But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
1 Kings 19:4 NKJV.
I came across a university advertisement bragging that its mental health courses are top-notch and provide quality training. What captured my curiosity, were the following words: Covid 19 Pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic depression cases are on the rise. The demand for mental health professionals is inexhaustible. You cannot go wrong by choosing to pursue a career in this rewarding profession.
People can indeed pursue carriers of choice. But whether during this time of disruption, uncertainty, and upheavals we should settle for whatever is left on the other side of this pandemic and build a carrier in this multi-billion profession that does not treat but labels and only try to manage anxieties is another issue.
Anxieties are not modern innovations but have existed since humanity came into existence. It amazes how the world of mental health is consistently coming up with new labels for age-old discomfiting human experiences. The practice is the compartmentalization of feelings, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs that feed our mundane fears and disappointments.
Thoughts of death, loss of interest in former activities, fatigue, and feelings of hopelessness are all signs of depression: and Elijah is a likely candidate for this labeling. But these ingredients of depression are found in every community and pews of faithful congregations. Like Elijah, many lose the desire to live for something.
Our devotion text reveals the anxiety of the prophet Elijah and how God redeemed him. Here, he is escaping a contract on his life by Jezebel. He is overcome by the magnitude of evil around him as Jezebel influences her husband, King Ahab, to lead the people of Israel away from God through idolatry to Baal. He leaves his servant behind and asks God to take his life for failing as a prophet. His recent heroic success on mount Carmel offers no consolation as he psychologically wrestles with God.
Perhaps he is experiencing burnout. He confesses, “I am no better than my fathers.” Even without a blatant personal sin, he sees no good in his life. Service to God has not brought him to a meaningful place of reality. He assumes that he is of no further use to God and believes that his choices are limited because he is the only remaining prophet of God. Hopeless, he takes off to the wilderness and seeks an end to his life.
But while there, he experiences God’s redemption. An angel provides food and water to rebuild his strength as God directs him to sleep and offers another portion of food and rest. “Wilderness” is a place of both giving and testing, a season of provision and obedience, a time of physical weakness and even despair, but also an occasion of spiritual strengthening and redefining our lives.
Notwithstanding the possibility that anyone experiencing anxiety may harbor guilt for previous actions or inactions, God can still redeem us. We should not succumb to the abyss of meaninglessness but take a hopeful posture of trusting God to deal with our circumstances. The fear of the unknown and our failures should not restrict our prayerful discernment of God’s preferred future for us.
Prayer:
Precious Lord.
Thank you because of your unchanging love,
Remind me to trust you even when everything in and around me is changing and unpredictable.
Help me to surrender all my worries and anxieties to you,
Help me to change the things that I can, and leave those that I cannot change to you,
I accept your peace, love, and understanding in my situation.
Amen!