Overcoming Persistent Darkness (Lessons on Depression from Elijah)
I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
-Psalms 42:9-11, ESV
Depression is a major problem in our society and in the church. This may seem counterintuitive since Christians are to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). A mature Christian should not suffer from depression, right? Nothing could be further from the truth, as many saints have suffered from depression. Sovereign Grace Music director Bob Kauflin talks of his journey through depression here. William Cowper, who wrote the hymns “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” and “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood”, struggled with depression throughout his life, attempting suicide several times. Even the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, battled depression. In Psalm 42-43, one of the Sons of Korah displays depression, despite having high status and a good understanding of Scripture. And one of the greatest saints in the Old Testament struggled with depression: Elijah. We can learn a lot from him about depression and how to address it biblically.
What is Depression?
Whenever we approach any such issue, it is important to define our terms biblically. If the bible uses a certain term to describe our situation, we should use that term. Scripture never uses the term “depression”, so we have to describe it from our own context before looking for biblical examples. Depression is very complex, with incredibly diverse manifestations. Here is how Jay Adams described it:
Almost anything can be at the root of the counselee’s depression: a recent illness in which he gets behind in his work, hormonal changes, a reversal of his fortunes, the consequences of simple negligence, guilt over a particular sin, self-pity arising from jealousy or a disadvantageous turn of events, bad feeling resulting from resentment, worry, etc. The important fact to remember is that a depression does not result directly from any one of these factors, but rather comes from a cyclical process in which the initial problem is mishandled in such a way that it is enlarged in downward helixical spirals that eventually plunge one into despair….The downward cycle enslaves one in hopelessness and guilt, thus bringing on a slowing down or cessation of activity, called depression.
-Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor’s Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan: 1973: 375-376.none
Of note, there is a significant difference between depression and grief. Grief can cause depression and can look very similar, but it is not depression. Grief usually has an identifiable cause, but the cause of depression may not be readily apparent. Another important distinguishing characteristic of depression is the sense of hopelessness.[1] So for our purposes, depression is a persistent sadness that robs us of hope and meaning.[2] It is an inward groaning at the futility of life in our fallen world, especially suffering that seems meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:17, Romans 8:19-23).[3] This certainly describes Elijah.
Elijah’s Depression
The powerful ministry of Elijah seems an odd place to find depression. Without a doubt, Elijah was one of the greatest Old Testament saints. God used Elijah to inaugurate the age of the prophets. He performed the first resurrection, was one of only two people in Scripture to be taken up into heaven without dying, and along with Moses appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration. In one of the most epic showdowns in the Old Testament, he not only stood alone against 950 false prophets at Mount Carmel but openly mocked them. After God proved Himself superior by sending down fire to consume Elijah’s offering, Elijah led the Israelites to slaughter those false prophets. But it was in this time of great victory and power that Elijah became depressed.
To understand why, we need to remember Elijah’s context. He lived in the darkest era of the Northern Kingdom. While Judah had its good kings and bad kings, Israel had almost entirely bad kings. Of these, Ahab was the worst. Scripture says that no king sold himself to do evil like Ahab did. He married Sidonian princess Jezebel, who replaced the worship of God with the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:30-33, 21:25-26), zealously hunting down and murdering the prophets of God. It was in this dark time that God sent Elijah to prophesy. After Mount Carmel, Jezebel swore to kill Elijah, so he became afraid for his life and fled to the south, passing through Judah which was ruled by godly king Jehoshaphat at the time (1 Kings 19:1-3). It is here that we see Elijah’s depression: “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers”” (1 Kings 19:4). Then, after God miraculously feeds him (1 Kings 19:5-7), Elijah journeys 40 days into the wilderness to Horeb, the Mountain of God (1 Kings 19:8). Also known as Mount Sinai, this was the place God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and later gave him the Ten Commandments, so this was the birthplace of Israel as a nation. It was here that God spoke to him:
There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
-1 Kings 19:9-14, ESV
Notice how God asks the same question and Elijah gives the same answer. From that answer, we learn a few things about depression in general.
Depression Has a Narrative: Elijah answers God in the exact same way both times. This was likely his rehearsed narrative that dominated his mind. Such a narrative is common in depression. It becomes ingrained and is very difficult to overcome. It persists even when faced with overwhelming contradictory evidence.
Depression Fixates on Hopelessness: Elijah’s narrative focuses entirely on the depraved state of Israel and his safety, completely neglecting the amazing victory God had just wrought through him (1 Kings 18:40). To the outside observer, it looked like revival was imminent, yet when it didn’t come immediately Elijah reasoned that it would never come. He convinced himself that it was hopeless and fixated on that. Depression causes people to reason from negative circumstances that the situation is hopeless. Once convinced, the person subconsciously uses confirmation bias to ignore any semblance of hope.
