Depression and Hope  (1 Kings 19)

Sermon delivered on June 24th, 2001 by Rev. Dr Robert Iles

For some of you, what I have to say today will be quite irrelevant.
Well you may be accustomed to that happening,
And so this will come as no surprise
Why I say this, is that the topic for this morning is depression. Some of
you will know little or nothing about that.
So for you, learning how you can help people who struggle with depression
Is your challenge, whether you are a young person,
Or someone who still remember the invention of the Gutenberg printing press.
Of course it is well established that Christians have better mental and
physical health than the rest of the community.
Studies have shown that older adults who frequently attend worship services may
have healthier immune systems.  Heart surgery patients with strong faith are
much more likely to survive surgery.
Church-going folks also have lower blood pressure, even when risky behavior
like smoking are factored in.
Most dramatic of all the simple act of attending church each week is linked with
reducing risk of earlier death by about 25 percent.

Religious commitment also protects people from addictions and mental
disorders.
Consider: Alcohol abuse is highest among those with little or no
religious commitment.  Among youth, studies have
found an inverse correlation between religious
commitment and drug abuse.  The non-religious are
also much more likely to suffer from depression and
commit suicide.
Yet some will know more about depression than they would like to.
As is the case with many Australians.
Almost three million people are on medication for depression.
In a land of 20 million that seems a lot. Researchers also tell us
that as many as twenty percent of Americans suffer
from some form of depression.   Whether that number has decreased since
Bill Clinton ceased to be president has not been established.
Yet I suppose people could end up taking depression medication
inadvertently, as I did. I had had some pains in the neck. This was a change
from actually being one.,
The doctor gave me this medication, and as I was leaving he said it is also
good for depression. I took one of the tablets, and immediately fell asleep.
However, more are on that kind of medication than would want to be.
Depression is a complex subject, and I am not going to dish up
Some pop-psychology recipe interspersed with a dash of Jesus.
But the subject arises from our Scripture.
And shows that there can be a spiritual component to it.
Sometimes depression is physiologically based.
Some chemical deficiency is responsible, and that can be readily treated.
Sometimes depression is quite understandable.
It can be linked with grief, a loss, pain, financial crisis,
a downward spiral of problems. Sometimes counseling and even
hospitalization may be necessary, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.
Sometimes our minds and emotions become as dysfunctional as
our organs or muscles, for which we do not hesitate to seek treatment.
What I never want to hear anyone say is that because you are a
Christian you will not or should not ever suffer depression.
It does happen.
 Paul experienced it when he was in Asia ministering
2 Corinthians. 1: 8
 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably
crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received
the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead

Another time when he was in jail he was lonely, bored and cold, and probably depressed.
2 Tim 4:13
"When you come, bring the cloak that I left with
Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments".

And John the Baptizer too,
Matt11:2,3
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by
his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for
another?"

Jesus gives him reassurance that he is the one. And the discouraged John
Has a chance to be a happy John in the last hours of his shortened life.
Sometimes then depression has its origin in external problems, but often
with internal ones. Self-image, self-esteem,. A feeling of being trapped,
Can all contribute.  Frank Lake ( Pastoral Theology ) says there are many
sides to it,
Some of which I have touched upon.
But he say that at the heart of much depression is  anger.
Frustrated anger.
While most of us most of the time will express our anger,
the depressed person will not express that anger but let it turn upon the
person him/herself.  Maybe that is part of what Elijah is experiencing.
1 Kings 18 had been a time of great triumph..
Then in 1 Kings 19 it all fell apart.  He describes it himself:
verse 10;
He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites
have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your
prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to
take it away."
Elijah shows us what depression can be like.   He flees.
Success leads to failure.
Public victory leads to inner crisis.
Filled with fear, self-loathing.
In verse 4  he asked that he might die:
"It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."

Depression often involves a loss of motivation, appetite, too little too
much, insomnia, desire for relationships.
Elijah is the Peter of the Old Testament. We thank God for his humanity.
He shows us again that sometimes, even God's great people become depressed,
sometimes after great victories,
When life goes back to normal, after "1 Kings 18" times, victories,
successes, exams, parties, great holidays, depression  can enter.

Let me briefly summarize what this Scripture says to help this life-draining
problem.

Firstly it makes no difference to the love of the Lord for us.
He does not just love us when we are going well. He loves us all the time,
and especially when we have times when we run out of human resources.
God loves depressed people.

Secondly the Lord demonstrates this when he comes to the depressed person.
He engages him.
One of the first things that happens in depression
is that people stop reaching out, to others and to the Lord.
You can become closeted, locked away with yourself and your pain.
The Lord engages the sad man.

Thirdly the Lord reminds Elijah and us that physical needs are important.
Elijah sleeps, he eats, he drinks, and he pours out his emotions, his sense
of failure to the Lord. The Lord  provides for his need physically, (verses 5,6,7.)
Then he goes for a long walk. A 40-day walk would get your mind off
your problems to some degree.  This reminds us that sometimes
A lack of exercise can contribute to our depression, our weight gain, and
our lack of energy. Exercise matters too as part of a balanced life.
But the walk is not just for physical reasons. He lets him walk back to Mt.
 Sinai where the Ten Commandments were given.. He takes him back to the
place where He revealed his will for his people.
A place of revelation. Why soon becomes clear.

 Fourthly the Lord shows that He is a wonderful listener. He lets Elijah
talk himself out.
He is severely depressed and wants to die. He tells the Lord. The Lord
wants honest prayers. You can bring muddy water to the Lord,
You don't have to bring only what has been distilled with all impurities removed.

Fifthly the Lord wants to heal Elijah of his depression.
This is seen in his question in verse 9.   The Lord invites Elijah to be honest
with him.
And in verse 10 he is. The Lord then shows him something wonderful.
Verse 11 He said,
"Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is
about to pass by."
Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and
breaking rocks in pieces 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;
and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire;
and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

It is like the Lord's visit to the depressed Job. He doesn't give particular
answers,
He just gives himself.
That is sufficient. Elijah needs to learn that God is not only present in miraculous,
sensational events,
he is present in the silences, above all.
Not just present in the extermination of false prophets, the huge events,
But especially in the ordinary times. He gives himself in the
frequent silences of life, as we are receptive.

Finally the Lord gives him some work to do.
Depression can sometimes be a result of idleness and self-centredness. The
Lord sends him out to other people, which he can do now because he is ready.
God has patiently loved and confronted him through his depression.
He is to anoint two people as kings.
Often depression is healed as we learn to focus on the needs of others,
Those much more needy, in our land and overseas.
Note that the third anointing is especially significant.
The Lord gives him a companion who will become his successor.
Elijah is not the only faithful one. Elisha is there. And together they will
do great things until the Lord takes Elijah home in spectacular fashion.
Sometimes the Lord gives us special people who can support us
in times of need, all part of his plan for healing.
Or he gives us to others to support them, and help clean out
The demons of depression.
The Lord is never nearer to people than when they know their need,
when their world falls apart, and rebuilding has to happen.

That is the God who chooses through Jesus to be your God,
so you can always be people of hope, even in the tough times, and beyond.
 

Dr. G.  Robert Iles

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