There is a plague sweeping the country today. And I don’t mean Covid or any other virus or bacteria. But this ailment can be as debilitating and devastating as any disease. This epidemic is called “discouragement” in its milder term, and “depression” in its more severe form. According to the Christian psychiatrists Minirth and Meier, the number one problem in America is depression. They say, “One American in 20 is medically diagnosed as suffering from depression… of course, many, many more are depressed but never receive help.”  And I would say many, many more may not be classified as depressed, but are at least down and discouraged. Some in this room this morning and listening online I suspect have contracted this ailment. Though if I were to ask you, “How are you doing?” you’d say, “Oh I’m fine. I’m good,” but that’s not really how you’ve been feeling. I have been experiencing some low moments, some bouts here and there of discouragement over the last few weeks, which I’ll share a little about in this lesson.

And I thought a lesson that addresses discouragement would even be appropriate on Mother’s Day because I know many moms feel unappreciated for all they’ve done and are doing for their families. And maybe those kids or that husband are not changing like they’d hoped, despite their efforts. Moms can easily get discouraged.

I chose a story from the life of the prophet Elijah for us to look at this morning. It’s in I Kings 19 if you’d like to be turning there in your Bibles. This prophet of God, Elijah, came to a point in his life where he was so discouraged and depressed that he hoped when he fell asleep, he would not wake up. Just that itself is a bit encouraging to me to know that even a great man of God, like the prophet Elijah, could fall into extreme discouragement. This story tells of Elijah’s plummet to the depths of depression and how God brought him through it.

The context helps us understand why Elijah got so discouraged.

Context before I Kings 19

The people of Israel, for a few generations, had been going the way of their pagan neighbors, serving gods other than the Most High God with whom they had a covenant. King Ahab, king of Israel, had married Jezebel of the Sidonians and promoted the worship of her god Baal throughout the land of Israel. Ahab built a temple for Baal and supported prophets of Baal. Baalism was the government funded religion in the land. And Jezebel had been murdering the prophets of the true God. And as God forewarned His people, if they forsook Him to serve other gods, He would withhold the rain from their land. So the rain had been withheld for 3 years. And Elijah had been in hiding during those years of drought, because he was wanted dead for speaking the word of the Lord.

Finally, in the third year of the drought, the Lord told Elijah, “It’s time to go show yourself to king Ahab and challenge him to hold a certain contest on Mt. Carmel and then I’ll bring the rain back.” So Elijah met King Ahab and convinced him to call to Mt. Carmel, the men of Israel and the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, who was believed to be a female goddess and Baal’s partner. When all these people of Israel and prophets of Baal and Asherah assembled, Elijah said to the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him! If Baal is God, then follow him.” (Yahweh or Yehovah is the name God Most High gave Himself at the burning bush with Moses. But most of our translations just translate it as LORD in all capital letters.) Elijah tells the people to make up their mind about who they’re going to serve and not waver between the two. The people didn’t answer Elijah. They weren’t sure which deity was worth serving. So Elijah said, “Let’s do this. You prophets of Baal, take an ox, cut it up, and place it on the wood on an altar, and then I also will take an ox, cut it up and place it on the wood on an altar. And then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of my God, and the God who answers by consuming the offering with fire, He is the most high God whom we shall serve.” And all the people said, “That’s a good idea.”

Elijah said, “You prophets of Baal, you go first.”  It was early morning. They took their ox, prepared it on the altar and then all morning called on the name Baal, saying, “O Baal, answer us. Bring fire down from heaven on this offering.” They leapt about the altar, shouting out to Baal for hours, all morning. About noon Elijah began to mock them, “Call out louder, maybe he’s taking a nap and you have to wake him up. Maybe he’s in the bathroom. Maybe he’s on vacation.”  All afternoon they cried out desperately. They even cut themselves with swords and lances until they were gushing blood, thinking that might get Baal’s attention.  But all day there was no response from Baal.

