Up From Despair

The great Old Testament prophet Elijah knew despair, sometimes immediately after moments of great success and clear demonstrations of God’s power. He was a man of God, but he was just a man. After a miraculous, dramatic triumph over 450 prophets of Baal, Elijah panicked and fled when Queen Jezebel said she would kill him. Alone in the desert of Beersheba, he sat under a broom tree and prayed for death. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 

Depression. Loss. Grief. Discouragement. All of us suffer from these sometime. 

When we fall into “the slough of despond,” like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, we feel like Elijah. We want to quit. 

God helps us today in the same way he helped Elijah in his depression. 

While Elijah slept, an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” When you are down, take care of yourself. Take the food and medicine and rest that God provides.

Strengthened by the food God gave him, Elijah traveled forty days and nights to Mount Horeb and went into a cave. In the night the LORD asked him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah poured out his feelings of hurt, fear and anger – and God listened. Tell God how hurt, afraid and angry you are. He can take it. He comes to us in our night and wants us to tell him how we are feeling.

Then it was God’s turn to speak. He told Elijah to get ready for a visitation. “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” A powerful wind “tore the mountains apart” and shattered the rocks, but the LORD was not in the wind. Then an earthquake came, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. Then a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. When God finally came to Elijah, it was in a gentle whisper. Again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Listen and watch for God. Sometimes God seems silent because we are looking at storms, earthquakes and fires instead of listening. He often speaks to us in ways we least expect.

When Elijah repeated his litany of complaints, the LORD gave Elijah some new assignments. In essence, he said, “You still have work to do, Elijah. Go back the way you came…anoint Hazael…anoint Jehu…, and anoint Elisha…” If you are still here, your work for God on this earth is not finished. Figure out what that is and get to it.

And God gave Elijah this gentle assurance: You are not alone. “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.” God does not condemn Elijah for feeling sorry for himself, nor leave Elijah to wallow in self-pity.

When we are tempted to feel alone, like no one understands our pain, we need this same message from God. We are not alone. God has his eye on us and on many others just like us.

“For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you…” (Deuteronomy 4:31)