Brightening the Dark Night

      I have been in Texas for the past two weeks.  This approach to Elijah's experience is hardly original with me.  All of  us know someone who has been pursued by what the British call "the black dog," depression.  Perhaps this will point someone toward healing.
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Brightening the Dark Night

I Kings 19

We had a great time in Texas—but it was hot.  One day the heat index was 110 and that was late afternoon.  Most days the sky was clear but it was already getting warm at 7:30 in the morning.  One of the first things I noticed when we returned on Tuesday was the cool.  It may have been unseasonably cool but I didn’t object.  After the big blue sky, Ohio had cloudy skies.  It was quite a change. 

For a variety of reasons, it’s just cloudier here. 

Some people live much of their lives under clouds.

One of the voice messages left at the church while I was gone was from an anonymous woman who asked us to pray for several of her friends.  I suspect it must have been an act of desperation, mingled with some faith, to ask total strangers to pray.  Some of her friends were facing physical problems but others were dealing with depression. 

I can remember when Christians would hesitate to admit feeling depressed.  Some still believe it reflects a lack of faith.  But consider this.

While the Bible doesn’t mention depression, its pages are populated with depressed people.  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones concluded from his years of Bible study:

“It is interesting to notice the frequency with which this particular theme is dealt with in the Scripture and the only conclusion to be drawn from that it is a very common condition.  It seems to be a condition which has afflicted God’s people right from the beginning, for you find it described and dealt with in the Old Testament and in the New.”

 

Job is praised for his great faith and patience but look closer.  Job experienced a common form of depression associated with loss.

 

·         Job knew a great sadness—JOB 3:20 "Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul…”

·         Job wished he had never been born—JOB 3:1-2 “…Job cursed the day of his birth by saying to God:     Blot out the day of my birth…”

·         Job experienced problems sleeping—JOB 7:4 “When I lie down I think, `How long before I get up?'  The night drags on, and I toss till dawn.”

·         Job was pessimistic about life—JOB14:1"Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble”

·         Job felt helpless—JOB 3:26 “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."

·         Job felt self-loathing—JOB 9:21"Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself;   I despise my own life.”

 

In fact, if the saints of the Bible did not experience depression we might be justified in saying the Book is not relevant to our lives.  Dr. David Burns says that depression is “…the world’s number one public health problem.  In fact, depression is so widespread it is considered the common cold of psychiatric disturbances. 

Whether it was called melancholy, the blues, or depression the experience is universal.

With depression so common, we had better try to understand what we’re talking about.

Depression is a cluster of feelings—such a helplessness, hopelessness, sadness, despair, self-loathing, and agitation.  Although depressed persons may experience all these feelings, they may also experience a kind of emotional numbness, the lack of any feeling.

In 1936 F. Scott Fitzgerald offered a vivid word-picture of depression in a single sentence; he wrote, “In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning, day after day.”

Perhaps the best known experience of depression in the Bible is found in the story of the dynamic prophet Elijah. 

Let me review for you the background of the events recorded in 1 Kings 19.  For several years Elijah had been waging a cultural war against King Ahab and his queen, the notorious Jezebel.  It wasn’t enough that they had introduced the worship of foreign gods to Israel, Jezebel was a self-appointed missionary of Baalism. 

The conflict led to a dramatic confrontation between the lone prophet and four-hundred priests of Baal.   At the conclusion fire rained down to confirm Elijah’s claim to be the representative of the one true God.  It was a powerful moment.  It was a victorious moment for the prophet.

This episode is in sharp contrast.

Just consider what we see here:

*                       Elijah is ready to give up, in fact he begs God to let him die.

*                       Elijah has a very negative view of life—and his fellow Jews.

*                       Elijah is gripped by panic even though he had just confronted more than 400 hostile representatives of Baal, confronted them and won.

*                       Elijah cut himself off from all social contact.

 

In evaluating God’s therapy program for Elijah we see that God’s response involved three areas of concern.  That response provides a valuable model for dealing with depression.

 

1. In dealing with depression in may be necessary to address physical concerns.

Lloyd Perry recalls being surprised when a seminary professor told his class, “Sometimes when you feel down, you don’t need to pray more, you need a good night’s sleep.”

The hours devoted to the confrontation with the so-called prophets of Baal must have been exhausting for Elijah.  Although we’re not told he had been fasting, perhaps he had done so in preparation for the moment.  In any case, God provides both sleep and nourishment for the prophet.