That evening Elijah said to all the people, “Alright, my turn.”  He repaired an old altar to Yahweh that had been torn down. He dug a trench all around it. He arranged the wood on the altar. He slaughtered the ox, cut it in pieces and laid it on the wood. He told some people to fill up 4 pitchers of water and pour it on the altar. They filled up 4 pitchers of water and poured it on the altar. Then he said to them, “Do it a second time.” They poured water on it a second time. He said, “Do it a third time.” They drenched it a third time. So the ox, the wood, the altar were all soaking wet, and the trench around the bottom was full of water. Then Elijah said, “O Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Yahweh, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back.” And fire came from heaven and consumed the ox, the wood, and the stones that made up the altar and even licked up the water in the trench. All the people fell to their faces and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!” Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” And they took those prophets down to the brook Kishon and in obedience to the Law of God, Elijah put every one of them to death.

Then Elijah gave wonderful news from the Lord to king Ahab, he said “You better hurry if you want to eat something before you head home, because I hear rain coming, lots of rain. God’s putting an end to the drought today.” Ahab went to go eat and Elijah went up on top of Mount Carmel with his servant to pray the rain in. Elijah crouched down and put his head between his knees and prayed for rain. And he sent his servant to look out over the Mediterranean Sea for clouds. And his servant came back and said, “There are no clouds, Elijah.” So Elijah prayed again, and told his servant to go look again. And he came back, “Still nothing.” But Elijah persisted in prayer. He did that seven times. But on the seventh time, his servant came back and said, “I can see a cloud like a man’s hand coming up over the horizon.” He told his servant, “Go tell Ahab, ‘Hurry home to Jezreel, because we’re about to get a downpour.’” And Elijah outran Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel it says because the hand of the LORD was upon him.

Elijah was excited. Elijah was on top of the world, full of hope for his nation. The people were shown clearly that Yahweh is the Most High God. The prophets of Baal had been killed. King Ahab was there to see it all. Surely now the king is going to convert his wife, Jezebel, or at least stand up to her and tell her that she’s corrupted the nation, and he’s going to lead Israel in serving Yahweh. And the rain is back. Israel is being saved, and what an honor for Elijah that he got to work with God in bringing about this national revival. Or so Elijah thought.

But people are often fickle and unpredictable and make decisions contrary to reason and good sense. I think Elijah was expecting everybody to do what obviously makes sense. And like Elijah we can be setting ourselves up for disappointment and frustration and feelings of failure when we expect people to do what makes sense.

In the first 4 verses of I Kings 19 we read about…

Elijah’s plummet into depression

Verse 1, “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.” This wimp of a king did not say, “Wife, you’ve been wrong. Yahweh is God. And this is how I know. And it’s Yahweh who has sent the rain back, not Baal. I’m going to stand with Elijah, and this house and this nation are going to follow Yahweh.” He doesn’t say that. He just tattles on Elijah and let’s Jezebel continue to work her wickedness.

Verse 2, “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”  In other words, “Elijah, you will be dead within 24 hours.” How disappointed Elijah must have been. How frustrated he must have been. He knew as long as the king and queen refused to serve the true God and promote idolatry, most of the nation would continue in idolatry. So all of his hopeful expectations are shattered.

He was not only extremely disappointed, but he was also afraid. Verse 3 says, “Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah [It’s in the very south of the land of Israel], and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Yahweh, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” So in running for his life, he gets to a point where he decides he doesn’t even want to live anymore and he asks God to take his life. Notice he says, “for I am no better than my fathers.” That indicates something Elijah had been thinking. Seems to me he thought he would be better than the prophets before him. He thought he would do what they had not done. He thought he would turn the government and the nation back to obeying Yahweh. He thought he would make a difference. But that apparently wasn’t happening. He felt like a failure. He felt ineffective and useless. He didn’t see a reason for living anymore.

I believe it was by God’s kind providence that I picked this chapter to study for our lesson this morning. Because I will confess to you, I was sitting at the kitchen table with Ally one night a few days ago and I told her I feel rather ineffective in most areas of my life, in ministry, in trying to lead people to Jesus, in my marriage, in friendships, in raising kids, in trying to build a house and manage money. Things don’t seem to get better. People don’t change. Many individual people that I’ve invested many hours of time and energy and prayers into are still just a mess like they were before. I just feel ineffective or that I’m failing in many areas.

It’s helpful for me to see in this story of Elijah that the results of one’s efforts are not necessarily the measuring stick of one’s faithfulness and God’s approval. Elijah had been faithful. Elijah had done everything God asked him to do, even though it looked like it wasn’t making a difference. It’s helpful for me to remember that God does not call us to change people’s hearts. He calls us to speak the truth in love, to serve, do good to people and be a light to them. But the transformation of hearts is not on us. That is a matter of the operation of God’s Spirit and the cooperation of their free will. We can sow seed and water, but growth depends on God and the condition of the soil.

