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We spent a lot of time this summer looking at how to live well as citizens of God’s kingdom while we are still living on earth.
We talked about suffering for Christ, standing up for him, and how to honor him as we do.
Part of what we talked about last week was what to do with the anxieties we feel as we walk with Jesus.
Some of the final words to us in 1 Peter challenge us to cast all our cares on God because he cares for us.
Today, I want to look at the flip side of the concern coin: depression.
You may not have realized this, but depression and anxiety are, in some ways, simply the opposite sides of an emotional coin.
Biblical counselor Brad Hambrick explains it this way: When we face a threat or a challenge, there may be an artificial energy boost that comes into play.
That is the fight or flight system kicking in, and that is what we experience as anxiety.
We can’t sustain that, though, so we eventually hit an emotional crash where we can’t do what we need to do—that’s depression.
Eventually, we may get rested enough that we want to reengage and do all the things we haven’t, and when we see what is waiting on us, it leads us back to anxiety.[1]
Some of us live in this cycle, and we wonder if the Bible has anything to say about it.
Let me be clear, just like I hope I was last week: there may be traumatic experiences or biological and physiological issues that contribute to your experience with anxiety and depression.
It is good and God-honoring to seek help from a counselor or a physician with those issues.
We also recognize that, in ways that are more complex than we sometimes imagine, we are spiritual beings who inhabit these physical bodies.
Most of us fight with anxiety and depression at some level, so we want to take time to see what the Bible teaches us about facing dark days.
To do that this morning, I want to go back to the Old Testament book of 1 Kings.
We are going to pick up in 1 Kings 19 as we look at a man named Elijah.
The book of James tells us that Elijah is a man just like us that God used in some extraordinary ways.
In fact, we are picking up in his life right after one of the most incredible moments in the Old Testament.
The people of Israel had turned away from worshiping God and were worshiping a false God named Baal.
Elijah proposed a test: he would meet everyone on Mt.
Carmel.
He would build an altar to the one true God, and Baal’s priests would build on to Baal.
Whichever God responded by lighting the altar was the one true God.
The prophets of Baal tried everything they could, but Baal never answered.
When it was Elijah’s turn, he went so far as to completely douse his offering in water so everything was soaked.
God responded powerfully by sending fire from heaven so hot that it burned up not just the offering and the wood but even the stones of the altar.
The people instantly declared that the Lord was the one true God, killed 450 prophets of Baal and seemed like they were back on track.
Right after that, God sent rain, breaking the three-year drought God had imposed because of their idolatry.
Sounds like everything is going great, doesn’t it?
God has clearly demonstrated his power, the people are worshiping him, and Elijah is on top of his game.
Unfortunately, the mountain-top experience on Mt.
Carmel didn’t last long.
We are going to see that Elijah gets some bad news and sinks into a deep depression, to the point that he is almost suicidal.
In this section, we will see God come alongside Elijah at his weakest moments and show great grace.
As we will see, one truth comes out loud and clear: when the dark days come, we need God’s presence more than his power.
Read with me 1 Kings 19:1-4.
Do you see the predicament Elijah is in?
The wicked queen is mad that Elijah ordered the death of her prophets.
She is furious with him…Alice in Wonderland Queen of Hearts kind of furious…off with his head!
We are told we have two basic responses to threats we face: fight or flight.
I will give you one guess as to which one kicked in here with Elijah…look back at verses 3-4.
Elijah throws in the towel.
In spite of having seen God demonstrate his power in a historic, incredibly amazing way, he is just done.
He has swung into that emotional crash that leads to dark days.
And that is exactly where God meets him.
In that moment, Elijah discovered that he needed God’s presence more than he needed God’s power.
By the way, I acknowledge that strictly speaking, this may seem like splitting hairs…God’s presence and power are closely related.
We also acknowledge the truth that he is present everywhere, even when we are not aware.
However, practically, you likely know what I mean.
Whenever we think of God’s power, we think of the Mt.
Carmel-type experiences; times when God does something supernatural that makes everyone stand back and go, “Wow!”
That’s what we want when we get down or depressed, isn’t it?
We want God to do something to shake us out of this fog.
We want him to intervene and make our problem go away.
“God, I’m depressed and crushed under the weight of this thing.
I need you to change my spouse, change my health, change my job or my schoolwork.”
That isn’t how God normally works, though, as we will see in Elijah’s life.
Instead of seeking God’s power in those dark moments, we need to first seek his presence.
Why? Because, as we will see in this passage, God’s presence brings three gifts.
We seek God’s presence first because he gives us:
1) Comfort
Let’s look at what happens next.
Read verses 5-8.
I love how this unfolds.
Depressed and exhausted, Elijah falls asleep under a tree.
When he wakes up, he finds something incredible: an angel has fixed him a hot meal.
This isn’t just any angel, though.
How is He described in verse 7? “The angel of the Lord”
Anybody remember what we have said about that phrase before?
Who is this?
The angel of the Lord is how Jesus is described before he comes to earth as a baby.
It wasn’t just an angel baking bread; it was God himself!
Elijah was running scared, which means in that moment, he didn’t think God could take care of him and protect him from Jezebel.
So, when Jesus shows up, the first gift he gives Elijah is comfort.
It is interesting to notice here that God didn’t rebuke Elijah at first or confront his wrong beliefs.
Elijah shouldn’t have been afraid of Jezebel.
Sure, she had killed other prophets, but Elijah had just seen God demonstrate his power on Mt.
Carmel.
God shows his grace and mercy here, though, by comforting his servant.
Look again at verses 5-6…
God gives him something to eat and lets him rest.
We hinted at it earlier, but don’t miss this: God’s first provision for Elijah’s soul was a nap and a meal.
We are limited, frail creatures whose bodies get tired and hungry.
Sometimes, in the dark days, you need to pay attention and take some time to rest and replenish yourself physically, not just spiritually.
The spiritual restoration was coming, but it began with God giving him physical rest.
In your battle with depression and anxiety, when was the last time you slowed down and took a day off and rested or ate a good meal?
Sometimes, you need more than a day off and a nice meal—there may be something going on in your body that you need some medication to help correct.
Have you pursued that?
Elijah was exhausted, and before God could do the work his soul needed, he needed to rest.
Once he had rested, though God began working deeper as he wandered around for forty days and nights.
Notice though that, at first, there is no command; simply a gracious provision for a weary body and soul.
Isn’t that what Jesus promises those who come to him?
As we seek his presence, we find that God gives us his comfort.
When the Apostle Paul looked at all the hardships he endured in his life spent serving the Lord, he had this to say:
When dark days come, when everything seems to be closing in, we don’t need God’s power to fix the problem, we need his presence to bring comfort.
However, as we see in Elijah’s life, God’s presence brings at least two more gifts with it.
After feeding Elijah a second time, Jesus leaves and Elijah sets out on a long, meandering walk.
He ends up on Mount Horeb, which is another name for Mount Sinai—the mountain where God first gave the 10 Commandments and the Law to Israel.
There, we find God giving Elijah two additional gifts.
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