The Wilderness is a lonely place. Among other things, depression takes place in the wilderness. That is my focus for this blog. Depression is classified as a mental illness that affects one’s emotional and physical well-being. Nevertheless, it is also a spiritual problem and spiritually speaking, it can be brought upon by the consequences of one’s actions. It could be an inherited illness, a.k.a. “a generational curse” (the world labels this as a predisposition), or it can be inflicted upon one from listening to the lies of the enemy.
Read 1 Kings 19 1-8. Here is a little context: Elijah escapes from Jezreel. In verses one and two, Jezebel threatens Elijah’s life, because he executed all of her prophets of Baal, with the sword. Notice that the prophets of Baal, were taken out with the sword of God by Elijah’s hand. The word of God is the sword of the spirit. (Ephesians 6:17) The Word of God defeats the enemies of God. Jesus resisted the temptations of Satan in the wilderness by countering every temptation with the words “it is written”. (Matthew 4:1-11) This is referring to the words written in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible says Jesus was tempted in every way, the same as us. The three temptations of Jesus were the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. For each of these, Jesus came back at the enemy with what God’s word had to say about it. And then the devil left him alone! The angels came and ministered to Elijah in the wilderness. God will send you ministering angels in the wilderness.
In verses three and four, Elijah escapes the enemy Jezebel by running to “Beersheba” with his servant. Beersheba is the place where Abraham dug seven wells. The number seven in the Bible symbolizes completion, and the wells, water and refreshment. Elijah escaped into a place of complete refreshment. Beersheba is also the same place where Jacob had the dream about the stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending. Elijah had escaped to the very place where he had direct access to God; but what did he do? Did he seek God there? No! He did not! He left his servant there, and he ran into the wilderness and sat under a broom tree, depressed and feeling sorry for himself. He believed the lies of the enemy, rather than remembering the miraculous things that God had just done in his life. Elijah had previously called down fire from heaven to prove to Ahab and all the Baal worshipers that the God of heaven, the God that Elijah served, is the one true God.
Had not the nation of Israel done the same thing, time and time again? They complained in the wilderness after seeing the Red Sea parted as they walked across on dry land, among other complaints. Therefore, the Lord let them wander in their self-pity for 40 years. The next generation was given the opportunity to go into the promised land, but it wasn’t without generational curses from the parents. This became a reoccurring theme in scripture for the Jewish people. Perhaps Elijah was affected by this as well.
In Elijah’s case, I propose that it was all three. He listened to his enemy Jezebel’s lies; he was being pursued with death threats because of his zeal for the Lord by destroying the prophets of Baal. And, he also recognized that he had similar tendencies like his ancestors. (He says I am no better than my fathers; he recognized his lack of faith), a generational problem. It seemed like a no-win situation — “But God!”
So Elijah leaves his servant in Beersheba and runs into the wilderness, a hot, dry desert-like wilderness. But in the midst of his misery and fear, God provided the shade and comfort of a broom tree, where he rested and pouted under the shade of that tree, praying that he might die. Elijah became suicidal in his thinking.
A Serious Matter
Suicidal thoughts are connected to depression, and it is a serious matter. Depression is physical, emotional and spiritual. It affects the body, mind and spirit. The world recognizes depression as a physical and emotional illness. But, it does not take into consideration the spiritual aspect. This story of Elijah helps illustrate the significance of the spiritual side of this illness, as well as the other two.
Elijah’s physical needs are illustrated by the fact he was not eating, and he had no strength in the middle of this hot, dry place. Therefore, the Lord provided the broom tree. He also provided angels to minister to Elijah with food and nourishment. Shade and comfort from a broom tree comes in many ways, figuratively speaking, and ministering angels too, while literal in the spiritual sense, can be symbolic in the physical realm. For example, the doctor that provides the medication needed to correct chemical imbalance that occurs from depression to bring some relief (is symbolic of the broom tree, ministering angels and the nourishment). However, treating just the physical aspects of depression will not result in total recovery. Oftentimes, the emotional side needs to be addressed through talk therapy, a.k.a. counseling. But even that will not afford complete restoration when one is depressed (in the wilderness).
