Elijah: A godly man

Elijah is one of the most well known prophets of the old testament. Yet he reached a point in his life, where he wanted to kill himself. He even asked God to let him die.

The causes for his depression are numerous. First of all the long time he spent in isolation didn‘t helped his mental sanity, neither his unrealistic expectations and emotional exhaustion. But there is also a case to be made, that he was suicidal because of his relationship with God. His relationship seemed to be founded more on power and performance, than on love and intimacy.

God personally restored Elijah. He began with a small wisper. He wanted to bring back Eljah to his place in his kingdom a initate an healthier relationship with him. Would his plan have worked, if he had demonstrated Elijah all his power? Many people have had a similar reaction as Elijah, when he heard God’s whispering voice. He hid his face and cried. Your wildest dream is happening at a time, where you expected it the least. You can feel the presence of Christ like a force right besides you. You plead to him: “Help me, Jesus” and a feeling of peace and holiness rushes through your body. It seems so unreal. Many Christians, even if they go to church every Sunday, have still a doubt if God is real. They say to themselves: “I believe in God,” but in fact there is still a doubt. They are not 100% sure that after death, there is an afterlife. That Jesus even listens to them, when they whisper prayers deep at night. However there are these moments, where you cry out of joy, that Jesus is listening and caring for you. In these moments I hide my a face, ashamed of my doubt. Once we experience God’s love, he indicates our place in his kingdom. In the same way that he asked Elijah, he asks us: “What are you doing, Elijah?” Obviously God knows what we are doing. The question is more of “Who are you? What kind of person are you?” God asks us these questions, because he wants that we face the truth in ourselves.

Often Christian raised kind become agnostic or atheist at the course of their life. The once so obvious holiness of God in the eyes of a child “disappears” because of education and a change of social influences. In fact, nothing disappeared. The facts remain the same, the conclusion is different. It’s a kind of perception that brings us away from God and his salvation. The moments of enlighten gives us freedom. Freedom from the prison of lies and deception. To bond with God is to destroy all superficial relationships and live the truth. Truth means to see ourselves as God sees us. Elijah is able to confront his deepest feelings when in presence of God. Until now he had hidden them, because they were not conform of a prophet. God gave him the power to analyze his feelings, by giving him a slighty whisper of his acknoledgments.