Admit Your Depression

...while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, 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. (1 Kings 19:4)

God’s word has a lot to say about our feelings and our emotions. One of the things I love about Scripture is that when God paints the portraits of his men and women, they are not photoshopped. You see warts and wrinkles. You see flaws and faults.

Today, we are going to look at one of the most famous men in the Bible – a prophet named Elijah. If God had a Hall of Fame, Elijah would easily be elected on the first ballot. He had so much of the power and presence of God in his life. He is the first person in the Bible to raise a person from the dead. But Elijah also had some troubles in life. As we are about to see, he was so depressed that he was suicidal. But despite that, we are going to see how Elijah managed to get out of that valley and with God’s help so can you. Elijah found in God a bridge over the troubled waters of depression that is still available to us today.

Let’s look at one way we can begin to overcome depression, and then look at two more ways tomorrow.

First, you must learn to admit the reality of your depression. If you’re dealing with depression, the most important thing you can do first of all is admit it to somebody. Don’t hold it in! That is what Elijah did. “...while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, 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” (I Kings 19:4).

Elijah would have been a terrible poker player, because he at least was honest enough to let the Lord know and anyone within earshot he was depressed. There is no shame in admitting it. Good people, godly people, and great people get depressed. Kings, prophets, prime ministers, CEOs and yes, pastors, get depressed. There are people in the Bible from Moses to Paul that got depressed. So if you’re struggling with depression, you have to start with admitting to that struggle.

Dear Lord, I’m asking you to give me the courage to admit that I’m depressed. Even though it’s tough to humble myself to that point, I know I can’t get the help I need if at first I don’t admit I need the help. Please bring someone along that I can talk to about what I’m going through and direct me to whatever steps I need to take to get the necessary help in overcoming my depression. In Jesus’ name, amen.