One of the best examples of God helping us deal with despondency is found in 1 Kings 19. It’s the story of Elijah, just after he had called fire down from heaven and proved to the people that God was real, faithful, and the one true God. He’d just had a massively successful moment in life, but when he was threatened, his mood took a drastic change. When Elijah reached his lowest point, God provided for all his needs. 1) He provided for Elijah’s physical needs. When Elijah had run into the wilderness, and given up under a tree, God sent an angel to provide him with food and water, twice. ‘All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water’ (1 Kings 19:5-6 NIV). 2) He provided for Elijah’s spiritual needs. God helped Elijah to stop thinking about himself and his problems and start thinking about God. He told him: ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord.’ Sometimes we need a reminder to look up from the things we’re facing, and instead focus our eyes on the One who can get us through those things. 3) He provided for Elijah’s relational needs. God knew that Elijah was struggling with feeling alone. So He told him to ‘anoint Elisha…to succeed you as prophet’ (v.16 NIV). Elijah then went and found Elisha, who left everything to become his servant. God can place people into our lives too. He knows when we need someone to come alongside us and help us out. So when we’re feeling despondent, we can rely on God to provide the things we need to rise up again.

What Now?

If you’re feeling despondent today, spend some time in God’s presence (with no distractions) and let Him meet your needs.