A Depressed Prophet

1 Kings 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

Elijah’s mind was focused on Jezebel instead of the LORD. He was overwhelmed with her threat. "He was afraid and arose and ran for his life" (v. 3). It is ironic but Elijah had just killed all the false prophets of Baal to whom Jezebel swears. She swears to do to Elijah what he has done to them! They are no more. They are powerless. They don’t exist. Instead of trusting in God as he had done in the past years, he ran for his life. He left God out of the picture. He wasn’t thinking rationally.

A depressed person will have some of the following characteristics. These have been adapted from a number of professional sources including Norman Wright, Gary Collins, Larry Crabb, Aaron Beck, Frank Minirth, Paul Meyer and others.

· A depressed person has feelings of hopelessness, despair, sadness and apathy. It is a feeling of overall gloom. A paralysis of the will sets in, and there is a movement toward personal deadness.

· The depressed person loses perspective on life, work, family and friends.

· The depressed person experiences changes in physical activities––appetite, sleeping and sex. The lessening of sexual interest should always raise the question of depression. Some lose interest in food while others attempt to set a world eating record. Some sleep constantly; others cannot get to sleep easily, or wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep.

· The depressive has a general loss of self-esteem. He feels less and less positive about himself and questions his own personal worth. His self–confidence is very low.

· There is a withdrawal from others because of a groundless fear of being rejected. The depressed person’s withdrawal brings on some rejection by others. They cancel favorite activities, fail to return phone calls, and seek ways to avoid talking with or seeing other people.

· The depressed person seeks to escape from problems and even from life itself. Thoughts of leaving home, running away or avoidance of others is common. They feel life is hopeless and worthless. Therefore, suicidal thoughts are common.

· The depressed person is overly sensitive to what others say and do. He may misinterpret actions and comments in a negative way and become upset because of those mistaken perceptions. The person cries often and is sad.

· The depressed person has difficulty handling his feelings, especially anger. Anger is particularly difficult since it can be misdirected toward self and others. A sense of worthlessness and lack of knowing how to deal with a situation produces anger at oneself. This can be directed outward at others.

· There is usually an underlying feeling of guilt that may be real or imagined. Frequently he feels overly responsible for other people’s feelings.

· Often depression leads to a dependency state upon other people. This further reinforces a feeling of helplessness. The depressed person then becomes angry at his own helplessness.

Depression is real but it can be overcome. Read the rest of 1 Kings 19 and see how the Lord encourages His depressed prophet.