Pastor Ralph Posted September 14, 2022 Report Share Posted September 14, 2022 Q10. (1 Kings 19:3-5) How might Elijah be “at fault” for being depressed? Is “fault” the right question? Does God chide him for “lack of faith”? How does God minister to him? How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeJay Posted October 8, 2022 Report Share Posted October 8, 2022 Elijah had stopped trusting and relying on God, this is more passive than actively being at fault. God doesn't chide him for losing faith but, in this instance, let's him sleep to recuperate. With friends in depression, I'd keep letting them know I'm there for them, messages, calls, send stuff etc. I was saved in depression by a good friend who insisted I go out dancing every week, very special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted October 10, 2022 Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 Q10. (1 Kings 19:3-5) How might Elijah be "at fault" for being depressed? Is "fault" the right question? Does God chide him for "lack of faith"? How does God minister to him? How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? I feel that at this stage Elijah is both physically and emotionally exhausted. Hours before he stood on Mount Carmel facing his enemies. He must have been elated with what had happened. After it rained, maybe the whole nation had turned back to God, including even king Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel. Surprise! Jezebel wants to kill him! This must have come as a great shock to him, having assumed the success of God’s plan. In his exhaustive state he must have been greatly discouraged, disappointed and now was feeling a total failure. He had let God down; he had failed God – he lost his courage. Previously we had seen his humility, his courage, his boldness, and now we notice his humanity. He was a man subject to like passions as we are. James wrote: “Elijah was a man just like us” (James 5:17a). So, I don’t think we should judge Elijah too harshly. Him only being human, therefore I don’t feel “fault” is the right question. God ministers to Elijah in tenderness, and love – and does not rebuke him. Nor does He give him a theological lesson, for He knows we are but dust (Ps 103:13-14). God instead lets him sleep and gives him food and water, strengthening him for the journey ahead. We can learn from God how to minister to a friend who is isolated and perhaps suffering from deep depression. Treat them with tenderness and love. We don’t force Scripture on them, that will come with time. Rather treating them with patience, gentleness, kindness and respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted October 10, 2022 Report Share Posted October 10, 2022 Elijah is not at fault. He's a tired, emaciated, exhausted, emotionally fried prophet who couldn't take it anymore. He needed sleep, food and encouragement. His problem wasn't a lack of faith. Frankly, in a way, I think Elijah is rationally adding up his life work as a prophet and coming to the conclusion that it had not come to much. The King/Jezebel were still determined to shun Yahweh for other gods and the ordinary Israelites who enjoyed the fire-spectacle quickly settled back into their ungodly routine of life and worship. The status quo had been restored in short order. So, Elijah's victory was pyrrhic. The personal cost to Elijah, as Elijah perceived it, was greater than the success he was able to understand and see. He saw himself as a failure -- perhaps I should say that he saw his life's work as having failed. "I've had enough, Lord ..." My heart bleeds for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 12, 2022 Report Share Posted October 12, 2022 Q10. Elijah is not at fault for being depressed. He is human like us all and there are times when worried and problems can become too much for us and we can slip into depression. However there are steps we can take when life becomes difficult for us. We must spend time and extra time in God’s Word and speaking to God. It may just be short sentences asking for help, nothing major. We can try and worship Jesus and think about all His attributes and reminds ourselves that we are part of His family and He will bring us through the present difficulties as He has before during other hard times. This will help us during these times. God doesn’t chide his lack of faith but treat him gently and takes care of his needs. Jesus made sure he was feed and had time to sleep and rest. Jesus example as usual is a good pattern for us to follow when trying to help a depressed friend or family member. Don’t preach to them, just be there. Listen if they want to talk, but refrain from giving unasked for advice. Help in practical ways, making them small tasty meals, help with chores they may be finding hard to do. Do not judge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted October 14, 2022 Report Share Posted October 14, 2022 Elijah has been a faithful servant of the Lord, because of the threats from Jezebel he has taken his eyes off the Lord and allowed depression to take over. Just as Peter was walking on water, he took his off Jesus and began to look at at his surroundings. God does not chide him for his lack of faith, he is exhausted and feels that he has failed the the Lord. A friend that has isolated themselves and gone into depression should be encouraged that their life does have meaning, the love others have for them. It is important to help them regain self esteem and pray that the Lord will guide them if they can trust Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmela Posted October 15, 2022 Report Share Posted October 15, 2022 Q10. (1 Kings 19:3-5) How might Elijah be "at fault" for being depressed? Is "fault" the right question? Does God chide him for "lack of faith"? How does God minister to him? How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? I think he had reached the end of his tether. At the same time he looked on his circumstances and did not have his eyes focused on God. Personally I think he just proved that he was human. He was too exhausted to think straight. God gently led him to rest and sleep and then eat to regain his strength. Then when he was ready, He spoke to him. Each person is different. The main thing is to make sure that they realize you will be there when they are ready to accept your presence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Roberts Posted October 16, 2022 Report Share Posted October 16, 2022 How might Elijah be "at fault" for being depressed? Elijahs exhaustion is part of the key to why he is at fault. YHWH tells us to guard our gates and to be sober of mind. Guarding our gates means be watchful of what you are seeing (TV), thinking and hearing (MUSIC) and allow only good thoughts into our heads such as: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8. Being sober of mind is not just about alcohol. It is about ensuring your mind is at its sharpist including being fully physically and mentally rested and also not imbibing in alcohol or anything that can alter your mental state such as halucenogenic drugs. Right away I can see Elijah was exhausted so he clearly wasn't sober of mind. When we don't take care of our bodies correctly and don't get enough sleep we are weakened mentally which weakens our gate guards. It allows the voice of the enemy to slip in and then we hear his lies and listen to them instead of listening to YHWH. Is "fault" the right question? Yes, fault is the right question. We have to "Look" at what YHWH