1 Kings 19:4-5 (NKJV) But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Depression is no respecter of persons, and it can affect the young, the old, the man on the street or to the CEO. It shouldn’t be a stigma if it is viewed as just another illness or sickness. It is not something that one desires but it just comes upon the person. Nobody wants to be depressed and it is no fault of the sufferer. We shouldn’t be harsh or hard on them because they are going through the deepest valleys in their lives. They cannot snap out of it even though they want to and there is no quick fix. They may need to receive professional and clinical help depending on the severity of it as depression has a wide spectrum. They need lots of support, encouragement and understanding. Therefore, we need to be gentle, patient and kind when we are spending time with people who have depression, especially those who are going through depression episodes, whose common questions will be “when is it going to go away?” or “why did it happen to me?”.
Does it only happen to those who are weak? The answer is no. Elijah was a mighty man of God who did great exploits for the Lord. We’ve heard of his powerful prayer to believe God for rain, and he called down fire from heaven to consume the offering when the prophet of Baal challenged him. He is described as a mighty man of God who prayed powerful and effective prayers in the Book of James, but Elijah was as human as all of us and had his good and bad days. When he received a threat by Jezebel right after a victory, it caused him to be afraid and to run for his life. He took a day’s journey into the wilderness and sat under the broom tree. He was so down that he had no appetite and wanted to die! Elijah went into depression right after a spiritual triumph, and God had to send an angel to wake him up to eat. It is never God’s plan for any of us to be in depression. He doesn’t want us to be fearful, anxious, or to panic, because He has given us His peace, His Word, and people around us to journey with us.
We should try to understand by listening, being present and spend time with those suffering from depression and stop giving advice or over-processing whatever matters they are facing and let them get the professional help that they need.
Sermon Series: Help! Go and Do Likewise
与陷于抑郁之人同行
列王纪上 19:4-5自己在旷野走了一日的路程，来到一棵罗腾树下（罗腾，小树名，松类；下同），就坐在那里求死，说：“耶和华啊，罢了！求你取我的性命，因为我不胜于我的列祖。” 他就躺在罗腾树下，睡着了。有一个天使拍他，说：“起来吃吧！”
抑郁症对任何人都是一视同仁的，它可以影响年轻人、老年人、路人或首席执行官。若它只是被视为一种疾病或病痛，就不应该是个耻辱。没人想要得病，无奈疾病就是这么找上了身。没有人想要抑郁，这不是患者的错。我们不应该对他们太严厉或苛刻，因为他们正经历生命中最深的低谷。他们无法摆脱这困境，即使很渴望能这么做，而且也没有快速的解决办法。他们可能需要接受专业和医疗的帮助，这取决于抑郁症的严重程度，因为抑郁症的范围很广泛。他们需要很多的支持、鼓励和理解。因此，当我们与抑郁者在一起时需要很温柔、有耐心和爱心，尤其是那些正经历抑郁的人，他们最常问的是“抑郁何时会消失？”或 “为什么会发生在我身上？”.
它只发生在弱者身上吗？答案是否定的。以利亚是神的勇士，为耶和华行了大事。我们听过他大有能力的祷告，相信神会降雨，并当巴力的先知挑战他时，他呼求火从天上降下烧尽祭物。在雅各书中，他被描述为神的大能勇士，祷告满有能力又有果效，但以利亚和我们所有人一样，也有他的或高光或黑暗的日子。当他在胜利后立刻收到耶洗别的恐吓，他感到害怕并开始逃命。他在旷野走了一日的路程，来在罗腾树下。他非常沮丧，没有胃口，只想死！以利亚刚刚在属灵上得胜就立即陷入了沮丧，神不得不差派一位天使来唤醒他吃东西。让我们中的任何人陷入抑郁从来不是神的计划。祂不希望我们恐惧、焦虑或惊慌，因为祂已赐给了我们祂的平安、祂的话语，以及我们周遭的人与我们同行。
我们应该尝试通过倾听、亲身陪伴和花时间来理解那些因抑郁而受苦的人，停止给他们建议或过度处理他们所面临的任何问题，让他们得到他们所需要的专业帮助。
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