Rest

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:1-8

Depression, fear, hopelessness: these feelings can affect even the most faithful believers. Elijah was a man of great faith who was struck by such feelings. How did it happen?
In the northern kingdom of Israel during the time of Ahab, the king who “did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:30) and who “married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him” (1 Kings 16:31), Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to test whose god was real. The prophets of Baal prayed, but nothing happened; Elijah prayed, and God sent fire from heaven. It was a great victory, but when Jezebel threatened to have Elijah killed, and he ran. Alone in the desert, Elijah prayed for his life to end.
There can be many reasons for depression. People on mission trips can have mountaintop experiences. Tired but joyful, they have a sense of purpose that they hope will last forever. The trouble with the mountaintop is the valley on the other side when we can give in to negative feelings: sadness, self-pity, lost perspective, loneliness.
Although the cure is not always simple, the Bible gives us some idea of dealing with such feelings. Obeying the words of an angel, Elijah took care of himself. He ate, drank and rested. Often Christians make the mistake of thinking that we must always be busy, crowding more and more Bible classes and more and more service into already busy schedules. But Jesus did not say that He had come to make us busier. Instead, He said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Prayer:
• Are you too busy? Are you taking care of yourself? Do you need to rest?
Pray that God will give you the wisdom to know what is important.