Managing Mental Health God’s Way

Introduction

Good evening. Welcome to your Old Testament to 1 Kings chapter 19. 1 Kings chapter 19. Tonight we’re going to be talking about something incredibly complicated with a lot of different ramifications for all of us. Personally, privately. There are loud thoughts like this microphone jumping on and quiet thoughts that we often keep to ourselves. So you might be surprised that I’m going to start with a quote from Tony Thinkpin from dinner tonight. He said, and I relatively quote, everyone struggles with mental health issues if you’re married. I didn’t say they were all true good thoughts. But then I got to thinking, Deedra’s married to Ken and she seems fine. So we must all have some good hope by the end of the evening. I do want to tackle something very complicated.

I’m thankful for the marriage like Tony and Sharon, thankful for Ken and Deedra. I’m just thankful for all the people here that we love and can worship with and study God’s will. But I think we need to acknowledge everyone struggles with some sort of mental health problem. And if you think you don’t, pride is really edging in on a mental health problem, right? This is almost definitional. If you are ever at the situation where you think you can’t have done anything wrong or be a problem, that probably is in and of itself a problem. And on the other hand, there’s folks who feel like everything they do is wrong. And we’re going to talk a little bit more about those thoughts tomorrow night on how Satan lies to us.

1. Elijah, Strong Faithful Warrior, Alone and Afraid

Now he tries to get into our minds, say, I’m not good enough. I can’t do right. I can’t do good. Or even on the other end, I am good. I am right. But for tonight, our focus is to be as realistic as we can on a very complicated and wide subject and to cover as much as we can. I do want to notice a very interesting story in the Old Testament from one of the strongest of God’s warriors from the history of creation, and this is Elijah. You might argue, and we could have this discussion, and there’s points of view, that’s fine. You can be right, you can have kin’s opinion, you can follow what the Bible says. But the reality is in Genesis 1, there is a creation of the world.

That is amazing. And then the book of Exodus, of course, you see the parted Red Sea. That catches our attention because there was a movie made about it. I don’t know where that ranks relative to some other miracles, but when there’s a movie, it’s special and sticks. And certainly, as Christians, the number one miracle outside of creation itself would be the resurrection of Jesus. But in the middle there is 1 Kings chapter 18. And in 1 Kings chapter 18, we certainly don’t have time to tackle mental health crises and all of 1 Kings 18 and 19. So allow me to summarize a story I hope we know pretty well. Here is Elijah at Mount Carmel. And God’s people who should have known there’s one God, shockingly, aren’t doing it.

And by the way, one lesson for us tonight is knowing what’s right doesn’t mean we always do what’s right. Knowing I should be better, feel better, be healthier, be stronger, have a stronger faith doesn’t magically solve the problem. And Elijah telling everyone, be more faithful, didn’t just instill faith. And it reached a point where he was outnumbered by the hundreds. And it was Elijah one, representing the one true and living God against everybody else who was willing to speak publicly, as God’s other prophets are hidden in caves. That’s gonna be a really important detail later. Elijah is aware that Obadiah and some others are hidden in caves. But he seems to forget that in chapter 19. But here in 18, here is this combat, if you will.

They’re gonna have a test case. Whoever calls out to their God, whether it be Baal or Jehovah, and fire comes down from heaven, that’s the one true and living God. And we will stop, as Elijah says, limping between two opinions. Elijah is my favorite prophet, not just because he’s good and faithful, that would be the mature way to look at it. He’s my favorite because of the taunting that goes on as this happens. As they call out for their nothing God, he says, Is he asleep? Is he relieving himself? Which, by the way, as I got older, is even more insulting and funny, frankly. And he’s deciding, where is he? Why isn’t he listening? And he says, I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna show you how it’s done.

