Elijah was a prophet during an unstable time in Israel鈥檚 history. Many had turned away from God in favor of worshiping Baal, a false god. God sent Elijah to help the Israelites see the error of their ways and come back to God, and his efforts resulted in the death of many prophets of Baal. This caused a rift between Elijah and people like Jezebel, who all but guaranteed she would kill him.
Elijah immediately fled and wound up hiding away in the wilderness, exhausted and completely alone. In his solitude, Elijah was consumed by feelings of hopelessness. He became convinced that his life had no value, and he begged God to end his life right then and there.
Clinical diagnoses for conditions like depression didn鈥檛 exist in Biblical times, but Elijah鈥檚 thought patterns look very similar to what many with depression struggle with today. Feelings of helplessness and low self-worth can trick us into believing things will never get better. But as we read on, we see that God meets Elijah where he鈥檚 at and provides for his most basic needs. An angel of the Lord brings Elijah food and water, and God provides space for Elijah to rest and regain his strength. It isn鈥檛 long before Elijah turns a corner and continues his journey.
When you鈥檙e in the midst of depression, you may start to believe the lie that your life doesn鈥檛 matter, there is no hope for your situation, and God doesn鈥檛 care about you. Remember how God saw Elijah and gave him what he needed in order to heal, and know that he can do the same for you.