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Job’s Wife – The Lord understands depression
2. Job’s Wife – Balaam’s Wise Utterance
The Lord our God created us. There is nothing in us that would surprise the Omniscient God. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord knows everything about us. We cannot hide anything from our Creator. Everything is naked before His eyes. Even from far off, He understands our thoughts. Even before we speak a word, even as it is formed in our tongue, the Lord knows. That’s why David says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me” (Psalm 139:6, NKJV).
In His mercies, our Father in Heaven also understands depression. Whether it was Moses, the great prophet or David, the man after God’s own heart, they had suffered depression. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, declares Solomon (Proverbs 13:12, NKJV). Even the great heroes of faith suffered from depression, as things did not turn out as they expected. As time ran out, they had to endure their hearts losing their confidence.
In his utter depression, a broken-hearted Elijah pleaded with God to take his life as he was not better than his ancestors (1 Kings 19:4). And there is something we need to notice here. Though Elijah said that prayer in depression, the Lord never reprimanded him for that. More importantly, He did answer Elijah’s prayer: the Lord did take away Elijah, except not in the way the prophet wanted. This is our God. This is our Father in Heaven.
The Lord understands depression. When we utter certain things because we are depressed, He knows the broken heart behind those utterances. When we say few things that we would not normally say, our Father in Heaven knows that we are saying such things because we are downcast. What the Lord does not like, what He hates is murmuring against Him. But a broken-heart, the Lord does not despise. In face, the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). Our Great Physician binds those who are heart-broken, and heals them.
Of course, the greatest depression we see is in the Garden of Gethsemane. Our Savior Jesus Christ came for one purpose – to die on the Cross, so that we are saved. Yet the night before, He suffered so much in his anguish, he sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Our Teacher’s soul was so deeply grieved to the point of death, in His depression, He asked the Father “to remove that cup from Him.” But regaining His composure, He added, “Yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36). Again God our Father did not reproach His Son for that prayer. Since we know that our Lord Jesus is without sin, His utterance “to remove that cup from Him” was not a sin.
It is in this light, we need to look at the utterance of Job’s wife. By the Spirit of God, hopefully, before we finish this series, we will be able to see that her ‘irate’ directive to Job was actually very similar to the prayer of Elijah, and to an extent, and I am saying this with utmost humility and trepidation, is similar to our Lord’s prayer asking that the cup be removed from Him.
But to reach that point, we need to understand one of the well-known words in the Bible; a word we all know well for nearly a decade now, thanks to the American politics.
“You are no Elijah”
If last week, I spent time praising and thanking the Lord for saving my life a year back, this last week was spent sulking and being depressed for most of the time. On this day last year, July 14th, 2016, I was moved out of ICU to Special Ward, and I remember how ecstatic all of us were. We were sure that within months, I would be back to my normal self and all the troubles were over.
But the last one year has been anything but that. Few relapses, three nearly fatal encounters with medications and overall weakness in fragile body frame are the outcomes we have faced in this year. The doctors told me that I have the protein content of an infant, and my body strength is equal to a kid that is 2 years old, except that I am carrying such a huge frame for a 2-year old. So, I become very tired too often. Especially this week.
I slept for two days, Monday and Tuesday, like a little baby. Though I managed to stay awake for most of the day from then on, I have become too weak to concentrate on anything. As a result, this week, I have not read my Bible as much as I would like to, my prayers are limited to morning when I feel more fresh and my praise & worship are limited to singing one or two songs… mostly because by the end of second song, I would have fallen asleep.
So I was going down spiritually and I could sense depression taking control of me. Especially this afternoon, I was very upset with myself that after all the LORD has done to me, I am still depressed and hated myself. But the more I wanted to pray, the weaker I felt and had to lie down. I did not want to sleep, I wanted to pray and suddenly I heard the quiet voice of our Lord: “Even Elijah got depressed. And you are no Elijah.”
I honestly cannot express in words the comfort those words gave me. It was the voice of the One Who understands the weaknesses of the body as well as the spirit; of the One Who experienced agony by Himself at the Garden of Gethsemane; it is the soothing, gentle voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. HE understands our weaknesses, He knows our suffering and He understands our inner turmoil better than we do.
