![]() Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. I know for me, my tell-tale sign of depression is a lack of motivation to do anything mixed with a desire to lounge around and stay down. so let me say it again: you are not alone. Often we need an external voice to tell us that we aren't the only ones. God told Elijah where he would find his next apprentice (Elisha) and that there were 7000 other people in Israel who would stand by him (1 Kings 19:16-17.) Thankfully God stepped in and drove the point home for Elijah explicitly. He failed to remember that a whole mountaintop of people had just turned back to God. The problem with this sentiment is that it's not true, with high rates of depression being experienced across the board by people from all walks of life and a wide variety of ways to get help.Įlijah wasn't alone either. He felt alone in his struggle, a common sentiment we can feel when we are depressed. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” - 1 Kings 19:10 But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. Look at Elijah, twice he makes the following claim: We feel like we're the only people who struggle with this and the social media feeds (highlight reels) of others only affirms this. Not only do we isolate ourselves physically, but depression often is a very isolating experience emotionally and psychologically. ![]() This is a tell-tale sign of depression and unfortunately, can hurt us rather than hurt us over long periods of time. He sat down under a solitary broom tree" - 1 Kings 19:4ĭespite gaining a huge crowd of supporters after the showdown on Mount Carmel, Elijah chose to isolate and cut himself off from the community. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. When depressed, we have a tendency to isolate ourselves We tend to let our guards down and get lulled into a false sense of security only to be blindsided by something.Īn awareness of this can help you get through that low when it comes. Often the next-stop from the mountaintop is the valley. Needless to say, things were going very well for Elijah, yet all it took was a threat from Queen Jezebel to send him shaking, fleeing, fearing for his life and feeling suicidal. He got Jedi-like speed and outran the king's chariot. ![]() He had just taken out 850 pagan prophets in a showdown. ![]() The nation of Israel had turned back to God. He had just called down actual fire from heaven. He prayed for rain and it came after a 7-year drought. Here's what happened just a few hours before he was asking God to take his life: What always stood out to me about Elijah's suicidal outburst was the fact that he had just experienced the biggest highlight of his career. Depression can often come after big achievements. I by no means am an expert, but hopefully, these points will encourage you that depression and mental health issues are experienced by the best of us and it's possible to overcome them. Other big names who were suicidal in the bible include:Įach of these figures has a story to tell and there are plenty more, but we're just going to focus on a few days of Elijah's life recorded in 1 Kings chapter 18 + 19 (click to open the passage in a new tab.) Lessons about depression from a suicidal prophet Turns out he's not the only suicidal prophet or biblical figure to feel the same way. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” - 1 Kings 19:4 "He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. Needless to say, he had a lot of stuff going for him, yet it wasn't a mountaintop experience for him the whole way. Speaking out against a tyrannical Monarchy. You'll find this prophet featured in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious texts and as far as prophets go, he's a pretty big name. hopefully these 7 lessons about depression from a suicidal prophet will show you that. Depression isn't a new phenomenon nor are the ways to combat it.
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