“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

(I Corinthians 15:58, NIV)

I keep a little card in my Bible that reads:

“When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit …

By all means pray, and don’t you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,

God’s hidden gift in the clouds of doubt.

You never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar.

So trust in the Lord when you’re hardest hit …

It’s when things go wrong that you must not quit!”

Have you ever felt like just giving up?  Ever felt like sitting down and never getting up again?  I have many times.  During my four-year relapse with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I remember the strong temptation to give up, especially on my worst days.  I sometimes said to my husband, “I’m just going to give up and quit trying!”  It seemed like every time I tried to do even a little something, I would overdo and be slammed back down again.  I had had enough.  I was ready to quit!

The prophet Elijah was also discouraged and ready to give up.   In I Kings 19:4, he said to God, “It is enough!  Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”  Elijah had served God faithfully as a prophet.  In I Kings 18:20-40, we read the awesome story of how Elijah had silenced the prophets of Baal when the Lord sent fire to consume his sacrifice.  After God helped Elijah dramatically defeat the prophets of Baal, he became discouraged and depressed.  He had also received a death threat from King Ahab and wicked Queen Jezebel because he had killed all the prophets of Baal.  Elijah wanted to die.

But, thankfully, God doesn’t leave Elijah this way.  He sends an angel to give him food and drink so that he would be strengthened for the next journey.  Yes, there are going to be times in our lives when, like Elijah, we are discouraged and depressed and totally ready to give up.  I’ve had plenty of those times already.  But, as Christians, we can be assured that God will not leave us there forever.  The next time you get depressed, ask our ever faithful Savior to give you strength to carry on, as He did Elijah.