By Nancy Virden (c)2013 and 2026 AlwaysTheFight.com
Exhaustion swept through his body. He felt as though he had finished a workout. There was much at stake, including the future of his nation.
He didn’t remember when it started, but it seemed as if he’d been fighting this low mood and deep discouragement for a while.
As a well-known religious leader, watching his people turn from God in their country, strife with famine, he had publicly expressed his sorrow and worry. Persecution for his faith increased until the queen threatened to kill him. He was afraid. Now he was ready to walk away from everything. Literally.
Ditching his companion, without any food or water, he began a long trek on foot into the desert. His feet practically dragged behind him. Reaching the point of collapse, he fell to the ground, wondering why he was not yet dead.
“God, please kill me!” he prayed. He was in agony. His soul had been torn apart. Dread covered him in an iron sheet, and he saw no hope for himself or his beloved people.
God’s answer was kind, and exactly what the man needed in his despair. The Lord told him, “Get up and eat for your strength.”
Was this an admonishment? It sounds more like, ” Take care of yourself.”
The man’s name was Elijah, and he was famous. He is severely depressed, ready and eager to die, as a day-long journey into the desert without sustenance suggests.
Look again at him. Did his faith fail? It is God he turned to, did he not? That proves he did not forget who was in charge. He never denied his Lord. No doubt, many who have read his story in the Old Testament have judged his motives and heart. Let’s look a little deeper into what followed.
Elijah did as God asked. A weight seemed to drag him back to the burning desert surface. He rose just enough to eat the food God provided. Something amazing happened when God allowed him to rest.
Then the Lord said to Elijah, “The journey ahead will be too much for you.” Truth is, life can become too much for us. Earth is not home for those who follow Christ and desire to honor God. Nonetheless, God is always with us.
Such a variety of issues can exacerbate depression. Trauma, thinking errors, false beliefs about one’s worth, false guilt, fear – and in all this, God does not swoop in and make our thought processes instantly perfect. It is a continuum of stumbling, suffering, and learning that renews our minds. Depression may remain a challenge.
Elijah did not see anything but pain and believed himself expendable. Still, he got up and participated in self-care by eating. He walked despite the deepest wish not to. He went willingly into a journey guaranteed to be too much for him.
What is important to take from his experience is that God does not reject us over our emotions. God is greater than our hearts. He is not distant and is ready to answer our cries.
Can you honor God and be clinically depressed? Absolutely. Elijah appears to be an example of this truth. Depression is not a sin. God is not angry when one of his children needs rest.
God understands how we feel, feels it with us, and patiently guides us toward a more peaceful mindset.
Trust him; he is not defined by your emotions. And neither are you.
-COMMENTS WELCOME
Today’s Helpful Word
Isaiah 57:15
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
If you are feeling suicidal or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S., call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.
If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room; in the EU, call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here.) Hope and help are yours!
Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair.
NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional and speaks only from personal experience and observations. This website is not intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.
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