When you find yourself facing a bout of depression it may be wise to ask yourself if you have been eating properly and getting enough sleep. 
Stress is also another factor to consider.  Stress can have a powerful impact on our physical well-being.  Ask yourself if you’ve been unusually stressed lately.

2.  In dealing with depression it may be necessary to address pessimistic thinking.

Listen to what Elijah says about himself and about those around him.  He says, “I am worthless, I have accomplished nothing.”  By implication, he says of his neighbors, “It’s you and me, Lord.  Everyone else has sold out.”  No wonder he felt miserable.
Remember the little verse:  “Everybody hates me, nobody loves me, I’m going to eat some worms?”  That’s how some depressed people feel.

God’s response is interesting.  He drops statistics into the conversation.  I don’t know if we are to take the 7000 figure as literal—only that many faithful and no more.  It may be that He is simply saying, “Elijah, I’m much more aware of what’s going on than you are.”
God will address Elijah’s feelings about himself in another way.  He will give him a crucial task—mentoring Elisha.

Negative, pessimistic thinking can feed depression.  Depression, in turn, can distort our thinking.  It becomes a cycle which is hard to break.  Such thinking often leads to lack of motivation which is frequently a trait of the depressed.
                        For the depressed Christian, this problem of pessimistic thinking is sometimes made worse by those who tell the Christian that being depressed is “a sinful lack of faith.”  Already filled with negative thoughts, this only adds one more negative item to reflect on.

For all the jokes we may make about “positive thinking,” the truth is that how we think can have a powerful impact on how we feel.

3.       In dealing with depression it may be necessary to address spiritual issues.

God’s dramatic response to Elijah seems to suggest there were spiritual lessons which the prophet needed to learn.  Because his way of understanding God was stilted, his thinking about what God was doing in the world was contorted.  Some of Elijah’s depression may have been rooted in the notion that God was not acting, that God had withdrawn from the battlefield.

The powerful natural displays—wind, earthquake, and fire—were all ways Elijah had assumed God would choose as vehicles for his revelation.  Instead, God chose the “small whisper.”  God seemed to be saying, “Just because I’m not found in the ways you expect me to be found, doesn’t mean I am not at work.” 

Like Elijah, we may experience depression because God isn’t behaving the way we expect him to.  Despite our prayers, he didn’t keep a boyfriend or girlfriend from leaving, he didn’t open the doors of the school you wanted to attend, and he didn’t give you the promotion you earned several times over.

Of course there are other spiritual problems which can be related to depression.  Things like guilt or shame may be involved.  What’s important to remember is that the God of love and grace stands ready to meet our deepest spiritual needs.

 

4.  In dealing with depression it may be necessary adjust behavior patterns.

I believe this is clearly part of what God is doing as he “treats” Elijah.  The episode ends with God giving the prophet a twofold assignment.  He was to anoint two men who would become secular leaders and anoint Elisha who would become Elijah’s successor as prophet to Israel.  Elijah’s relationship with Elisha would be a turning-point in his life.

For almost three years Elijah had been in seclusion.  He had had little or no contact with fellow believers.  Perhaps because he believed himself to be the last faithful Israelite he hadn’t sought opportunities to have fellowship with others who had resisted the temptation to submit to the false religion of Baalism.   In Elisha he would have an opportunity for friendship and an opportunity to mentor the one who would carry on so much of his work.

Elijah needed to get busy.  He needed to realize that God wasn’t finished with him yet.  In fact, his most important work lay ahead of him.

Elijah needed to forge bonds with others.   In Elisha the reclusive prophet would have an opportunity to form a deep friendship.  In time, Elisha would call Elijah, “my father.”

Almost every depressed person needs to change some behavior patterns.  What those patterns may be will vary from person to person but change is essential if the person is to move beyond the mire of depression.

 Using Elijah’s experience as a model I’d like to offer some guidelines for helping us overcome depression, for brightening the dark night.  Remember, depression varies in intensity.  Sometimes the depressed person needs help beyond what they can do for themselves, help beyond what caring friends can provide.  In such cases, the depressed person shouldn’t hesitate to seek professional counsel.

1.  Accept the redemption offered by Christ. As we’ve seen, Christians are by no means exempt from depression.  But accepting Christ begins a process of profound transformation and puts the believer in touch with the power of the Holy Spirit.  At the same time, the believer discovers that Christ is his “brother” and fellow-believers have become part of a new, caring family.

