What to do when you feel down (1)

Elijah got so down that he was ready to end it all. And it happened on the heels of his greatest victory. He had just called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel, when he went from exhilaration to exhaustion. We forget that even when we’re successful and love what we do, it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. So if you’re a purpose-driven person with no boundaries, pay attention! (1) Exhaustion made Elijah lose perspective. He had just defeated 850 false prophets (see 1 Kings 18:19), and now he was running from one woman: Jezebel. General George Patton Jr. said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” When fatigue walks in, faith walks out! It distorts our thinking and makes us overlook God’s power and His promises. Mental fatigue coupled with physical exhaustion is a deadly combination that invites hopelessness and creates the illusion that we have no options. (2) Fear made Elijah isolate himself. Leaving his servant in Beersheba, he went into the wilderness and told God, “I am the only one left…now they are trying to kill me” (1 Kings 19:10 NIV). At that moment, Elijah was in the worst possible company—his own! When you feel down, that isn’t the time to isolate yourself. That’s when you need to reach for God and the people who love you and can help you get back up. Even Paul needed help. After writing, “[In] Macedonia, we…found trouble all around us…fighting on the outside and fear on the inside,” he added, “But God, who comforts those who are troubled, comforted us when Titus came” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6 NCV). So who do you need to call? Who do you need to reach for? Don’t keep putting it off—do it!