I’m preaching to myself. But maybe you also need to hear that though that child you’ve been trying to help doesn’t appear to be changing, though that person you’ve been praying for doesn’t appear to be getting better, though the friend you’ve been talking to about the Lord still shows little interest in repenting, though the people you went out of your way to serve appear to take you for granted and remain unaffected, though you’re not seeing the results you were hoping for… doesn’t mean you’ve not been faithful.

Well, what did God do for His discouraged servant? I’m encouraged by what God did not do. He did not scold him for how he was feeling. God did not berate him for this embarrassing pity party he was throwing for himself. Rather…

God first kindly provided for Elijah’s physical needs.

Verse 5, “And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’ 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, ‘Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.’ 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.”

The Lord had compassion on His discouraged servant. And sometimes the first things we need when we’re down is some good sleep and food. I know when my kids get very dramatic toward the end of a long day, it doesn’t do much good to try to reason with them about how dramatic they’re being. The best thing to do is put them to bed. It’s amazing what sleep and food can do for your emotional state.

So God blesses Elijah with food, sleep and some clear indications that He cares about him and He feels for him.

Then God also allows Elijah to take a 40 day retreat to Mt. Horeb, which we probably know better as Mt. Sinai. And it says he went in the strength of the meal the angel gave him 40 days and 40 nights, which is really amazing when you consider that during that long fast, he traveled probably over 100 miles on foot to make it to Mt. Sinai. I’m suspecting the nutrition of that meal the angel fed him may have been supernaturally enhanced.

Sometimes we may need a little retreat or sabbatical to rejuvenate and reevaluate things.

But there was more to this than just a refreshing retreat. There are some striking parallels with Moses’ experiences at this same mountain centuries before. Moses also went 40 days and 40 nights without eating or even drinking on this mountain. Moses did that twice actually. And on this same mountain, Moses stood in a cleft of the rock on this mountain while the Lord passed by him and revealed some things about Himself to Moses. And that’s also what happens to Elijah here.

Perhaps with these similarities, God wanted Elijah to recognize that he is to God like Moses was. Moses was very faithful. He did everything God asked him to do. And yet the people to whom Moses ministered were much like the people Elijah had been ministering to, continually stubborn and rebellious and refused to trust God.

Another thing God did for Elijah was ask him some soul-searching questions.

Verse 9, “There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” God sounds like a psychiatrist here. They don’t give you a lecture often. They ask you questions. “What brings you in today? What’s going on? When did you first notice the symptoms? Why do you think it makes you feel that way? Why do you think that way about that thing?” God knows the answers. But God wants Elijah to think. “Why am I running? Why am I hiding? Why am I scared? Is God not with me? Was it my fault Ahab and Jezebel responded the way they did? Is everything really hopeless? Is there really nothing good that’s come from what happened on Mt. Carmel? Will it have no benefits for the generations to come?” He wants Elijah to reevaluate things.

As I was praying last week there were some soul-searching questions that came to mind, perhaps promoted by God’s Spirit. I don’t always know what thoughts are just me and what thoughts are from Him. But this one had such an impact on me that I think it was from Him. The questions came to me, “Why do you want to be effective? For God’s sake? Or for yours? Why does it bother you so much that you’re not seeing the results and changes you want? Is it really because you’re concerned about God’s feelings and people’s souls? Or are you more concerned about showing people you’re right, advancing yourself and your life getting easier?” And I tried to look deep inside myself at my deepest motives and concerns and I didn’t like some of the stuff I saw in there. I can see that God is still purging pride and selfish ambition out of me. And I suspect that’s part of why He’s not yet allowed me to be as effective as I want to be.

So we need to be asked questions sometimes. What are you doing here, wherever you are? Why are you so upset at whatever you’re so upset about? Why are you scared? Are things really hopeless? Is there really nothing good happening? Is there perhaps another way to look at things?

