Unstuck预览

Getting Unstuck from Depression

When someone sighs and says, “I’m depressed,” what should our response be? Or when we find ourselves using that word to describe our feelings, what are we actually saying? Calling something depression doesn’t make it so, but the term can refer to one stage in a downward emotional and sometimes physiological spiral that probably won’t go away if we ignore it.

The type of depression we are speaking of here is: A temporary emotional state characterized by exaggerated feelings of sadness and hopelessness that are not consistent with reality.

This affects many people, including those in the Bible like the prophet Elijah. As you trace the flow of events in Elijah’s life, you’ll see how he got to a bad place. By seeing how he got there, you can develop some understanding of yourself and the people you love. You’ll also learn that God never forgets how frail and inconsistent we are. He doesn’t accomplish great things as He did through Elijah because His servant was a superhero, but in spite of His servant’s flaws. If God can work through huge failures, He can work through us.

God wasn’t done with Elijah after the three chapters we reviewed. The prophet came back in and did some amazing things before he turned over his mantle to Elisha, his replacement. He’s also mentioned several memorable times later in Scripture. When Jesus was transfigured before His disciples on the mountain in Matthew 17:1-13, Elijah and Moses showed up to talk with Him in that glorious setting. Moses represented the law, and Elijah represented the prophets. The presence of these spiritual giants honoring Jesus not only affirmed Jesus’ unique position as the Son of God but also reflected the way the Jews of that day thought of these two figures from their history.

With God’s help, Elijah overcame his depression.