2.  Embrace a healthier way of thinking.  Depression is often an offshoot of our mental habits.  Through prayer and Bible study our thinking can be changed.  It may take awhile, especially if the negative thought patterns have been with us since childhood, but we can replace them with healthier ways of thinking.
               Some of that changed thinking may involve changed ways of thinking about God.  We may have to learn, as the singer says, that, “God doesn’t always come when we call but he is never late.”

 3. As you learn healthier ways of thinking, practice healthier ways of talking to yourself.
You’ve probably heard that people who talk to themselves are crazy.  If that’s so, there are a lot of crazy people around.  And I’m not confusing them with people taking on their mobiles. We talk to ourselves all the time.  Dr. Paul Meir writes, “All of us go through each day talking to ourselves in our thoughts.  We talk in either a positive or a negative, critical tone.  If we constantly criticize ourselves, we will undoubtedly hold grudges against ourselves and get depressed….  You may think you need all that harsh talk, but you don’t—so get off your back!”[1] [

 4. Train yourself to handle anger in better ways.   Learning appropriate ways to handle anger is essential for a healthy emotional life.  Mishandled or repressed anger may actually be a cause of some depression.  This is especially true if you were somewhere taught that Christians must not feel anger.  Anger is a natural emotion; how we respond to anger and how we express our anger determine whether it is proper or improper.

5.  Appreciate the value of human closeness.  Depressed people often are without friends and confidants.  This involves more than surrounding yourself with people.  It’s possible for depressed people to spend a great deal of time in crowds.  What they need to do is learn to value real friendship.  Certainly a starting place for such a friendship is the church.

  Linked to this is another piece of advice:  Get outside yourself.  For some years now we’ve told people they have a right to look after themselves, to meet their own needs.  While that is true, the counsel has often been heard as, “Don’t think of anyone else until you are perfectly happy.”  This not only sets an impossible goal it runs contrary to such biblical injunctions as that found in Philippians 2:4:  “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  It’s not only contrary to biblical ideals; it is a recipe for misery.  Sometimes the clouds of depression begin to part only as we demonstrate concern for others.

  6.  Practice assertiveness. When you feel you’ve lost control of your life to another person, you may become depressed.  If you’re in such a relationship, you need to learn how to be assertive.  This is not being belligerent or aggressive.  It is not an attempt to overpower another person; it is an attempt to maintain boundaries with integrity and dignity.  It’s been defined in this way:  “To be assertive is to keep others from being irresponsible as they interact with us.”(Maier, p. 279.)

7. Avoid excessive introspection.  Karen Horney wrote of a modern danger she called “the paralysis of analysis.”  There is a kind of introspection which keeps us from focusing on anything but ourselves and what we consider to be our faults, our problems, and our troubles.  Don’t fall into that trap.  One psychiatrist encourages his patients to engage in self-analysis only during their counseling sessions or, at most, only during a regulated period each day.

   8.  Recognize the relationship between feelings and behavior.  Someone has written, “You don’t do what you do because you feel a certain way—you feel a certain way because of what you do.”  Acting on this principle may call for you to establish a specific plan of action which will result in a change of behavior.  Even small actions can have a powerful impact on how we feel.  Ask God for guidance as you begin to change your life.
            It may help have a change of pace.  Martin Luther once said, “A good way to exorcise the Devil is to harness the horse and spread manure on the fields.”

 9.  Accept that your depression may have to run its course.  It’s a myth that there are any quick fixes for depression.  Unless your depression is directly related to a specific event or loss in your life, it may not have developed overnight.  If so, it probably won’t disappear overnight.  Forgive me if I quote Luther again but he understood so much about depression because he was no stranger to it.  Without denying the pain which accompanied his depression, Luther eventually discovered that God can bring good even out of the darkest night.  He wrote, “without them [bouts to depression] no man can understand Scripture, faith, the fear or the love of God.”

10. Finally, learn how to laugh. Genuine laughter can make a profound change in your life.  One of Israel’s wisest teachers observed, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”  (PR 17:22)  Several years ago, publisher and editor Norman Cousins was stricken with a debilitating illness.  As he fought back he realized how much he needed to keep his spirits up.  His self-prescribed daily therapy included watching several hours of comedies, like the Marx Brothers’ films.  He attributes his recovery, in part, to learning how to really laugh again.

 

Conclusion

When what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul” comes upon us, as it assuredly will, we have some choices.

We may deny it.         We may feel shame.

We may use the resources we have, with God’s help, to work our way, however slowly, back to the light.  That is brightening the dark night.

 

 

 

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[1] Introduction to Psychology and Counseling:  Christian Perspectives and Applications, p. 277.