There is a spiritual side that the world ignores that needs to be addressed. One can be on medication for a time and it only helps until it doesn’t anymore. Often, the medication is then adjusted or more is added, however, the mental illness is still there. Eventually, it could become a generational curse that will continue. If unchecked, inevitably, it will affect one’s offspring.
But God! When a person realizes and takes care of the spiritual implications of depression, there is healing. Despite the causes, healing is readily available to all who believe. It is a matter of faith! Sickness and disease is not of God. They are curses of the enemy of one’s soul. As to why God allows it, well, you just may have to ask Him to search your heart and show you personally. It’s not the same for everyone.
God Sends A Super Hero
God had a plan from the beginning of time to save the world. He sent a super natural, super hero called Jesus. He was a most unlikely hero, a Jewish boy born into a poor family. He had no noticeable features; he looked ordinary. But he was conceived with the Creator’s DNA. The blood that ran through Jesus’ veins was Holy! It was this blood of His that was shed to save mankind from their sins, the sins that cause sickness and disease, and all sorts of bondage, like depression. Whether it is your sin, someone else’s sin, or the worlds sin that causes depression, it is a form of bondage from the enemy of your soul.
Jesus Christ, this unlikely super hero, defeated sin and the grave after he was put to death as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter. And here is where his super power came in – after three days of being dead in a tomb, he rose from the grave. Scripture says, he descended into Hades, the lower regions of the Earth, (a.k.a. hell), and took back the authority and dominion that had transferred to Satan when mankind sinned in the garden of Eden.
Jesus proclaimed that he came to set the captives free, to heal the sick, and to give sight to the blind. When someone believes this, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior of his or her life, they are born again as new creations in Christ. They are given the authority that Jesus has over sin, sickness, and anything else that the devil can afflict upon them. Being in the wilderness can be a test, sometimes it’s a consequence of ones poor choices and sometimes just a lack of faith that keeps one down. But like Jesus, you can be an overcomer.
The Natural and The Spiritual
In the natural, God will provide a broom tree in the wilderness, and his angels will come and minister to you. Go, see that doctor, talk to that Christian counselor, get the medication needed to help the chemical imbalance. A good “Christian” counselor, in particular, should help lead you into the Word of God. Then the spiritual part of this battle will begin to be fought, and you can totally overcome depression. By addressing the physical, the emotional and spiritual aspects of being in the wilderness, you can receive complete healing. You may not even need the medication anymore. This is because the battle of depression begins in the mind, and the Word of God renews your mind. It is a promise (check out Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23; and Philippians 4:8) You don’t have to stay in the wilderness.
In the spiritual, the enemy that afflicts you is a fallen angel, now a demon. That is why people say of people who are depressed “Oh, he or she has many demons”, referring to the dark things of their past. Those my friends, are lies of the Devil! But did you know there are even more good angels than there are bad? God will literally send his angels to minister to your spirit and lift you out of the pit, to take you out of the wilderness and lead you back to “Beersheba”, “the stairway to Heaven”, the place where you can commune with God.
“Are not all the angels ministering spirits sent out (by God) to serve (accompany, protect) those who will inherit salvation? (Of course they are!)” Hebrews 1:14 AMP
In verse eight, the nourishment that the angels provided, strengthened Elijah, and he went forth in that strength for 40 days. It took him to the mountain of God! My friend, if you are depressed, I propose that you feed on the Word of God. Try it for 40 days and watch how your mind will become renewed. You will get out of the wilderness and arrive at the mountain of God. You will not want to leave His presence. It is a place where you will be so nourished by the Word, that you will desire more! God can and will transform your mind. Do what you need to do in the physical and the emotional aspects of your life to help yourself, but don’t neglect the spiritual. Come to Jesus now, and let him transform you.
On a final note, if you’re feeling down in the dumps, and don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror, make an appointment to get your hair done. It’s a nice pick-me-up. As Billy Crystal used to say “When you look good, you feel good!”, but it’s not a fix-all for your problems. Now, if you come see me at my salon, not only will I make you look good, but I’ll give you an earful of encouragement to help lift you out of the doldrums. You get two for the price of one. LOL (You can contact me through the contact form in this blog)
Have a blessed day, be kind in what you say and it will return to you in a wonderful way. Jesus loves you and so do I!
Thank you for writing this. Really engaging and helpful read. God bless you