Well, Elijah’s answer is this, verse 10, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Depressed people tend to have what some have called an “Information processing bias.” They have the tendency to only select the negative viewpoints of everything, and just focus on negative things and even exaggerate the negative. You notice there’s nothing positive or hopeful in any of Elijah’s answer. And though some of what he says is definitely true, I believe some of it is inaccurate. Many prophets had been killed. But Elijah had a friend named Obadiah who told him that he had saved the lives of 100 prophets whom Jezebel sought to kill (18:13). And there’s no other indication in I Kings those prophets had been killed. And when Elijah says I alone am left, he likely means not just the only prophet left, but the only one left who’s faithful at all to the Lord. God later makes a statement to him, which is probably a correction to what he was thinking, God tells him there are still 7000 in Israel who have not bowed the knee to Baal. So Elijah was making things out to be worse than they actually were. Maybe that’s part of our discouragement.

So next…

God reveals to Elijah something wonderful and encouraging about Himself

The cave that Elijah was lodging in may have been the very cave Moses was in when he had asked God to see His glory, but God told him, “No man can see My face and live. But I’ll reveal something of Myself to you.” It says God covered Moses in the cleft of the rock with His hand and passed by and allowed Moses to see His back side. I wish I knew what Moses saw. And God proclaimed to him, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Well, God likewise revealed something about Himself to Elijah in likely the same cave, but not so much with words. This time with signs.

Verse 11, “And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper [some translations have “a still small voice”]. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak [because Elijah somehow knew that God was present now, and it was the belief of the day that if a man sees God he will die, so he covered his face] and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So God brings these displays of mighty power before Elijah, none of which He is manifestly present, but then when all is still and quiet, He is present in a gentle whisper in a way He wasn’t in the dramatic displays of power, and He asks Elijah to re-evaluate again.

What was God trying to communicate with all that? Maybe a couple things. For one, He certainly has the power to bring just judgment on the wicked. If He can cause rock shattering wind and shake the earth and send fire down from heaven, He can deal with Ahab and Jezebel and all those who set themselves against Him.

But a more primary message may be about God’s usual mode of operation. God can be at work in amazing, phenomenal and sensational displays of His power, like what happened on Mt. Carmel when fire consumed the altar. But often God is present and active even when there is nothing flashy or spectacular happening. He often moves in quiet inconspicuous ways.

Perhaps He’s telling Elijah that even when you don’t see Me working because there’s nothing dramatic happening, I am still working. I am doing more than you think, Elijah. I share your concern for people to recognize the true God and for the salvation of Israel and I’m working on things, even when you don’t see me working.

I need to not forget that. Though I may not be seeing spectacular things happening, doesn’t mean God’s not present and at work.

So Elijah needs to re-evaluate again. “What are you doing here, Elijah? Why are you scared? Why are you hiding in this cave? Why do you think you shouldn’t continue to work with God?”

Well, Elijah is still struggling. He is not seeing things differently yet. He answers just as he did before. 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

So then…

God gives Elijah a task (verses 15-16)

God loved Elijah. God fed and took care of him and let him have this little retreat. But God was not going to let His servant give up too soon. There’s no quitting in serving the Lord while we’re on this earth. There’s no retiring. We’ll retire when God takes us home.  But while we’re on this earth, He wants us to serve. So verse 15, “The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.” So God gives His servant a task to appoint some new leadership.

One of the best treatments for depression is to get busy, get serving. It has us get out of ourselves and stop thinking of ourselves and our problems. It has us turn our attention outward. In a little article I was reading about depression, it said, “Once we learn to forget ourselves, live for a purpose bigger than ourselves, then we are on the path to recovery from depression.”

After giving Elijah some work to do,

God gave him some positive things to think about.

Verse 17, God said to him, “And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.” [Elijah, these evil people who oppose Me and you, and won’t repent, I’m not letting them get away with it. And they will not continue to be corrupting influences in the world for long. I’ll deal with them.] 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”  “You’re not alone, Elijah. I have 7000 people who are faithful to Me. Elijah, I will save them. I will deal with the wicked and I will reward the faithful. I am keeping track of everybody and I will not forget and I am at work even when you don’t see Me working. You just keep doing the things I ask you to do.” And that’s what Elijah got back to doing.

Conclusion

God doesn’t require us to change hearts, but just be faithful. Get some sleep and food and maybe a little retreat if you need. Ask yourself some soul-searching questions. Reevaluate and recognize that even when you’re not seeing spectacular and amazing things happen, God is still present and working. God will deal with the wicked. He will reward faithfulness. Get back to the service He’s called you to do.

-James Williams