If the great Elijah had his moment of depression, where he wanted death more than anything else, under that juniper tree, who am I? So, I just put all my burdens on the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ and slept again. Now, still physically I feel weak, but spiritually I feel strong; I feel His gentle presence in the midst of this darkness. And I know that an angel will provide me the food and water I need to make that life-changing journey. The God of Elijah will fulfil His purpose for me. Amen.
Wait for the Lord!
“It came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (1Kings 17:7).
Week after week, with unfaltering and steadfast spirit, Elijah watched that dwindling brook; often tempted to stagger through unbelief, but refusing to allow his circumstances to come between himself and God. Unbelief sees God through circumstances, as we sometimes see the sun shorn of his rays through smoky air; but faith puts God between itself and circumstances, and looks at them through Him. And so the dwindling brook became a silver thread; and the silver thread stood presently in pools at the foot of the largest boulders; and the pools shrank. The birds fled; the wild creatures of field and forest came no more to drink; the brook was dry. Only then to his patient and unwavering spirit, “the word of the Lord came, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath.”
Most of us would have gotten anxious and worn with planning long before that. We should have ceased our songs as soon as the streamlet caroled less musically over its rocky bed; and with harps swinging on the willows, we should have paced to and fro upon the withering grass, lost in pensive thought. And probably, long ere the brook was dry, we should have devised some plan, and asking God’s blessing on it, would have started off elsewhere.
God often does extricate us, because His mercy endureth forever; but if we had only waited first to see the unfolding of His plans, we should never have found ourselves landed in such an inextricable labyrinth; and we should never have been compelled to retrace our steps with so many tears of shame. Wait, patiently wait! — F. B. Meyer
Invitation to command
“Concerning the work of My hands command ye <e” (Isaiah 45:11).
Our Lord spoke in this tone when He said, “Father, I will.” Joshua used it when, in the supreme moment of triumph, he lifted up his spear toward the setting sun, and cried, “Sun, stand thou still!”
Elijah used it when he shut the heavens for three years and six months, and again opened them.
Luther used it when, kneeling by the dying Melanchthon, he forbade death to take his prey.
It is a marvelous relationship into which God bids us enter. We are familiar with words like those which follow in this paragraph: “I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” But that God should invite us to command Him, this is a change in relationship which is altogether startling!
What a difference there is between this attitude and the hesitating, halting, unbelieving prayers to which we are accustomed, and which by their perpetual repetition lose edge and point!
How often during His earthly life did Jesus put men into a position to command Him! When entering Jericho, He stood still, and said to the blind beggars:
“What will ye that I shall do unto you?” It was as though He said, “I am yours to command.”
Can we ever forget how He yielded to the Syrophenician woman the key to His resources and told her to help herself even as she would?
What mortal mind can realize the full significance of the position to which our God lovingly raises His little children? He seems to say, “All my resources are at your command.” “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do.” — F. B. Meyer
The servant of Elijah-followed Elijah
In one of the previous blogs, I had mentioned that the servant of Elijah was the first one to see the cloud that was to bring rains to the drought-hit Israel. And the first reason why he was the carrier of the good news was that he chose to follow God.
But following God is not simply worshipping the loving God on Sundays, proclaiming that you are a Christian and not worshipping the false gods. It involves a little more than that.
After the great victory at Mt. Carmel, the Israelites who were gathered there went back to their places. They had been hit by a severe famine that lasted for 3-1/2 years. The sun was burning hot and there was no water. And on that eventful day, they had been standing outside, under the sun, for the entire day without any food. Now the evening had come, they had chosen to worship the Lord and they were tired. So, everyone went home – except one person. The servant of Elijah.
He chose not to follow the crowd. He chose to follow the man of God. He climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel, along with Elijah. It was because of this, he became the herald of the blessed times to come.
Dear friend, in this world, at present, it is very difficult to be alone with Jesus Christ. It is easy to go with the flow, following the crowd. Especially when you are tired after a gruelling day of your life. Considering how long you have been praying for the showers of blessing and it feels as if your prayers are not heard. Are you ready to climb with your Saviour? It may exhausting. It may look so stupid. But are you ready to be with Jesus Christ, Him that is crucified?
