Life’s highest victories can sometimes be followed by dark valleys. That’s exactly what happened to Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. After a dramatic showdown on Mount Carmel, where God sent fire from heaven to show He was the true God, Elijah should have been excited about the incredible revival starting to sweep through the nation. But one threat from Queen Jezebel sent him into panic and despair. He fled days into the wilderness, collapsed under a tree, and begged God to take his life.
How does God’s prophet go from unshakable faith to crippling fear overnight?
Elijah’s depression clouded his perspective and led him to believe a lie that was never reality. He assumed the worst, believing his life and work was over. He saw his mission as either a total failure. He convinced himself he was entirely alone, despite the revival happening around him. These same patterns of catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, and isolation are common patterns with those who struggle with depression.
Too often, Christians approach mental health struggles with the “solution” to just pray more or have more faith. But this is not the example God sets with Elijah.
Instead of rebuking Elijah, God met his needs in a way that will help anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges. God didn’t try to immediately make Elijah’s struggles a spiritual issue. First, He addressed Elijah’s physical condition, providing food, water, and rest. Before you can process your emotions you need to make sure you take care of your physical body through either simple things like good rest and food or through medical assistance. Seeking physical healing is not anti-spiritual!
Next, God revealed Himself to Elijah, not in the noise of the wind, earthquake, or fire, but through a quite whisper. When life feels chaotic, you may think you need more noise to function, but what you actually need is stillness to hear God’s voice. After a personal experience with God, He gave Elijah a renewed purpose, instructing him to anoint new leaders and mentor his successor, Elisha.
God didn’t correct Elijah’s distorted thinking until after He took care of his physical needs, gave Elijah a personal experience with Him, and gave him a renewed purpose. Only then did God reveal that there were actually 7,000 faithful people who had never worshipped Baal. Elijah was never alone!
Elijah’s story reminds us that even the strongest believers struggle sometimes. Just because you struggle with mental health does not mean that you are not a Christian or that God has changed how He views you. God meets you where you are at, restores you, and reminds you that you are never alone
If you find yourself in a valley of despair, be encouraged that there are people who understand what you are going through who can help you. And most of all remember that God is always close to you even if you don’t feel Him. You are never truly alone!