And he doesn’t just call out for fire from heaven. That would be too obvious. That would be too easy. He wanted to win in a landslide, and so he calls God, he has water everywhere, a moat. Then he calls to God, God sends down fire from heaven. I say this is the most powerful miracle. Can you imagine seeing a one man call to God for fire and it being sent down? That’s unbelievable. And again, just like the Red Sea, we don’t know, was it parted like Charles Heston saw it? I don’t know. But the fact that fire came when Elijah asked for it, is not only miraculous, it was truly amazing and life altering. Notice at the very end of 1 Kings chapter 18. I hope you’re open to 19.

But in 1 Kings chapter 18, in verse 39, when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God. And Elijah said to them, seize the prophets of Baal, let none of them escape. And they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. I told you, he was my favorite. As we’re examining managing our mental health God’s way, I want us to see Elijah is as strong as it comes. Elijah is someone who, even though it’s not showing on the PowerPoint behind me, should have the most strong mental health imaginable. He is someone who understands faith. He understands being going up against insurmountable odds. He understands feeling like I’m alone even before the miracle.

But his faith is strong. And when he calls out to God, God answers him. This is as high as life can be, isn’t it? I mean, here is Elijah all by himself, and God ends up helping Elijah despite the fact that Elijah is taunting people. Despite the fact that Elijah has some issues he needs to work out, God gives him this monumental victory. And this is where we pick up in chapter 19. Elijah, strong, faithful warrior. God, helping, strong, faithful warrior. On top of the world, all is well. Next chapter, verse 1. Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.

Then he was afraid. And he arose and ran for his life and came to Bersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. Immediately after this great, wonderful victory. Elijah has a court with the king in the verses we didn’t read, and Jezebel wants him to die. And where does he find himself in verse 3? He’s feeling at this moment afraid, and physically he’s hiding alone to save his life. Now, of all the times we can rag on the Israelites for being drama queens about being hungry or tired or thirsty. And by the way, those are real problems they’re facing. We like to pretend they weren’t, but they were. He is actually going to die. Does anyone believe Jezebel was going to show some unbeknownst until now grace and mercy that she just kind of lost her temper for one moment and was going to spare his life?

Not a chance. Elijah, who just won, he finally got everyone to recognize the Lord He is God, the Lord He is God. Finds himself alone, afraid, and thinking he’s gonna die. And it’s not just that he thought he was gonna die, it’s that he’s asking for. This is to put it mildly, facing dire discouragement. And this is despite God not only helping him with this amazing victory, this is despite what God does in verse 4. He himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my father’s. And he lay down and slept under a broom tree.

And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat. And he looked. Behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, but the journey is too great for you. And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights, the Orab, the mount of God. And listen, I know you people, and you know me and my wife. Some of you are hangry people. When you get hungry, you get really angry. Elijah needed a nap, he needed a snack. God provided both.

And guess what he does in verses 9 and 10? Calls again, I alone am left. It is enough now, O Lord. Take my life. God helped him against insurmountable odds, working the biggest miracle we might ever see in our lives. He feels alone and afraid. God finds him, helps him with every need he possibly could have. And what does he do again in verse 9 and 10? Cries out, you just don’t get it. In verse 10, I have been very jealous for the Lord the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. And I, even I only am left, and they seek my life. Take it away.

Can we say with integrity, it can happen to all of us? And it will when the right pressure is applied in the right way, much like Job faced. And despite this, I think this is amazing. This has to be one of the principal takeaways. Despite Elijah crying out something he knows isn’t true. He says, I’m the only one left. He knows in 1 Kings chapter 18, Obadiah and the other faithful people are hidden in caves. Even if you ignore all the people who just bowed down, saying, The Lord He is God. The Lord He is God. And what would we do? When someone says something incorrect, the first thing we do, no matter how bad they feel, no matter how much it hurts, we do what?

That’s wrong. Let me tell you what’s right. Are you ready to hear what God did? Elijah says something not true. God’s greatest servant is struggling, he’s hurting. He’s not serving God in this cave. He’s not saying, Thank you for the help. And notice what God does. Verse 11, he says, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces of the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper.

And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak, and he went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah? And would you believe what Elijah says again in verse 14? I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away. I gotta tell you, Elijah gets more chances than I did growing up. If I said the same wrong, disrespectful thing three times in a row, I wouldn’t be here to give you this message again.