In this world, it is becoming more and more difficult to be a witness to the Lord. We need to be politically correct. We can’t agree to disagree with anyone anymore. You need to tow the lines with others. You can’t even wish “Merry Christmas” during CHRISTMAS season without hurting someone’s feelings. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to follow the crowd, or are you ready to be alone with your Lord Jesus Christ? If you choose to follow Him, you will be the harbinger of the great blessings that the LORD will bestow on you, on your family and on your nation. For HE has promised:
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there also My servant shall be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honour him. – John 12:26
The servant of Elijah–chose to follow God
For 3-1/2 years, there was no rain. Finally, it was the time for the miracle as Elijah had already declared to Ahab that he was hearing the sound of abundance of rain (1 Kings 18:41). And the first person to see the sign of the abundance of rain, the person who was blessed enough to tell that news to the prophet and then was instructed to give the good news to the king was an unnamed character – the servant of Elijah. Why was he the first one to see the end of drought? Why was he the first one to see the cloud of blessing? May the Lord help us in understanding why he received such a great honour and may the Spirit of the Lord move in us mightily to receive such a great honour in our life.
1. He was one of the Israelites who chose to worship the Lord God. (1 Kings 18:39) We don’t know whether he was worshipping the false gods before that. If he was one of those who was conflicted between two opinions (v.21) or if he was one of those whose knees did not bend before the false gods. But at Mt. Carmel, he was one of those Israelites who chose to worship the Lord, who confessed that the Lord is God.
Dear friend, it does not matter what you are doing till today. If only you are ready to give your heart and soul to Jesus Christ and confess that He is the Lord, He will forgive you all your sins and lead you to the rest He has promised. If you are already a true believer, then take heart. The sound of abundance of rain is heard. Amen.
Lessons in Humility–1. Elijah 2
HE (Jesus) must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. – John 3:30 (NLT)
In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus Christ says that there is no one greater than John the Baptist, among those born of women. (Mat. 11:11) In the same Gospel, Jesus also proclaims that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Mat. 23:12) If we consider these two verses together, we will realize that John the Baptist had humbled himself the most, because Jesus exalted him above everyone else. Yes, John the Baptist had only one goal in his mind: “HE (Jesus) must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (John 3:30, NLT)
When the Bible first mentions Elijah, he starts right away with his mission.
Now, Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years unless I give the command.” (1 Kings. 17:1, NET)
It is clear from the later verses, that it was the LORD Himself who gave this power to Elijah. But in this verse, only once Elijah uses the Name of the LORD, but gives more prominence to himself – note the prominent “I” . Contrast this with how Moses approached Pharaoh.
Moses… went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, “Let My people go, so that they may hold a festival in My honor in the wilderness.”” (Exodus 5:1, NLT)
The contrast is evident. Moses does not mention anything about how the LORD God has chosen him as the leader of His people. He does not talk about how the LORD has promised to do great things through Moses. All he talks about what the LORD wants. But Elijah was not talking about the LORD. He was talking about himself. He was talking about how powerful he is, but he did not mention who gave him that authority.
Why did pride come into a prophet like Elijah? Elijah was standing before Ahab, the worst king of Israel ever had. He and his wife were abominations in the eyes of the LORD and they were serving false gods. But Elijah was righteous by his deeds. He was not bowing before false gods. He was serving the true living God. See how he proclaims… “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, WHOM I SERVE…”
Oh dear child of God, when you see other Christians who are not as faithful as you are, do you get angry? Do you look down at people who do not share our faith? Remember it is not our deeds, it is the by the grace of the LORD and the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ, we are saved. We stand as righteous not because of our deeds, so there is no place for pride in a Christian.
But the LORD did not forsake Elijah. The LORD understands us. We may not understand why we are behaving in certain ways, but the LORD knows our inner workings. And He is gracious. So comes an isolation for Elijah. The LORD teaches him humility. Dear child of God, are you feeling lonely? Don’t fret. The LORD is with you, teaching things that you did not know before, preparing you for great things. Don’t be anxious; don’t be upset about your loneliness. But, listen carefully. In that loneliness, there is something more valuable than gold. And when you have learned humility, and when you humble yourself before the LORD, HE will exalt you as He exalted Elijah before everyone’s eyes.
