How to Pray In Depression

Depression is a real struggle, but not a new struggle. Everyone struggles sometimes, even those who are seemingly "great" in God, but how do you talk to God when you are ready to call it quits? The Bible teaches us how to pray in every situation. God knows how to help us press!

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Transcript

Press means to apply force. When God said press, prayer reaches every single situation. He gave us permission to apply force to every situation that we will go through.

And in this podcast, we are going to learn to apply force to what's applying pressure to us. Welcome to the Press Podcast. We are picking up our journey today in 1 Kings chapter 19, and we're essentially picking up where we left off last week.

So if you did not listen to last week's podcast, today is a good day to pause this and go back and make sure you know what we're talking about. But if not, I'll try to tell you in summary. We're praying with Elijah today in last week's podcast.

Elijah was used by God on Mount Carmel to prove to the people once again, their God is greater. And he had a showdown with the 400 or so prophets of Baal. And essentially, he said, the God that answers by fire, let him be God.

And he told the children of Israel, if God be God, serve him. And he said, choose ye this day. He tells them, you got to make a decision.

And the Lord backs him up. Fire falls from heaven, consumes the false prophets and the sacrifice that he offered to God. And the Lord just really showed out.

And as a result of all that God did, we get to chapter 19. The Bible says King Ahab went and told Jezebel, his wife, what Elijah had done. And you know, Jezebel seems to be the real boss in this story.

Ahab may be the King, but Jezebel is the boss. And so he runs and tells his wife. And Jezebel sends a messenger to Elijah saying, so let the gods do to me and more also, if I make not that life, as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time, you've got a clock and a target on your head, is what she told Elijah, be a messenger.

And the Bible says Elijah arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah and left his servant there. So he's running for his life. Literally the man who God just showed out for on the Mount of Carmel is now on the run because one woman said, I'm going to have you dead by this time tomorrow.

The Bible says when he heard this and he saw this, he went for his life and came to Beersheba, which belonged to Judah and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree. He leaves his servant.

He decides I'm going to run on my own. And now he just finds himself sitting under a random tree. And his prayer is here.

The Bible says, and he requested for himself that he might die and said, it is enough now. Oh Lord, take away my life for I'm not better than my father's. I can envision this.

If you've ever been sad, if you've ever felt like a disappointment, if you've ever felt like a failure, you very well may be able to envision this as well. It doesn't matter what everybody else thinks. Some have such a pressure that you put on yourselves that everybody else may look and say, wow, you've just were used by God.

It was amazing. But you know, there's still a fight that can put you on the run. You know, there's still some things that get to you.

And so you're not dealing with the public identity of yourself. You're dealing with the person who still struggles in private. And when you're dealing with that, it's easy to think of yourself as failing.

That is what Elijah does here. He's wrestling with failure. How can he be so great? So confident in God that he will trust God on the mountain top, but lose the battle under a tree alone.

Our greatest enemy is not without or on the outside of us. Our greatest enemy is actually within. It doesn't matter.

The devil is easily defeated. God handled the prophets on that mountain with no problem. But here under the tree, here's a wrestling match.

Here is where we're going to work through some things because Elijah is sitting here inwardly running from one woman, calling himself a failure, hiding and asking God to let him die. He's not suicidal. He's not lost his commitment to God.

He just wants God to say, it's enough. And so Elijah tells him it's enough, expecting God to agree with him. But the Lord does not answer Elijah's prayer like he wants him to.

And I find this quite entertaining because every other prayer I can find of Elijah, God answered according to what Elijah asked him to do. And the miracles Elijah did, some you don't even see where he stopped to ask God first. The Lord just walked with him.

But when it came to Elijah himself, he did not see clearly where he was. He's so ready to quit, but God does not respond to tantrums. The Bible lets you know as he lay there under the juniper tree, he fell asleep and an angel touched him and told him to arise and eat.

So this man's not eating. He's ran away. He's saying, I'm not better than anybody that came before me.

I just want to die. He is depressed at the moment. But even that is not too big for God.

I know depression is such a buzzword out there now, but you are not God's first time handling depression or somebody that feels like a failure. You are not. And anybody else, if it's not you, but you know somebody who's going through depression or feeling like they can never get things right, you need to tell them you're not God's first time.

You need to tell them God knows how to handle depression. He knows how to handle failure. He knows how to handle fear.

It may be your first time fighting it, but it's not God's first time beating it. So the Lord provides food for him and the angel comes a second time and says, eat again because the journey is too great for thee. He's saying, God, kill me.

I am no better than my father's. The response he gets from heaven initially is eat. Go get something to eat.

Don't just sit here. In fact, let me bring you something. And then second response is the same, eat.

Why? Because you got to get strong because there's more to do. So he rose and he ate and he drank. And for 40 days, that food sustained him as he journeyed to Horeb, the Mount of God.

Oh goodness, he's going to a place where he can meet God. Where he journeyed and what he listened to in his low moment was the difference maker and where his struggle could take him. Because he could have sat there and just died and dwindled away or said, I'm not going anywhere.

But he still had a heart that wanted to follow God. He never abandoned his commitment to God. And so even in his depression, even in his failure, what he was willing to listen to was God.

I'm always scared of people who say things like when they're sad or hurt. I don't want to hear that right now, referencing scripture or any kind of encouragement. That tells you where their head and heart are.

