By David Gibson
Ordained Pastor and Pastoral Counselor
In 1 Kings 18 Elijah has a powerful victory over 450 prophets of Baal. Do you remember it? If not, read
1 Kings 18:20-46
So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent. Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the LORD who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed. Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood." So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself.* Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!" So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response. Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here!" They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,* and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.* He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood." After they had done this, he said, "Do the same thing again!" And when they were finished, he said, "Now do it a third time!" So they did as he said, and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench. At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,* prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself." Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, "The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!" Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!" So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. Then he said to his servant, "Go and look out toward the sea." The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, "I didn't see anything." Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea." Then Elijah shouted, "Hurry to Ahab and tell him, `Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don't hurry, the rain will stop you!'" And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.
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and 19:1-18. Elijah experiences the power of faith and prayer in one of the greatest victories recorded in scripture. Immediately after this miraculous victory his life is threatened by one woman and he turns to fear. The reader is moved to ask, Why? How?
He ran for his life and went a day’s journey into the wilderness by himself. The wilderness is a synonym for his depression. His fear has caused him to isolate himself and he is tired and hungry. In 19:4 “He prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now Lord take my life for I am no better than my fathers!’” He falls asleep and twice an angel awakens him to give him food. Then he journeyed to the mountain of God and entered a cave and slept again.
In verse 9 and then again in 13, God asks a depressed Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Why the same question twice? I believe in the first God was asking Elijah to reflect on how he got into his depression, and in the second, God was asking, what do you want from me?
Elijah responded with several complaints: He was isolated from his faith community; the culture he was in was adverse to his faith, and he felt alone. God then teaches Elijah how to hear His voice so that he would know and experience that even in the worst of times, he was not alone.
It is important for us to understand depression triggers (fear and anger being the most common), first, so that we can see the signs and take action against depression before it arrives, and second, so that we can ask God for specific helps. In
Hebrews 13:5
Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,"I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."*
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God promises us each individually, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
We often do not see life as it is, but as we are. Sometimes depression emerges from having the wrong perspective.
Examine your perspective and apply scripture:
James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters,* when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
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2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Remember that God will not allow you to be overwhelmed:
1 Corinthians 10:13
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
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No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Trust that God always has a purpose regarding your circumstances:
Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together* for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
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And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Begin accepting the things you cannot change:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
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16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Seek what you need from no other place than God:
Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
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6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Twelve Steppers often say HALT. Don’t get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Elijah illustrates this well. There are many triggers to depression. Do you see that your perspective on life events is directly related to your emotional state?
Copyright 2013 David Gibson, used by permission.
David Gibson is a writer, essayist, and blogger of Bible teachings for life application (http://davidwgibson.org/). He is also a Christian conference and retreat speaker, an adjunct professor of World Religions, and the former host of radio’s “Walking with the Master”. David is an ordained pastor and was a pastoral counselor in the NJ prison system and a NJ psychiatric hospital. He received his Clinical Pastoral Education at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He was freed from his addictions over 25 years ago.
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About The Author
Beth
Livingston
Beth Livingston hosts the Overcoming Addictions blog. She was a functioning alcoholic and addict for over 25 years. With the help of Jesus Christ and many years of working through steps of recovery, her addictions are in her past, no longer having a hold on her. Beth has actively participated in recovery groups for many years as participant and facilitator. She is a certified recovery specialist.
David Gibson is a writer, essayist, and blogger of Bible teachings for life application (http://davidwgibson.org/). He is also a Christian conference and retreat speaker, an adjunct professor of World Religions, and the former host of radio’s “Walking with the Master”. David is an ordained pastor and was a pastoral counselor in the NJ prison system and a NJ psychiatric hospital. He received his Clinical Pastoral Education at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He was freed from his addictions over 25 years ago.
