Elijah . . . arose and ran for his life, and went . . . a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die (1 Kings 19:2-4).
THEME
DEPRESSION
Adoniram Judson, the pioneer missionary to Burma who translated the Bible into Burmese and is considered one of the great early missionaries, had difficulty dealing with the death of his wife, Nancy. In deep depression, he said, "God is to me the Great Unknown. I believe in him, but I find him not."
We have all gone through times when the only certainty was uncertainty. Like Christian in PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, we have all faced Giant Despair. As Winston Churchill put it, we are sometimes overtaken by the "black dog of depression."
Jezebel scared Elijah with her death threat, and he ran for his life. He was so discouraged that he asked God to carry out Jezebel's pronouncement. Instead, God reassured Elijah with His presence and plan for the future.
Like Elijah, the two disciples from Emmaus were near despair. Their hope that Jesus would redeem Israel had been dashed, leaving them disappointed and puzzled--but only until the resurrected Christ appeared. With His presence came a bright light for the future.
Faith and doubt travel hand in hand, and doubt about God's goodness and care often leads to depression. Yet sorrow has a spur; depression can drive us to Him. If we do not find Him, He finds us; and we cry out for joy. He is alive and He loves us.
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MAY 27
1 KINGS 19:1-10
"Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"
(1 Kings 19:4).
A letter came to Radio Bible Class that bore no signature and no return address. It read, "By the time you receive this letter, I will have committed suicide. I accepted Christ two years ago. Lately my world has been crumbling around me. I can't take it anymore. I can't fall again or be 'bad' anymore. God and I have drifted apart. . . . Lord, help me. Could you take a moment and say a prayer for me, a teenager? Lord forgive me!"
Even Christians can get so desperate that they want to take their own life. In 1 Kings 19 we read that Elijah was so physically and emotionally exhausted that he asked God to take his life. Although that's not suicide, his request arises from the same feelings of despair. But God brought Elijah out of his depression. He lifted him up by strengthening him with food, restoring him through sleep, listening to his complaint, gently correcting him, reassuring him in a still, small voice, giving him new work to do, and telling him that all was not lost.
Most people who take their own lives do so when they are deeply depressed. Reality has become distorted, and they can't see the selfish, sinful nature of their act. But God wants to restore and uphold them. Sometimes He speaks hope directly to the soul, but more often He uses sensitive, caring people who come alongside to help. We can be God's hope to others. With a word, a smile, or a helping hand we can say to those who are cast down, "In Christ there is hope."
--D.J.D.
When we are most ready to perish, God is most ready to help us.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, . . . To deliver their soul from death (Psalm 33:18, 19).
William Cowper, though a Christian, had sunk to the depths of despair. One foggy night he called for a horsedrawn carriage and asked to be taken to the London Bridge on the Thames River. He was so overcome by depression that he intended to commit suicide. After two hours of driving through the mist, Cowper's coachman reluctantly confessed that he was lost. Disgusted by the delay, Cowper left the carriage and decided to find the London Bridge on foot. After walking a short distance, he discovered that he was at his own doorstep. The carriage had been going in circles. Recognizing the restraining hand of God and convicted by the Spirit, Cowper realized that the way out of his troubles was to look to God, not to jump into the river. With gratitude he sat down and wrote these reassuring words: "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. O fearful saint, fresh courage take; the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head." Cowper's hymn of gratitude has comforted many of God's people since the eighteenth century.
The psalmist said, "The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him." Our need is always His concern.
--H.G.B.
No life is hopeless unless Christ is ruled out.
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MAY 29
PSALM 77:1-15
"This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High" (Psalm 77:10).
After a long and hard winter, the bright and balmy days of spring were again invaded by a renegade polar air mass. Winter seemed to be starting all over again. Those with cabin fever started to panic. Others, worn out from shoveling snow, slumped back into their chairs and worried about another high heating bill. But nobody concluded that the age-old order of the seasons had come to an abrupt end, or that the solar system had reversed its cycle. Looking back reminded them that late-season storms have happened before and reassured them that spring would eventually come.
Likewise, looking back on past blessings can restore our hope and give us reason to look ahead. The author of Psalm 77 had sunk so low that all hope seemed gone. He was so troubled he couldn't sleep. He was so depressed he couldn't even talk about it. He was so low that the fleas of the field had to get on their knees to bite him. But then something happened. He remembered his forefathers. They had gone through similar troubles before the Lord delivered them. Remembering the Lord's faithfulness to them renewed his faith.
The Bible reminds us that we are not the first to walk this way. Men and women of God have seen dark times before, but the forecast of faith is always bright.
--M.R.D.II
Judge God's love by His promises, not by His providences.
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MAY 30
JOHN 9:1-7
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2).
When illness strikes someone, we tend to think of it as the result of sin. Since all our woes can be traced to man's original sin, we reason that sin must also be the immediate cause of sickness. Apparently this was how the disciples analyzed the case of the man born blind. But Jesus' reply, "Neither has this man nor his parents," undercuts all pat answers to affliction.
