, but He does. The Bible says that Jesus was in all points tempted like we are but He never sinned. It also says that Jesus was a Man of Sorrows that was acquainted with grief. Jesus has faced darkness, rejection, heartache and pain and He did it for you and me. If your dealing with discouragement, let me tell you that the grace of God flows deeper than any of the wounds of our thoughts.

You know, when Elijah asked God to kill him, he didn’t know all his life had in store for him and neither do we. But in the midst of darkness you can remind yourself that there is coming a day where Christ will cure all pain and heartache and loneliness and He will make it right.

You know what to do when you try to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness and it just doesn’t help? You do just what David did in Psalm 77 and Psalm 42. You preach to yourself. You continue to remind yourself that you serve a God who is mighty and He cares for you as His child.