Overcoming Depression

Depression has been in the news lately. Sports and well-know personalities are taking their own lives due to depression. In Singapore, it is estimated that about 6% of the population are affected by depression during their lifetime. People with depression may experience persistent sadness or fatigue, difficulty in sleeping or sleeping excessively and/or have thoughts of death or suicide. These are but some of the possible symptoms. Christians are not immuned to expriencing depression. It can set in anytime but mostly after a crucial turning point event, be it good or bad. However, we don't have to remain in that state of disrepair for long, if we know what to do.


The life of prophet Elijah makes for an intereting read in the Bible (1 Kg 17-19). He was mightily used by God so much so that his words carried immense power (2 Kg 1:10). I want to focus our meditation on his successful campaign against the prophets of Baal and Asherah. He challenged them to a 'duel' whereby each will call on their own god to ignite the altar of sacrifice. Israel would then know which is the true and living God by this means. And as the story unfolds, the prophets of Baal cried out and cut themselves till evening time to no avail. When it came to Elijah's turn, he took his time to build the altar of sacrifice, laid the wood and sacrifice neatly and requested that water be poured on them thrice over. He prayed a simple prayer requesting God to answer him with the result that fire came down to consume the entire offering including the water, wood, stones and dust. It must have been an awesome sight.

The offshoot of all this was that the Israelites fell in reverence before the LORD, acknowledging that He is God (1 Kg 18:39). The false prophets were executed and Elijah gave a prophetic word to King Ahab concerning a heavy shower that would break the dry spell. To be sure, this must have been an emotionally high point for Elijah, after having carried out God's word successfully. However, his mountain top experience was short-lived; it nose-dived when he heard the word of Jezebel (1 Kg 19:2-4). He suffered great depression, wanting to end his own life. That happened when he did not focus on God but on the words of the enemy. He also mistakenly thought that he was the only prophet left in Israel (v 10, 14); little did he realise that God had preserved 7000 (v 18).

God restored Elijah by speaking to him not in the wind, earthquake nor fire but through the still small voice. In the busyness of our life, we are often attracted by the spectacular as exemplified by the wind, earthquake and fire. We tend to be go-getters, striving to accomplish one thing after another; thinking that we are the only ones capable and that we would be indispensable. As God has revealed to Elijah, He often speaks to us in the stillness of our lives where we can find time to be quiet and meditate. Depression can be overcome when we stop our ears from listening to the lies and deceit of the enemy and start listening to God's word. Elijah didn't have the last word, God has. God told Elijah to anoint his successor and prepare to return home. This shows that no one is indispensable in God's kingdom.