Perhaps emotional illness, more than any other kind of suffering, is subject to shortsighted, judgmental responses. Most physical diseases are socially acceptable, but a stigma still hangs over most psychological disorders. In her book GOD'S REMEDY FOR DEPRESSION, Vivian Clark tells of a discussion on the topic "Is Depression Sin for the Christian?" One person said, "Because it can't coexist with the fruit of the Spirit, which is joy, it must be a sin. Another added, "There is no reason for Christians to be depressed." Just then, a sad-faced woman slipped away from the group. For days she had been despondent and unable to gain victory. Those remarks added to her depression.
Some emotional problems may indeed be caused by wrong attitudes or secret sins. But all of us transgress, and yet not everyone breaks down. The causes of depression and mental illness are so varied and complex that we must not engage in simplistic solutions. To help someone, we shouldn't immediately ask, "Who sinned?" Rather, we should pray, "Lord, help me further Your work in this person's life."
--D.J.D.
Compassion invests everything necessary to heal the hurts of others.
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MAY 31
PSALM 88
For my soul is full of troubles (Psalm 88:3).
Walking with the Lord is more fulfilling than anything this world offers, but it is not an uninterrupted stroll of peace, joy, and praise. Nowhere does the Bible say that God's people are exempt from physical pain or even great mental and spiritual darkness.
During his ministry, C. H. Spurgeon, one of England's finest preachers, frequently fell into deep depression. In a biography of the "prince of preachers," Arnold Dallimore wrote, "What he suffered in those times of darkness we may not know . . . even his desperate calling on God brought no relief. 'There are dungeons,' he said, 'beneath the castles of despair.'"
Psalm 88, written by a godly man named Heman, stands alone in the psalter for its unrelenting sorrow and gloom. Unlike David, whose despair usually gave way to hope, Heman's psalm ends with the word DARKNESS.
But how can such a woeful psalm encourage us? First, it confirms that some of God's people do undergo great spiritual misery. Second, it shows the way out. Heman poured out his anguish to God even though no answer came. Some Bible scholars see in his mental agony a parallel to Christ's. Looking back to Calvary, we know that when He bore our sin He was actually forsaken by God. He died in our place. Therefore, we who trust Him will never be abandoned. God promises that deliverance is certain, even when there is no relief in sight.
--D.J.D.
God is with us in the darkness just as surely as He is with us in the light.
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JUN 01
PROVERBS 12:17-28
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad (Proverbs 12:25).
Ken's friends invited him to their home for dinner. The food was superb--except for the apple pie. It wasn't bad; it just didn't measure up to the rest of the meal. Even so, Ken went out of his way to find some good things to say about it. Later, he visited the home again and stayed for dinner. On this occasion, the hostess topped off the meal with a cherry pie that was absolutely delicious. But Ken didn't say one word about it. This bothered the hostess, so she finally blurted out, "I don't understand. The last time you were here, I served a pie that I was ashamed of, yet you were very complimentary. Tonight I've given you what I think is the best pie I've ever made, and you haven't said a word about it." Ken smiled and replied, "I agree that the cherry pie tonight was fantastic, and that the apple pie you served last time was not as good as this one. But you see, the first one needed the praise!"
Our relationship with people is like that--some need more encouragement than others. Everyone who deserves praise should be recognized, and we should never say that something is good when it's really bad. Yet no matter how imperfect a person may seem or how poor the performance, we can almost always find something commendable to praise.
Discouraged people surround us--perhaps even in our own homes. But using a little imagination, we can find creative ways to give them the encouragement they need.
--R.W.D.
If you see people without a smile today, give them one of yours.
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JUN 02
PSALM 42
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing (Romans 15:13).
The English poet Alexander Pope said, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast, man never is but always to be blessed." As Christians, we know there is only one sure and abiding source of hope, and that is God. If hope originated in ourselves, we would be cast into the depths of despair because life's complex problems have a way of squeezing every last ounce of it from our hearts. But when we trust God, hope abounds by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In his book LIVE WITH YOUR EMOTIONS, Hazen G. Werner quotes part of a letter from a woman who had run out of hope. She wrote, "A vile and ugly sin had dogged my way for years. My soul had been eclipsed in darkness. I began to feel I would never be emancipated from its grasp. Then one evening in the midst of my despair, I felt the impulse to say, 'Thank you, God, anyway,' and for a moment it was light. I said to myself, 'That must be the way.' I began to thank Him still more, and the light continued and grew, and for a whole evening I was relieved of my burden."
What that woman seemingly stumbled onto by accident, the psalmist knew from experience. The power of gratitude can lift the weight of the most pressing trial. Turning the gaze of his soul heavenward, he saw God as an inexhaustible source of hope.
When we get discouraged, we can talk to ourselves as David did: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God" (Psalm 42:5). No matter how dark the path, thank God for Himself. It will open a window to heaven and let in a ray of hope.