commands and we will be able to "See" what the problem was in Elijah's situation. Does God chide him for "lack of faith"? How does God minister to him? No, YHWH does not chide him. YHWH tends to His sheep as a shepherd with loving care and patience. How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? I pray for the person and let them know constantly that I am there within reach. I treat them with loving care and patience, talking (uplifting topics and scipture verses), hugging, listening and comforting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Edwards Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 This is like the story of my life! I heard that this is common amongst pastors and those in the ministry. We do the best we can do, year in and year out, problems and more problems, and as faithfull ministers, we get discouraged. The word HALT characterizes our lives. H is for hunger, A is for anger, L >s for loneliness, T is for tiredness. Prophet Elijah can be partially be blamed. He like many zealous ministers was not taking care of himself. He was not resting, eating and just taking good care of himself. So when we encountered Jezebel's wrath, he was at a vulnerable point of his life. Fear got a hold of him. Yes indeed! Perhaps Prophet Elijah could have sought counsel from a few of the faithfull men of God that escaped from Jezebel. They would have advised him perhaps to rest and take a sabbatical of some kind. Being exhausted, Prophet Elijah felt he was in a cul de sac and make a quick escape. No time to ruminate and no time to waste to get some practical guidance. God did not chide him for lack of faith. Elijah needed much needed rest and proper food. God knew that he had feet of clay. Very difficult indeed. Professional assistance in many cases may be needed. A professional counselor or social worker would have the expertise in some rather challenging situations; a pastor or Church worker would be wise to refer such congregants to a Christian counselor who has had academic training on depression and self isolation. God uses such agents to assist those who are having hard times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blezed Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 How might Elijah be “at fault” for being depressed? Is “fault” the right question? Elijah isolated himself from people who could have possibly given him strength. He allowed the situation to cause him to loose faith. I think fault is the right question. He is doing this to himself instead to continuing to trust God. Does God chide him for “lack of faith”? How does God minister to him? God sends an angel to get him in shape for the next phase of his journey to renewal and health. How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? I pray with that person and talk to them about Jesus. I use my life as a living testimony because I have been there. My faith is what brought me back out of depression. I definitely will try to get that person to do something outside the house. Sitting at home within the four walls gives one too much type to think of negative things. It always help to let that person talk about their situation and you listen without judgement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted October 19, 2022 Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 Q10. (1 Kings 19:3-5) How might Elijah be "at fault" for being depressed? Is "fault" the right question? Does God chide him for "lack of faith"? How does God minister to him? How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? I don’t think Elijah was “at fault” for being depressed and afraid by the threat from Ahab. Most of us may react in the same way due to the Adamic nature in us. God did not chide Elijah because he understood his short comings and thus provided a meal of baked bread and water to strengthen him as we will see in the next section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibuyile Posted October 22, 2022 Report Share Posted October 22, 2022 Q10. Was Elijah at fault fir being depressed? Maybe not at fault , life situations can force you to react but what is important is what you do when this life's challenges hit you. Elijah reacted by being in fear of what Jezebel said to the point of him running away , feeling lonely and depressed. He should have trusted God more just like he did when he stopped rain from falling 10.1 Does God chide him for lack of faith? No While sleeping under the tree the angel brought him food to eat , this shows God was still with him 10.2 How does God minister to him ? God send and angel to bring him food , which came back later to tell him to eat because he still had great journey to take 10.3 How do you minister to a friend who has gone to deep depression? Being there for him/her , pray with and give word of encouragement and showing him/her that God still love him/Het Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOLLAM BANDA Posted November 7, 2022 Report Share Posted November 7, 2022 Elijah is at fault for being depressed because he fears Jezebel so much than rely on the protection and strength of the almighty God from the persecution of Jezebel. Fault is not the right word but rather out of order. Elijah is frustrated and feels lonely. Nonetheless God is still with Elijah and gives him food and water to eat and keep him strong. I encourage friends suffering from deep depression to move on with life by relying on the Lord our God, our provider and our keeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kym Nixon Posted March 18, 2023 Report Share Posted March 18, 2023 Can we really assign fault here? People who are depressed are simply believing lies about God and themselves. It's easy when you're exhausted and attacked by the spirit of fear. His faith is wavering. God doesn't see this as a sin in my opinion. He ministered to him tenderly and compassionately. He knows our limits and meets us where we are. We can't kick people when they're down as if that will help them get back on their feet. We have to sit with them in their pain, support and encourage them. That is what our wonderful God did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted April 3, 2023 Report Share Posted April 3, 2023 I don’t think that Elijah is “at fault” for being depressed. It something that happen when we are under a lot of pressure. I don’t think that fault was the right question. God didn’t say anything about his lack of faith. God ministered to him by sending angels to help him get out of is depression. The only thing I can do if a friend isolates himself in deep depression is just be there for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francine Posted March 13 Report Share Posted March 13 Q10. (1 Kings 19:3-5) How might Elijah be "at fault" for being depressed? A fault represents a sort of wrongful action. The story points to genuine fear, anxiety and exhaustion from being chased and threatened by Jezebel who had slaughtered hundreds of prophets Is "fault" the right question? no Does God chide him for "lack of faith"? no How does God minister to him? God ministered to Elijah with a Gentle whisper asking him simply what is he doing in the place where he was. God also used ministering angels who refresh and nourish Elijah How do you minister to a friend who has isolated himself or herself in deep depression? encouragement, support through presence and positive conversation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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