Don’t be discouraged; God has the last word

I work as part time chaplain for Journey Hospice. A couple of weeks ago our director called me at home and to ask me to do something for our company. He started the conversation with “How are you doing?” My response was “Fine.” He came back with, “You don’t sound fine.”

Well, he was right. I was having a frustrating day and nothing was going right. I was depressed and in denial about my emotional situation. Often we do not want to admit we have so-called “negative” emotions. Emotions are neither good nor bad. They are descriptions of where we are at the present.

Being depressed and frustrated is not a bad thing. However, there is a big difference from being depressed and being in the constant state of depression. The person with the latter should seek professional help. The former is a part of life. Everyone gets depressed from time to time.

The great prophet Elijah had a serious bout with depression. In the first book of Kings, he is running for his life and sits under a broom tree and scripture says, “He prayed for death: This is enough, O Lord! Take my life, for I am no better than my father.” He was really discouraged and depressed.

Before this Elijah had just had his most famous head-to-head confrontation with the prophets of the false god Baal. He had utterly discredited them and won a resounding victory. In front of the people of Israel, the 400 prophets of Baal failed to have their god consume their sacrifice. However, when Elijah called upon the Lord, God, fire came down and exterminated Elijah’s offering. The people put the prophets of Baal to death.

Elijah thought his troubles were over. Never again would the Jews worship false gods. He soon found out how wrong he was. Israel’s corrupt queen, Jezebel, was infuriated and vowed revenge. She wanted to kill Elijah and some people were going along with her. This was difficult for Elijah to understand. In the blazing desert he feels that his efforts were useless, so he might as well die.

How many of us at times feel that our lives don’t amount to much at all, that we are unloved, unappreciated, that no one cares about us? Like Elijah, we even question whether our lives make a difference. In our own ways we try to do good, try to be faithful to God, only to discover that few people care. Some may even consider us “goodie two shoes” or “holier than thou” people. The Jezebels of this world are famous. We who try to do good are not.

In the desert, Elijah is exhausted, depressed and falls into a deep sleep. It was then that an angel touched him, woke him up, and gave him fresh bread and refreshing water. We might wonder what that angel looked like when he appeared to Elijah. The messenger of God could have had a human form.

We have all been touched by an angel, someone who came to us when we were beaten down, depressed and discouraged. This person might have given us refreshing words, encouragement, and some new hope. Sometimes we find them after a family funeral, or when we’ve received bad news from our doctor, our teacher, or someone has rejected us. In those terrible moments, look for an angel, someone who will give us a message or a sign from God. They will come and be there with us.

Elijah went on to accomplish many wonderful things for God. The Almighty has such plans for each of us. Endings are never just endings. They are always beginnings. Every Good Friday is followed by an Easter Sunday. God always has the last word.