Article of the Month

Dealing with Situational Depression

                                 We all have times in our lives when negative                                                        circumstances begin to affect us emotionally.  We                                              wouldn’t consider ourselves clinically depressed but we                                    are experiencing some pretty significant “down”                                                  feelings.  This is referred to as situational depression,                                        reactive depression or just plain                                                                             discouragement.  Symptoms of this condition include                                       feelings of sadness and hopelessness, difficulty sleeping, disruption of normal eating patterns, negative thinking, tendency to cry more often and even suicidal thoughts.  

The Bible relates an event in the life of the prophet Elijah when he was experiencing this kind of depression.  The way that God dealt with the prophet can give some insights into how we might deal with this condition in our own lives or in the life of someone we know.

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Let’s start with a little background.  Elijah was a prophet to Northern Israel (the Kingdom of Israel had split into Northern Israel and Judah after Solomon’s reign) in the days when Ahab and Jezebel were ruling the land.  These two leaders were some of the most ungodly rulers in Israel’s history.  They led people away from worshipping Jehovah and promoted the idolatrous worship of Ba’al, a heathen god.  Elijah was sent to Israel to call them back to God. 

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