Godly Strategies to Fight for Mental Health | 1 Kings 19:1-19
Mental health is an issue destroying not just our country, but our communities and homes. Most of us have everything we would have said we wanted in life and yet we are still miserable! Maybe because of a painful life experience, exhaustion, disappointment (marriage, kids, money, life not turning out the way we wanted), loneliness, repressed anger (at parents, an ex, or a boss), sinful behavior, addiction… Mental Health is a complex, multi-faceted issue. We cannot say it’s as simple as “have more faith, take these 3 Bible verses, + call me in the morning”. Some Christian leaders want to reduce this issue to the spiritual + ignore the psychological, so they never consider medicine. Some therapists want to reduce it to the psychological + ignore rest. Some doctors want to reduce it to physical and say take a pill + ignore rest. But the God of Bible is interested in all of this + is redeeming it all.
Psalm 42:11
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.
We need to learn biblical tactics to defeat depression, not excuses. Elijah was a giant of faith (he raised the dead, called down fire, fought idolaters, brought down rain with a prayer) + 24hrs after a big win he was suicidal. We’re expecting Elijah’s response to Jezabel’s threat to be “how big a boy are ya? You and what army?!” Big highs can be followed by deeper lows, so deep that Elijah quits the ministry. Let’s read + learn godly strategies from Elijah’s battle with depression!