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This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.
But [Elijah] went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake [of bread] baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” (1 Kings 19:4-8)
Elijah felt stuck. Only days before, he had reached the pinnacle of professional success. But then, the harsh realities of life came crashing down around him, and for about six weeks or more, he was stuck in a depression. And he was certain he’d never get out of it. But God stuck with him.
The way God meets Elijah offers hope, whether you’re stuck in a depression, or trying to walk with someone who is. We can’t do everything God would do later, like sending gale-force winds, an earthquake, a fire before meeting Elijah on the mountain with a gentle whisper. But before all these acts of God, the Lord starts with something we could follow. He gives Elijah a snack. God knows we are physical beings who need physical sustenance. Depression can be related to the needs of the body, and God works through physical means to help, which may include a prescribed medication, a changed diet, some exercise, or rest. And sometimes just a snack is all it takes to change the mood.
We are more than our bodies, though. We are relational beings, created to relate with God and with others, and depression is often tied to relational needs. God doesn’t just sustain Elijah with a snack. He also offers him a safe relational space. Forty days later, when Elijah gets to the mountain, two times God will ask him the same concerned, curious question. It could be translated as, “What are you doing here?” or, “What is this place to you, Elijah?” Both times God asks it, Elijah gives the exact same answer, stuck on repeat. Even after six weeks, Elijah is still in a rut, but God sticks with him. God gives His servants space to be sad.
Even more than a snack and a spacious relationship, Elijah gets a place in God’s saga. What is this place to you, Elijah? The question recalls a saga. This mountain is where, hundreds of years before, God made the covenant with His people, where He married Himself to them, and through them, to all people. God promised to stick with us no matter what. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus, who came with a body like ours, so that He could share in our sadness and death, so that we could share in His resurrection, so that when you’re in a rut, or with someone who is, you would know that God is committed for the long haul, that He will sustain you for the saga that stretches into eternity, because the journey is too great for you alone, but not for you in Christ. And it’s His joy to be stuck with you.
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for sticking with me. All the way and all the time, I need Your sustenance. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.
Reflection Questions:
- Studies suggest that, over a lifetime, 1 in every 6 people struggle with depression. How does your experience fit in with that statistic?
- How do you notice physical means (food, rest, diet, exercise) affecting your mood?
- Read all of 1 Kings 19. How do the LORD’s dealings with Elijah speak to you?
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