Depression in the Bible and in the Believer

The Bible architects God’s timeless story in its pages. Drama and suspense form around the characters that we esteem as faith heroes. We note the attitudes and actions that fueled their devotion and deeds. Yet human, they endured heartache, jubilation, and the range of emotion and experience common to all.

The Bible roadmaps our path, posting rest stops where we can refresh with spiritual and practical wisdom. We traverse mental and emotional territory, often marked by fear, isolation, and sadness. The Holy Spirit yet beckons us to navigate a course with Him that guides us toward a hopeful future.

As we scroll through Scripture, we enjoy the privilege of knowing the conclusion of the stories we read. Yet, those at the core of our study didn’t know how their stories would evolve as they lived between chapter and verse.

They wandered deserts, crossed turbulent waters, subdued wild beasts, and suffered physical persecution and martyrdom. In real-time, they put their faith in God despite threats leveraged against their safety and confidence.

One common enemy.

War waged against their well-being, taking tolls on the external and the internal person, though fiercely advancing and broadening God’s Kingdom. Although the Bible doesn’t explicitly state depression as the condition such heroes endured, the same symptoms we experience in our life and times are observable in texts describing David, Paul, and even some of our sinless Savior’s most agonizing moments.

Their narratives weave imperfect tapestries, threading their way through the backdrop and overlay of God’s perfect love. Our brothers and sisters encountered one common enemy behind challenges like ours. Regardless of circumstance, the Author and Finisher of our shared faith was present before, during, and after each scene. Noting depression in the ancient scrolls of Bible Truth offers insight, present encouragement, and future hope for today’s disciples.

Depression in the Bible: The abiding victory.

We will explore how Elijah presented with depression (1 Kings 18-19, 21). Like us, he was human, yet powerful in prayer and demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders (James 5:17-18). His emotional and mental wellness challenges didn’t abort God’s purpose for him. Peaks of great victory punctuated his low moods and drew him closer to God, activating Divine power to pierce the darkness in his day.

Elijah’s complexity offers a front-row seat to depression in the Bible. It considers how we can properly address our own symptoms. From this, we can also garner wise applications for spiritual and practical support, from God and with others.

The power of God in Elijah threatened Jezebel, the wicked queen of Israel, exposing and disrupting evil’s agenda. She mocked, intimidated, and stalked the prophet with vicious intent to kill him and all others who boldly declared God’s Truth. Consequently, he lived under extreme duress and trauma-inducing circumstances.

Depression in the Bible: The internal battleground.

Isolation.

His existence seemed lonely, and he lamented to God that he was the only remaining faithful servant. Jezebel had slaughtered countless prophets, and many of God’s people had adopted their neighbors’ idolatrous worship practices.

What he hadn’t realized was that a fellow prophet Obadiah had kept a company of God-loyal prophets alive, feeding them bread and water in a hidden cave. It appears that Elijah had community available to him with the other prophets, but it is also possible that he didn’t recognize it.

Loneliness.

Loneliness is a feature of depression. It causes us to wince from the sting of isolation, even when a willing community is present. We may not notice the supportive people empathetic to our cause, thus widening the chasm of disconnection. Depressive states drag us, draining the energy, enthusiasm, and endurance needed to mobilize in the rhythms of daily life.

Sadness.

Elijah lived under what appeared as a dark cloud of oppression. Judah’s royal couple, Ahab and Jezebel, thrived on malice, harassing and attacking him. The contrast between light and dark illuminated their misdeeds and divisive hearts.

Even when operating under the hand of God, intense persecution caused Elijah to despair of life. He verbalized such with God, expressing a loss of hope, feeling misunderstood, and confessing that God, Himself, appeared oblivious to his plight.

We can witness the prophet’s valiant actions amidst turmoil as we read his story millennia later. Yet, in between the chapters and verses of our own lives, will we trace God’s faithfulness as we stare down death, intimidation, and torture? Even in our murkiest moments, when we can’t see God and we feel abandoned, will we talk openly with Him and rely on the unwavering truth of His word?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35, 38-39

The enemy seeks to work through depression in leadership and laity, Bible heroes, and modern warriors. Many in faith communities have experienced the pulverizing boulder of depression. Some have succumbed to suicidal ideation, having extinguished their own lives.

Others have walked away from places and people where God sought to bless them, and some have abandoned faith in Jesus Christ altogether. Depression distorts our vision, leaving devastation in its wake when we avoid acknowledging or addressing it. Such symptoms must be treated with essential therapy and/or appropriate medical intervention.

Connect and commune.

God was with Elijah throughout his escapades, as he professed strong words from Heaven. He equipped and empowered the prophet with what was needed for that people at that time. He even sent Elijah a reinforcement in the person of Elisha. This protege would take on the mantle of Elijah’s anointing and ministry work following the elder’s transition, and in the meantime, it would become a time to train his protégé.

We can draw encouragement from this story, knowing that we have a constant companion, confidant, and Comforter in the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised never to leave nor forsake us, and as the Wonderful Counselor, He extends help both directly and through mental health professionals. Take advantage of our therapeutic resources, and together, we can uncover the roots of your depression. We will help you develop strategies to cope, provide wise counsel, and conquer through Christ.

Handle with care.

We require Him as our source and sustenance in addition to the human touch. We require community and connection with family, friends, or faith circles. We must consider our valid needs for the following:

• Safe relationships to be the imperfect and in-process versions of ourselves.
• Connections where love, innate gifts, and accountable support thrive.
• Personal commitment to receive God’s compassion for oneself.

Avoid comparing your experience, possible need for medication, or modes of treatment. Embrace your journey with depression as one where the Lord meets and caters to you personally, without judgment or punishment. Allow Him, as He did with Elijah, to encounter you in obscurity and gather the “treasures of darkness.” Ask Him about the gems He intends for you to mine amidst your low moods and moments.

I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. – Isaiah 45:3

As you abide and inquire, He will enlighten your understanding of who you are and who He wants to be in, with, and for you. Envision yourself, like this featured faith hero, doing great things with God and despite depression, dismembering the enemy at work.

We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

God’s invitation to fellowship does not eradicate life’s problems. Rather, it equips us for them and empowers us through them. We will confront difficulty, and sometimes, pressure all around. Yet, these challenges do not preempt greatness with God. They coexist; but God is greater than the battles waged in our minds, emotions, and beyond.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud; And He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm. – Psalm 40:2

While Jesus understands, sees, and knows you perfectly and completely, He still waits for your voice, even from the depths of a depressive pit. He listens for your cry, shouts, laughs, or whispers from your heart.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

Reject the religious falsehood that hints at “getting yourself together” before approaching Him. Unburden the baggage of whatever encumbers you in shame, sadness, or self-rejection. Trade in your haul; and upgrade, in grace, to the yoke and burden that Jesus calls easy and light. While you may have depression, it no longer must have you.