After learning humility from the LORD, Elijah is a different man now. And it is evident in the way he supplicates before the LORD at Mt. Carmel.
The prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.” – 1 Kings. 18:36 (NIV).
What a turn around? From “it will not rain unless I give my command”, “LORD, I have done all these things at Your command.” What a transformation!!! Amen. Yes, dear child of God, the LORD wants to transform you like this, so that HE can use you for greater things that you cannot even fathom. But in all that remember one thing:
Lessons in Humility–1. Elijah 1
The LORD … gives grace to the humble. – Proverbs 3:34 (CAB)
The entire Bible can be separated into the history of two kinds of people: those who are humble and those who are proud. Those who receive the grace of the LORD and those who are opposed by the LORD Himself.
But humility is not something that is well understood. Often poverty, sufferings or a low standing in the society misunderstood as humility. There are poor people who have so much pride, more than Bill Gates would ever have. There are people who have suffered immensely, but the moment the cloud of suffering leaves them, they show their true colors – a heart filled with pride.
To understand humility better, we need to look at the Biblical characters that are exalted by the LORD in a different manner. We look at Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and many other heroes in the Bible and we associate different reasons for why the LORD exalted them. Abraham with faith, Isaac with obedience, Jacob with perseverance, Joseph with purity, Moses with determination and David with worship. But beneath all these, there is one underlying quality in all these great people – HUMILITY.
The story of Elijah, the prophet who won mighty spiritual battles and who was taken into heaven in chariots of fire is given in the Bible for three reasons.
Reason.1: He is a man just like us. Often when we read the Holy Scriptures, we read with such awe and wonder about the heroes of the Bible, that we miss the entire point. Their stories are there to inspire us, to tell us that when we humble ourselves in the hands of the Almighty LORD as mere vessels, HE will use us in the mighty manner as He had used the heroes of the Bible. And, the Bible is very clear about how Elijah was just like you and me. “Elijah was a human being with a nature as we have (with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours)”, says the Bible (James 5:17 AMP). Oh, dear child of God! Are you feeling unworthy? Do you resent your life? Are you battling with depression? Did you expect something and those expectations were burned to the ground? Elijah went through every single one of those emotions. Yes, the life of Elijah is there to edify our life, so that we emerge as victorious as Elijah did.
Reason.2: Just like us, Elijah had problems with humility and the LORD taught him humility. His story is there to tell us that though we may have problems with pride, when we surrender ourselves to the LORD completely, when we confess openly that we are having trouble with humility, that we are a little proud at certain areas in our life, the LORD is not going to abandon us. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, HE is gentle and humble in His heart. When He knows that His sheep has problems, He will take that sheep on His shoulders and carry it to the destination. All you need to do now is just give yourself completely to the LORD who cares for you, to Jesus Christ, your Savior. When you do that, Jesus Christ Himself will be your Teacher and will lead you in the ways of life everlasting. Amen.
Reason.3: Finally, the reason why Elijah’s life is mentioned in the Bible is to show us how the LORD exalts when someone humbles himself before God. The name “Elijah” is always associated with power and mightiness. And Elijah did not reach that place in one day. All he did was humble himself before the LORD and in His grace, the LORD exalted Elijah before the eyes of everyone. Oh dear child of God, are you despised now by your family and friends? Are you being mocked for your failures? Humble yourselves in the mighty hands of the LORD and He will exalt you in the proper time. (1 Peter 5:6)
Bible Verse: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” – 1 Peter 5:6 (TMB)
Prayer:
“Oh the LORD Almighty, God of Elijah, as I stand before You today, burdened by failures, shortcomings, depressions, bitterness and resentments, LORD, I humble myself. Without You, my life is meaningless and void. All I am asking for is Your grace alone, LORD, Your grace alone. In Your grace, remember me, Your bondservant. I ask You this in the Name of my Savior and Your only Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
English – Some time later, the brook dried up.–1 Kings 17:7 (NIV)
When we read the life of prophet Elijah, something odd stands out. “Some time later, the brook dried up.” – 1 Kings 17:7. Because when we read the verses 3-4 in the same chapter, we understand it was the LORD who commanded Elijah to hide near the brook of Kerith (or Cherith) and to drink water from the brook. Now, the same brook has dried up.
