When Leaders Get Depressed!

You might think that godly Christian leaders never get depressed. Perhaps they shouldn’t get depressed, but the truth is, many strong Christian leaders have struggled with depression.

It is well known that the famous 19^th century British preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, suffered from terrible bouts with depression. He had several serious health issues that could have triggered his depression, but whatever the causes, he often was brought extremely low. Once, he told his congregation that he felt so down that he could say with Job, “My soul chooseth strangling rather than life.” He added, “I could readily enough have laid violent hands upon myself, to escape from my misery of spirit.” He was suicidal!

Spurgeon wasn’t alone. Martin Luther sometimes struggled with deep depression. Several great preachers from the past—John Henry Jowett, Alexander Whyte, and G. Campbell Morgan—wrestled with depression in their ministries.

In Numbers 10, Moses seemed optimistic about the future, but in Numbers 11 he was so depressed that he asked God to take his life. In Numbers 10:29, he appealed to his brother-in-law, Hobab, to come with Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land, assuring him (Num. 10:29), “The Lord has promised good concerning Israel.” The future looked bright. But by Numbers 11:15, he was so down that he prayed, “So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”

What happened? And what can leaders and all of God’s people learn from Moses’ bout with depression?

A leader can get depressed if he lets complaining people get to him; he tries to do everything by himself; or he forgets God’s promises and power to accomplish His purposes.

Before we look at why Moses got depressed, note that many other godly leaders in the Bible have been depressed. As Spurgeon mentioned, in Job’s intense suffering he wished that he could die. The author of Psalms 42 & 43 was fighting depression because he felt abandoned by God and oppressed by enemies. Jeremiah, whose message was pretty much rejected, wished that he had never been born (Jer. 15:10; 20:14-18). When God spared the people of Ninevah, Jonah, who wanted God to judge them, asked God to kill him (Jonah 4:3). John the Baptist got depressed in prison and wondered if Jesus really was the Messiah (Matt. 11:1-6). Peter wept bitterly over his failure when he denied the Lord (Matt. 26:75). And, Paul was depressed because of the attacks against him from some in the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 7:6).

Even the mighty prophet Elijah, who had seen God do many mighty miracles and had just seen a great victory over the prophets of Baal, asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). The ironic thing was that he was fleeing from the wicked Queen Jezebel, who had threatened to take his life! If he really wanted to die, she could have done the job! But depressed people don’t always think logically!

Moses’ experience here is not comprehensive, but we can see three reasons leaders may get depressed:

Sometimes people complain because they don’t like God’s ways, which include adversity.

God’s way to the Promised Land was through the barren wilderness. And His way to heaven is always through trials. As Paul told his new converts (Acts 14:22), “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” The Lord uses various trials to teach us to trust Him and to shape us into the image of Jesus, who learned obedience from the things which He suffered (Heb. 5:8).

If we think that God’s plan is to give us health and material comforts and to protect us from all trials, then we’ll be prone to complain when we face adversity. To give thanks and not complain when we face adversity, we need to remember that God’s purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ, not to make us comfortable and protect us from trials.

Sometimes people complain because they are greedy and expect leaders to meet all their desires.

One cause of greed and complaining is that you compare yourself with others whom you think are better off than you are. In the barren wilderness, the rabble thought about the Egyptians eating cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But they forgot that the Egyptians had all lost their firstborn in the final plague. They were complaining because Moses wasn’t giving them all the tasty food that they enjoyed in Egypt. But they forgot that in Egypt they were under the cruel dictatorship of Pharaoh, who didn’t care about their welfare as Moses did. And so they complained. At the root of their complaint was an even deeper cause:

Sometimes people complain because they have rejected the Lord.

God, who knows every heart, told Moses that the people had rejected Him, the Lord who had led them out of slavery and had protected and provided for them for the past year in the wilderness (Num. 11:20). Their problem wasn’t boredom with manna, but rejecting the gracious Lord who had redeemed them and met all of their needs. They had His presence in the wilderness and His promises to lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey, but they preferred returning to slavery in Egypt!

This would be comparable to a Christian saying, “Life was better when I was a non-Christian. I wish that God hadn’t saved me! I’d rather be back in the world, enjoying everything I had back then!” So the people were completely self-centred and not thankful for God’s abundant provisions and His promise for a glorious future in the Promised Land. Their continued complaining would soon result in their being excluded from entering the land.

When leaders listen to people complain and make impossible demands, it can lead to depression.

There is a lesson here for leaders and those thinking about taking a leadership position: When there are problems in a group, the leader often is the focus of criticism. So before you sign up for the job, count the cost! If God is calling you to be a leader, you won’t be able to make everyone happy! You will catch flak. Even a great leader like Moses had to deal with difficult, complaining, self-centred people. But be careful, because complaining people can wear you down and get you depressed.

There is also a lesson for God’s people: Before you complain about problems in the church, examine your heart before the Lord. Are you seeking first your comfort and happiness or God’s kingdom and righteousness? Are you expecting your leaders to do what only God can do? Maybe your complaint is a valid problem that you and the leaders can resolve as you prayerfully work together in the Lord. Or, it may be a situation that everyone has to live with for the present. Wilderness camping was not the Promised Land! The people needed to adjust to the reality of the journey.

Speaking as a pastor, it can be very discouraging when people complain about some problem in the church and leave the church because you haven’t fixed it. Often they don’t even tell you about the problem; they just leave. At such times, I have to claim Christ’s promise (Matt. 16:18), “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Or, if you aren’t a leader, but something happens in your life that is discouraging or depressing, remember the Lord’s wonderful promise (Rom. 8:31-32), “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

The late Chinese evangelist, Watchman Nee, has a wonderful sermon on the feeding of the 5,000, “Expecting the Lord’s Blessing”, where he makes the point, “Everything in our service for the Lord is dependent on His blessing…. The meeting of need is not dependent on the supply in hand, but on the blessing of the Lord resting on the supply.” I first read that sermon years before I became a pastor, and its message has sustained me over the years as I have constantly felt inadequate for this ministry. I would have been overwhelmed with depression years ago if I didn’t keep in mind that the Lord doesn’t work by my might or power, but by His Spirit (Zech. 4:6).

Conclusion

Whether you’re a leader or not, don’t listen to complainers. People complained about Moses’ leadership and about God’s plan to take them to the Promised Land, in spite of His abundant provisions. No matter how faithfully you serve the Lord, someone is sure to complain. If the complaint is valid, then try to deal with it. But if not, then keep serving by the Lord’s strength. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Ask God to raise up others who will serve Him in the Spirit. And, don’t forget His promises and His power. Moses was an imperfect mediator, but we have a perfect high priest who will give grace to help in our time of need (Heb. 4:14-16).

Source: Bible.org