Depression Lies: Elijah tells God that he is the only one left faithful to God in Israel, but that wasn’t true. He knows it wasn’t true because just before Mount Carmel, he encountered Obadiah, an official of Ahab who recounted how he had hidden 100 prophets from Jezebel’s killing spree (1 Kings 18:13). Therefore, Elijah knew there were at least 101 faithful Israelites besides himself. But in his depression, he had convinced himself that he was alone. Depression causes people to believe such lies, making it a favorite tactic of the Father of Lies.
Depression Focuses on Self and Present: Elijah focuses on himself and his current situation, forgetting God’s other miracles to and through him. God had answered his prayers to both start and end a 3.5-year drought (1 Kings 17:1-2, 18:41-46, James 5:17). God had provided him food and water via ravens (1 Kings 17:3-6), a foreign widow (1 Kings 17:11-16), and an angel (1 Kings 19:5-7). He had even seen God raise the widow’s son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24). And at Carmel he had seen fire fall from heaven and consume flesh, wood, stone, and water. Depression focuses on self, fixating on what we can do and what can happen to us rather than what God has done and can do. It also focuses on the present, denying any hope of future improvement.
God’s Response to Elijah
Now that we have seen what Elijah can teach us about depression, we need to look at what God’s response teaches us about how to respond to it. Before we look at that response, it is important to note how God didn’t respond. Elijah prayed to die shortly after leaving Judah, but instead of responding to him there, God sent an angel to provide him food twice and allowed him to rest. Then, God did not speak to Elijah for the entire forty-day trek to Horeb. This is important for anyone trying to help a person struggling with depression. With all of its complexities, there is no easy answer for depression. We can’t simply find verses on joy and give the Scriptural equivalent of Bobby McFerrin’s song “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. We must be quick to listen and slow to speak. God listened to Elijah and met his immediate physical needs before answering his depression. He was also extremely patient with him. We should follow that example. But when God did speak to Elijah, He spoke to his depression in a profound way which should inform how we approach depression:
And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
-1 Kings 19:15-18, ESV
Notice how God does not answer Elijah directly. God does not remind him of past miracles or reason against Elijah’s faulty logic. God doesn’t say “chin up” and give empty platitudes. Instead, God gives Elijah a job to do, and in that job gives him hope. This gives us a model of how to approach depression.
Fight Depression With Purpose: God’s first word to Elijah is “go”. He counters Elijah’s hopelessness by giving him a big job to do. Depression is often caused or exacerbated by a lack of meaning or purpose, so meaningful labor is a very powerful weapon against it. From the beginning, God created us to work and to gain satisfaction from the fruits of our labor. Therefore, any strategy to fight depression should include purpose-filled work.
Fight Depression With the Sovereignty of God: God tells Elijah to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. Hazael was a Syrian commander, and Syria was the worst enemy of Israel at the time. By commanding Elijah to anoint him as king of Syria, God is reminding Elijah that He is sovereign over all nations, even using wicked men to accomplish His purpose. He is then to anoint Jehu to be king of Israel. Of all the kings of Israel, Jehu would be the only one who was halfway decent. He would ultimately kill the remaining members of Ahab’s family, including Jezebel, and would eradicate the worship of Baal. We likewise need to fight depression with constant reminders of the sovereignty and goodness of God, who is accomplishing His perfect plan that cannot be thwarted. In Him, everything has meaning, which is great comfort against the meaninglessness of depression.
Fight Depression With Long-Term Focus: Elijah was to anoint Elisha to be prophet after him, showing that this work would continue after Elijah was gone. Just as Naomi found greater purpose in helping secure Ruth’s future (Ruth 3:1), Elijah found greater purpose in discipling Elisha. As I have previously observed, the biggest impact most people will have on the Kingdom will be through their children, which includes spiritual children. As Elijah’s spiritual child, Elisha would continue Elijah’s work after him and perform more miracles. Therefore, arguably Elijah’s most important work was training Elisha. We should likewise fight depression not only through meaningful work but through meaningful multi-generational work that is far greater than any one person can accomplish. God works over the long-term, so a long-term focus helps to shift our perspective from ourselves to His greater work.
Fight Depression With the Promises of God: God uses Elijah’s task to deliver a promise: through Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha, God will punish Elijah’s enemies. There are promises throughout Scripture that will sustain us through any trial. Of course, we have to avoid cherry-picking good sounding verses and trying to apply them as a type of instant bandage. God’s promise to Elijah was specific to his situation, so we need to carefully find and apply the right promises for the situation.[4]
Fight Depression With the Fellowship of the Saints: Finally, God directly addresses Elijah’s incorrect assumption that he was alone, stating that there were seven thousand faithful Israelites. Paul uses this very verse when explaining that there is always a remnant chosen by grace (Romans 11:1-5), so we must never forget that we are not alone. This is incredibly important in any form of suffering, but especially depression. As much as depressed people may feel alone, the seven thousand are out there. And God has given us some of them nearby in the local church, so we should not neglect fellowship with the saints.