Child of God! Are you in the same situation today? You prayed, asked the LORD for His command about your future, you followed His word, but now that door is closed. That brook has dried up. Are you confused what to do now? Don’t fret, don’t fear, for the LORD of Hosts, the God of Elijah is with us as He was with Elisha.
But to understand the guidance of our LORD, we should understand how the life of Elijah mirrors our own. Let us look at only the name today. Elijah the Tishbite. This name is mentioned 6 times for the prophet. What does it mean? Does that make any sense to us?
Elijah means the LORD is my God (my God is Jehovah). Yes, it refers to all of us who have chosen the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior, as our God. And, remember, at Mt. Carmel, where the Israelites scored one of the biggest spiritual victories in their history, they cried out, proclaiming, “The LORD is God.” Yes, dear child of God, are you downcast today by the turn of events? Take heart, look at the LORD, for there is a multitude waiting for you to proclaim that the LORD is our God. Amen.
Tishbite means “captive of” or “make captive of”. So, Elijah was captive of something… of what? Remember that I mentioned that this name was mentioned exactly 6 times in the Bible. Number 6 implies deeds of flesh. As everyone knows, the sign of anti-Christ is 666. So, it is clear that the Bible tells us, like you and me, the great prophet was also captive of his flesh. He had the same problems we have today. Depression, too much emotions, frustrations, doubts, hunger, thirst. All these were in Elijah too. That is why the Bible later says that “Elijah was a human being with a nature as we have (with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours).” – James 5:17 (AMP).
Oh dear child of God, are you confused about the LORD’s guidance in your life? Are you not sure if you are on the right track? Are common sense and experience waging a battle against your faith? Take heart. Elijah also went through the same thing.
Imagine the timing of the LORD’s command. Elijah had just stood before Ahab and proclaimed that there would be no rain unless he, Elijah, commands again. It would be an historical moment for the prophet. But the LORD tells him right after that to hide himself in the brook of Kerith. Imagine how Elijah would have felt.
Probably you know the feeling already. When troubles came against you, when people who had power over you rose against you, you stood your ground. You proclaimed your faith, with your head held high, you said how the LORD is going to do great things in your life. Your enemy stood ashamed before you. And, you thought that things are going to be different. Probably you thought he is going to repent and change his ways. Or probably that the LORD would do something great before the eyes of your enemies and exalt you. But, NO, NO, NO. Instead the LORD asked you to hide yourself. HE separated you from all your friends. You are left alone, with no one to confide in. And, deep in the night, your pillows are wet with tears, as your soul is crying out, “But, LORD, I am not asking for great things. All I need is just one friend with who I can talk to.” Probably Elijah also cried out like that.
But the LORD separated you because HE wants to spend time with you. HE wants to talk to you, He wants to listen to what you have to say, the LORD wants to strengthen you, and most importantly, HE is changing you in to this glorious vessel that HE is going to take in His hands and use mightily – just like He used Elijah.
One day came, and even that brook dried up. Probably you are facing the same situation today. The brook that was your only comfort has also dried up. You are not able to hear the music the brook created when it was running. It is absolute silent everywhere. But, listen carefully, dear child of God…. there is the sound of breeze there. A very soft gentle sound. (1 Kings. 19:12). A new command is given to you. A new door is open for you. A new life where you don’t have to worry about the waters of Kerith. A new door where people survive because of you. A new beginning where you become a blessing unto others. A new way where instead of ravens feeding you, the angel of the LORD will feed you. Are you ready to hear that voice? Are you ready to hear that gentle command? Because if you are, then there is only way to go from here. You will be crowned in the glory of our LORD, while you will see the fall of your enemies. You will see Ahab receiving the fatal blow. You will see Jezebel being pushed from where she is. So, dear child of God, take heart. Have hope. Believe. For your Creator is pleased with you and your faith.
Bible Verse: “Look, I have set an open door before you that no one can shut. Because I know you have little strength, yet you obeyed My word and did not deny Me.” – Rev. 3:8.
The Name of the LORD is a Strong Tower 