‘They are trying to kill me
too.’ 1 Kings 19:10
Here’s another mistake that
triggered Elijah’s depression: he exaggerated the negative. It’s that old
‘everybody’s against me!’ thinking. The fact is, almost nobody was against
Elijah. Only one person opposed him, and her threat wasn’t real. Queen Jezebel didn’t
dare kill Elijah. Think about it: if she’d really intended to kill him she
wouldn’t have sent a messenger to warn him, she’d have sent a hit man! Jezebel
feared Elijah’s influence. If he’d ended up a martyr, that would have increased
his influence and likely caused a revolution. Having just witnessed what God
did to the prophets of Baal, Jezebel was probably afraid of what God would do
to her if she touched His prophet. So her words were empty threats. But instead
of stopping to realistically evaluate the situation, Elijah ran away. When
we’re depressed we tend to exaggerate the negative. In reality, Elijah wasn’t
the only person still faithful to God. There were seven thousand other prophets
who hadn’t succumbed to pagan religion (see v. 18 NIV), but Elijah exaggerated
the problem and ended up sinking lower than ever. If you feel depressed today,
put your trust in God. Rise up and say, ‘This too shall pass. What does not
destroy me will only make me stronger.’ Here’s a promise you can stand on with complete
confidence: ‘Your goodness is so great! You have stored up great blessings for
those who honour you. You have done so much for those who come to you for
protection, blessing them before the watching world’ (Psalm 31:19 NLT 1996
Edition).
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