Dealing with depression (5)

“They are trying to kill me too.”                                  1Ki 19:10 NIV

Here’s another mistake that triggered Elijah’s depression: He exaggerated the negative. It’s that old “everybody’s against me!” thinking. The fact is, almost nobody was against Elijah. Only one person opposed him, and her threat wasn’t real. Queen Jezebel didn’t dare kill Elijah. Think about it: If she’d really intended to kill him she wouldn’t have sent a messenger to warn him, she’d have sent a hit man! Jezebel feared Elijah’s influence. If he’d ended up a martyr, that would have increased his influence and likely caused a revolution. Having just witnessed what God did to the prophets of Baal, Jezebel was probably afraid of what God would do to her if she touched His prophet. So her words were empty threats. But instead of stopping to realistically evaluate the situation, Elijah ran away. When we’re depressed we tend to exaggerate the negative. In reality, Elijah wasn’t the only person still faithful to God. There were seven thousand other prophets who hadn’t succumbed to pagan religion (See v. 18 NIV), but Elijah exaggerated the problem and ended up sinking lower than ever. If you feel depressed today, put your trust in God. Rise up and say, “This too shall pass. What does not destroy me will only make me stronger.” Here’s a promise you can stand on with complete confidence: “Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for those who honor you. You have done so much for those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world” (Ps 31:19 NLT).

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