I am convinced it's not the high moments or the happy moments that teach us what we really believe. It is the low moments. It's in the pain and in the sorrow.

What you go after shows you what you really cling to because in those moments, you can't play it off anymore. You are the raw you and what the raw you wants or craves is exposed. If you find yourself because I'm not feeling happy, I'm depressed or I'm sad, you start chasing things that are not of God.

It'll be because you always wanted something at the end of the day that was not of God. But when your heart is after God, you will sit under that tree with your depressed self, with your sad self, till he comes for you. And he will walk you through how to get strong.

He may not counsel you. I don't see anywhere in scripture where the Lord is coddling Elijah being here at all. He's not counseling with him.

He's instructing him. There's a difference. He's telling him, get up, get something to eat.

Get up. There's still work to do. He's not saying, well, I know you've been stressed and you've been going through a lot.

No, get up. And for 40 days he journeys and he didn't just say, get up and go, get up and come meet me. Come to the Mount.

The Bible says, and he came there, there into a cave and lodged there. Behold, the word of the Lord came to him and he said unto him, what doest thou hear Elijah? God doesn't ask questions because he needs information. He asks questions to make you think.

He already knew why Elijah was there. He already knew Elijah was tripping if you would, but Elijah, what are you doing here? And Elijah says, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword. And I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away.

So Elijah says, I'm the only person left standing. They're coming to get me. I've been doing what you want, Lord.

He is really singing a sad song in chapter 19. Triggered by this woman. And the Lord said, go forth and stand up on the Mount before the Lord.

And behold, the Lord passed by. It's funny. Again, God does not coddle this.

He didn't say, well, Elijah, you're okay. You really did a good job before. Or let's talk about where this started.

No, he keeps instructing him how to follow him. Come eat, eat again. Come meet me.

Now what's going on with you? What are you doing here? And you tell me what you think the problem is. And then I'm going to give a response. And so the Bible says, he said, go forth and stand up on the Mount before the Lord.

And behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and breaking pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake of fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice. And it was when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entering of the cave.

And behold, there came a voice unto him and said, what doest thou hear, Elijah? It's like, he's trying to wake him up. He got his attention with the other stuff, but he still didn't come the way Elijah wanted him to. Remember Elijah's request was kill me.

It's enough. Let it be over. God's not doing things the way Elijah wants this time.

He's waking him up. What are you doing here? And even in his depression, in his heavy state, Elijah still has the wherewithal to want the things of God. There is nothing that can make you leave God if leaving God is not in you.

You may have to fight. You may have to struggle within yourself. You may have to follow.

And it seems like you're going through a God process you can't explain, and you still don't have the contentment you want, even in that process. But there will come a time where the Lord will come for you himself. And Elijah was committed to being where the Lord put him until the Lord told him what to do next.

He didn't know if God was going to heal it or touch it or whatever. All he knew was he's still going to follow God. And the Lord is dealing with him.

What are you doing here? Ask him again. What doest thou hear, Elijah? And Elijah keeps saying the same thing he said before. I've been very jealous for the Lord, God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword.

And I, even I, only am left. And they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus.

And when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel. And Elijah the son of Shaphat of Abel-Moholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

And it shall come to pass that him that scapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay. And him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elijah slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

So he departed this and found Elijah the son of Shaphat. That was the answer. The answer was, I'm not dealing with your emotional issues right now.

Get back to work. I know there's some people who would have a problem with that. We need to talk through things.

We need to process. But God said, no, you need to focus. And he corrected the misinformation that was going through Elijah's head.

Because the only thing he addressed is, I have 7,000 that have not bowed. Because Elijah told him twice, I, even I, am the only one. Elijah, get back to work.

Do this, do this, and that. And no, you're not the only one. I've learned at the low moments, a lot of times we start to lie to ourselves.

We generalize. We make things all bad. You make yourself more lonely in your speech.

God corrects that. He speaks truth to the lie that it's just you. I remember once feeling like a failure.

And I said, God, I just, I feel like I fail you all the time. And I just need to know I'm doing a good job. Would you just let me know I'm doing a good job? Please tell me if I'm doing a good job.

And the Lord put the scripture on my heart as I'm telling him, I just need to know if I'm doing a good job. I just feel like I keep failing you. And I'm trying really hard.

I guess I had my Elijah moment. And this is the scripture that the Lord brought to me. He said, get to the end, essentially.

And you'll hear me say, well done, that good and faithful servant. But you're not going to hear me say that until it's done. So today is a day you can pray about anything.

It's a prayer that God largely ignored. And it's a prayer that God largely did not respond to the details of it. But he did in his own way answer.

You're not alone. And you're not quitting. Why? Because we have to press.

So keep following God. Keep going after him. And remember that prayer reaches every single situation.

Join the movement. Join the community. Like, share, and subscribe to this podcast.

Visit us at PressToPray.com or find us on Instagram or Facebook. Did you know that when you are quiet, your voice is missing to God's ears? I know some of us have prayed and were wondering, how long should I pray about this? Why should I pray if God already knows? How will I know God is answering? And what do I do when I feel like God's not listening? But God is listening for your voice. It's too quiet in this world for the troubles we have.

You have to raise your voice and God wants to hear from you. It's Too Quiet, a book about prayer, is designed to answer your prayer questions and build your faith. Visit PressToPray.com.