Victory and Depression

“Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’ Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.“ 1 Kings 19:2-3 (ESV)

When you hear the name Elijah, your first inclination is to think of the major victory he experienced on Mt. Carmel. Elijah took on the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who ate at Jezebel’s table. Elijah is kind of like the “Rocky Balboa” of the Old Testament. He was not about to back down from the featured match between good and evil.

• “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” 1 Kings 18:38 (ESV)
• “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.'” 1 Kings 18:39 (ESV)

What a major demonstration of God’s power! What a miraculous response to Elijah’s prayer! God allowed Elijah to see and experience God’s favor. Elijah truly had a mountain top experience on Mt. Carmel. How could Elijah ever doubt God or deny God’s power after such a magnificent encounter?

You are most susceptible to sin after a major victory. Elijah descended from the mountain of miracles to the desert of defeat and experienced the downward spiral from victory into depression. How would God respond to Elijah’s desperation?

Following Jesus Every Day,

Stephen Trammell