2021-11-08
1 Kings 19:11 NIV
The third thing God did to support Elijah in his depression was to tell him, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by’ (v.11 NIV). Next, we read: ‘Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he…went out and stood at the mouth of the cave’ (vv. 11-13 NIV).
That day God put on an impressive show with the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. But He wasn’t speaking to Elijah through any of those big things. What really got Elijah’s attention was the still, small voice – the gentle whisper. God usually speaks to us in stillness and quietness – not through some big dramatic demonstration of fire or power. He whispered, ‘Elijah, I’m still right here beside you.’
If we’re feeling depressed, it can be helpful to seek a fresh reminder of God’s presence. If you’re wondering where to start, try this: Grab a Bible and go to a serene, quiet place. Sit down, read God’s Word, and spend time alone with Him. Just let Him love you and speak to you. Let Him meet your needs and let yourself feel His presence. Fellowship with God is so powerful and calming. That’s what He means when He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 NIV).
1 Chr 12:23-15:29; John 9:1-12; Ps 15; Prov 25:21-22
2021-11-07
1 Kings 19:9 CEV
After being restored through proper food and rest, Elijah travelled for forty days. Then he went into a cave and spent the night. In the morning, God asked him, ‘Why are you here?’ Elijah answered: ‘I’ve always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!’ (v.10 CEV).
When we’re experiencing depression, it’s important to tell God about our frustrations. Elijah poured out all his feelings, and God allowed him to let off steam. He wasn’t shocked by Elijah’s complaints. Sometimes it’s helpful to share our feelings with a trusted friend. It’s cathartic, a cleaning out, a venting of all the things that have been pushed down inside and that are contributing to feelings of depression. And Elijah had plenty of stuff pushed down inside.
Here are some of the emotions he experienced: He was afraid (v.3 CEV). Then he felt resentment, followed by low self-esteem and guilt. ‘I’ve had enough…I’m no better off than my ancestors’ (v.4 CEV). He was angry because he had worked hard for nothing (see v.10). He was lonely to the point of despair: ‘Now they are even trying to kill me!’ (v.10 CEV). He was worried.
He was feeling so many things all at the same time, so God let him spill it all out. He invited Elijah to be honest and tell Him what was on his mind, and Elijah poured it all out to Him. When we’re feeling depressed, let’s accept God’s invitation to be honest with Him and take it all to Him in prayer.
Exo 20:1-17; Matt 5:1-12
2021-11-06
1 Kings 19:7 NIV
If you’re experiencing depression, it’s important to seek the support of a doctor or counsellor. But God also has some wisdom for us when we’re feeling depressed. Over the next few days, let’s take a look at how God helped Elijah when he was experiencing depression (you can read about this in 1 Kings 19), and what we can learn from this.
First, we need to take care of our physical needs. Elijah was exhausted, so he stretched out under a tree and fell asleep. ‘All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again’ (v.5-6 NIV). Then the angel came to him a second time and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you’ (v.7 NIV). So he ate and drank and was strengthened by the food.
God didn’t get cross with Elijah, scold him for running away, demand an explanation, imply his present condition was caused by a lack of faith, or put the blame on Elijah in any way. He simply met Elijah’s most pressing needs by giving him food and allowing him to rest.
Depression goes beyond just feeling sad – it can impact our mental and physical health too. And when we’re physically and mentally drained, we’re vulnerable. We might not feel like taking care of ourselves properly. In those times, let’s try to remember that God’s starting point was to restore Elijah physically and help him regain his strength. And if we’re supporting someone who’s experiencing depression, let’s follow God’s example by refusing to criticise or get frustrated, and instead start by looking at how we can meet their immediate needs.