Mercy That Doesn’t Overlook Sin
This way of addressing depression is the opposite of modern therapy that focuses on self and denies sin. As with all biblical counseling issues, we must deal with depression as God deals with it, based on His nature. We must never forget how God described Himself to Moses on that same mountain:
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
-Exodus 34:6-7, ESV
God is gracious and merciful, but He is also righteous and just. He forgives sinners in Jesus Christ, but He still cannot tolerate sin. We must similarly approach depression with great mercy while not overlooking sin. First, we need to reflect God’s nature by approaching depression with mercy and patience. Without mercy, any “help”, will be unhelpful. Lacking both the mercy and wisdom of God, therapy that is self-focused ultimately makes matters worse not better.[5]
In our mercy and patience, we must be careful not to overlook sin. It is important to repent of sin and focus on obeying God. He often uses our obedience to enhance our joy in Him, so we need to obey even when we don’t feel like it:
Sin leads to guilt and depression, sinful handling of sin further complicates matters leading to greater guilt and deeper depression, ad infinitum. In the downward cycling the depression certainly contributes to further failures as it often becomes the excuse for a faulty handling of the sin itself. But, in contrast to those who would speak of changing the feelings in order to change the behavior, God reverses the order: He declared, “do right” and “there will be a lifting up of your face.”
-Jay Adams, The Christian Counselor’s Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan: 1973: 377-378.none
We see this with Elijah, when God asks “what are you doing here?”. I previously noted how such questions are often used to correct behavior, so Elijah may have been sinning by fleeing to Horeb. God did not validate Elijah’s emotions or presence at Horeb. God also didn’t tell Elijah to look inside himself, instead shifting his focus outside himself. We must not listen to our hearts, because our hearts are deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). There is also no talk of God healing Elijah. We must avoid mistaking sin for sickness, instead acknowledging our sin and repenting of it. This is not to say there is no link between medical issues and depression. While the theory that depression is caused by chemical imbalances was recently disproven, various medical issues can contribute to it. Therefore biblical counselors do not dissuade people from seeking medical care when warranted, but depression (like many counseling issues) is primarily spiritual, so it must be primarily addressed spiritually.[6]
Depression May Endure
Finally, it is important to realize that God never promises deliverance from depression. While we don’t see evidence of depression in the rest of Elijah’s life, it may have still lingered. After Horeb, God used Elijah mightily to confront Ahab for the murder of Naboth (1 Kings 21:17-24) and Ahaziah for trusting in false gods (2 Kings 1:3-16), calling down fire from God to kill two groups of soldiers in the process (2 Kings 1:9-12). However, the fact that he tried to leave Elisha behind (2 Kings 2:1-6) before being taken up to heaven suggests that some depression may have remained. As we saw at the beginning, this is not uncommon. We must never forget that Satan is real—and he often uses depression against the saints:
“Though he can never rob a believer of his crown, yet such is his malice and envy, that he will leave no stone unturned, no means unattempted, to rob them of their comfort and peace, to make their life a burden and a hell upon them, to cause them to spend their days in sorrow and mourning, in sighing and complaining, in doubting and questioning.”
-Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Edinburgh, UK: Banner of Truth Trust: 2021 (orig. 1652): 157.none
In fighting Him in this and every other means of temptation, we must focus on the truths of Scripture. Of the 190 remedies Thomas Brooks lists in Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, 178 have to do with our thoughts and only 12 deal with our actions. So we must guard our thoughts and constantly go back to Scripture. We can consider it joy to face this and every other trial, because Satan is still subservient to God (Job 1-2)—and God uses his schemes for our ultimate good (James 1:2-4).
In the end, depression is not the antithesis of the Christian life but has been a common experience for many saints. We must not address it as the world does—with unproven medications and obsessive introspection. Instead, we must address it as God does—with great mercy and patience while also acknowledging and repenting of sin. We must take the focus away from ourselves by diligently serving others to advance God’s Kingdom—the multi-generational task of all Christians that gives purpose to everything we do. We must counter the internal narrative of depression by constantly meditating on the truths of Scripture and participating in the fellowship of the saints. We must also counter the hopelessness of depression with hope in the sovereignty of God and the surety of His final victory that will make all of our suffering worthwhile. Then we can say with the psalmist “hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God”.
In addition to the those already mentioned, here are a few helpful books:
William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast
Wayne Mack, Out of the Blues
John Piper, When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God–and Joy
David Powlison, God’s Grace in Your Suffering
NOTES
[1] Edward T. Welch, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press: 2011: 148.
[2] Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor’s Manual: The Practice of Nouthetic Counseling, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan: 1973: 375-378.
[3] Edward T. Welch, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press: 2011: 9.
[4] David Powlison, How Does Sanctification Work?, Wheaton, IL: Crossway: 2017: 34.
[5] John MacArthur, “Spirit-Giftedness and Biblical Counseling” in John MacArthur and Wayne Mack, Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson: 2005: 220.
[6] Edward T. Welch, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness, Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press: 2011: 194.