1 Chr 10:1-12:22; John 8:42-59; Ps 123; Prov 25:18-20
2021-11-05
Matthew 26:40 CEV
In Gethsemane, Jesus ‘came back and found his disciples sleeping. So he said to Peter, “Can’t any of you stay awake with me for just one hour? Stay awake and pray that you won’t be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak”‘ (Matthew 26:40-41 CEV). Jesus was just hours from the cross, and He asked His disciples to pray for Him. He must have been so disappointed when He found them all fast asleep. We can be shocked that on such an important night, the disciples couldn’t spend just one hour praying for Jesus. It’s easy for us to be judgmental and to think things like ‘I wouldn’t have fallen asleep. If Jesus had asked me to pray for Him, nothing would have stopped me.’
But we’ve all been victims of tiredness at some point. Maybe the disciples didn’t get enough rest the night before, or they were worn out from a day of hard work. They might have thought that Jesus would simply perform another miracle and find a way out of the task that lay ahead, so their prayers didn’t really matter. But sadly, the disciples not only missed a great opportunity to encourage and strengthen Jesus in His hour of need, they also missed an opportunity to strengthen themselves in preparation for the terrible hours ahead.
There are so many distractions that can sneak in and steal our quiet times with God, and the things we choose to do over spending time with Him don’t even need to be bad things, but if they’re taking priority over God, we need to reassess our priorities! We don’t know what each day holds, but through prayer and spending time on God’s Word, we can prepare our hearts for whatever life throws at us.
1 Chr 7:20-9:44; John 8:31-41; Ps 30; Prov 25:13-17
2021-11-04
Psalm 90:1 NCV
Even though the Israelites were God’s people, they ‘wandered in the desert lands. They found no city in which to live. They were hungry and thirsty, and they were discouraged’ (Psalm 107:4-5 NCV). If you’re feeling like that today, maybe your soul needs a ‘home’ – a place where it’s at peace, secure, and nurtured; a place where you can put down your worries, weariness, and frustrations, and simply bask in God’s presence. David said, ‘My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and…flesh cry out for the living God’ (Psalm 84:2 NIV).
The good news is that Jesus wants to be your home. The Message paraphrases His words: ‘Live in me. Make your home in me’ (John 15:4 MSG). We sometimes treat Him more like an emergency shelter that’s only used in times of trouble, but what we really need to do is make Him our permanent dwelling place.
So how can we do that? The first thing we need to do is commit to spending time with Him each day. This may not come naturally to us at first, so it’ll take a conscious decision and effort on our part. But as we get to know Him better and our relationship with Him grows, those moments when it’s just us and God will become very precious and our desire to be with Him will get stronger.
We also need to study the Bible and allow God’s Word to influence and guide us. As we learn to trust what He says, we’ll seek His opinion more and more, and discover that He’s our place of peace, safety and rest (take a look at Isaiah 32:18).
1 Chr 6:1-7:19; John 8:21-30; Ps 86; Prov 25:8-12
2021-11-03
Romans 1:12 NCV
Next time you walk in the woods or go past a park, have a think about what’s taking place underground. As the roots of the trees connect with each other, they form a support system. One has access to water, another to nutrients, and another to sunlight. No single tree has everything, but when they work together they can grow, thrive, and withstand storms.
This is a good illustration of how we should share and cooperate with others. ‘Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love’ (Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV).
But this can be difficult, especially when we’re inclined to be independent. We want to fly solo, but sooner or later we’ll crash. It’s at that point we realise our need for these three things: 1) Encouragement. Even Paul needed cheering on: ‘Everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes. I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn’t ashamed of me when I was put in jail. Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me’ (2 Timothy 1:15-17 CEV).
2) Sympathy. ‘Be sympathetic’ (Colossians 3:12 GWT). We all need to be understood and have our feelings validated. But sometimes we’re in such a hurry to ‘fix’ people, we don’t have time to sympathise with them.
3) Grace. ‘Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others’ (Colossians 3:13 NLT). God’s grace to us should be our motivation for showing grace to others. We’ll never be asked to extend more grace to someone than God has already extended to us.
1 Chr 3-5; John 8:1-20; Ps 96; Prov 25:1-7