But here’s what God says in verse 15. The Lord said to him, Go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall not Hazel to be king over Syria. And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel Mahallah, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazel shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elijah put to death. Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. I do want to highlight in verse 18. If you want to circle that in your minds, God corrects Elijah’s misstatement.

Whether Elijah forgot, he ignored it, or he didn’t care, or he’s so mentally imbalanced right now, he isn’t aware of what’s up and down. God does correct the problem. But notice in this story, at what stage does God do it? Last. He gives him what he needs. He listens to it. He shows him and speaks to him. Tells him what to do. And then and only then does he say, by the way, don’t tell me about my people. I know you, I know Israel, and I know who are mine. And I think what’s awesome is all of us know something about Elijah that God knew. But he was God’s even when he’s hiding in the cave. Was it okay to stay there? Of course not. But did he stop being God’s servant because he was in the cave at that moment?

It doesn’t seem like it. At a minimum, God didn’t give up on him. And if you ever feel like Elijah alone, discouraged, feeling trapped, God’s not going to give up on you either. Now, does that mean that you can stay there? No. What did God say over and again? First, I need you to get up, go out, and look. Then he says, I need you to go get help. We’re going to talk about all these things. But first, as we get into some of the application, noting that even if Elijah, the faithful servant of God, can face this, we all can. We need to take three points into consideration. I know this is a lot on the screen, and I’m sorry. It’s just the way it is.

2. Mental Health Struggles Are Real

Mental health struggles are real. They can come for anyone, they can come at any time, and they are messy. If they can get Elijah, they can get you and I. Think about Job. In Job chapter 1 and 2, God says multiple times, and the author of Job says it in the first three verses, that Job is an awesome person. He is blameless, upright, fears God, and turns away from the evil. And if the Bible’s saying it’s not clear enough, God speaks it to Satan twice. Have you considered my servant Job, who is blameless, upright, fears God, and turns away from evil. And Satan says, well, chapter one. The only reason he’s like that is because his life is awesome. If you take away his stuff, he’ll curse you to your face.

And God doesn’t do it. Satan is allowed by God to do it. Does Job curse God or charge him with wrong when Satan takes away all his stuff, including his family? No. Chapter 2, Satan says, the only reason he’s still that good is because you didn’t touch him. If you take away his good health, then he’d curse you. Once again, let’s be clear. God did not do this. Satan did it. But when we say God didn’t do this, you know who also didn’t do it? Job. Job has nothing to do with this except what? The only thing Job 1 and 2 says is his fault in having Satan’s attacks is that he is what? Can you fill in the blank for me? He is blameless, upright, fears God, and turns away from evil.

Did you understand that? Someone is attacked by Satan in a way that leaves him beyond mentally challenged from chapters 3 through 41. And his crime is pleasing God to the utmost. If Satan can come for Job, if Satan can get Elijah after the victory at Mount Carmel, he can get me. And if you think he hasn’t gotten you yet, I hope he hasn’t. That’s awesome. But if he can get Elijah at the top of his game, look around the corner. And please have compassion and mercy for those of us struggling in the mean. There are different types of mental health struggles. And some of them may or may not be my fault. I think this is important. When you look at Matthew chapter 6 and verse 25, Jesus says a very clear rule.

Turn to Matthew chapter 6 and verse 25. This is in red. This is in the New Testament. This is from the mouth of Jesus. No one I know who takes the name of Christ can have any problem with it. One group does who questions the integrity of the New Testament. That’s not my problem tonight. Almost everyone I know believes when Jesus says it, when it’s in red, we gotta do it. And yet, in Matthew 6, 25, Jesus gives the most plain command that he could possibly offer. There’s no reason to infer something. There’s no reason to look at an example. He just says it. He says in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 25, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, or about your body, what you will put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. Jesus refers to this as you go further down in verse 30 as a faith problem. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive, and tomorrow is thrown in the oven. Will he not much more clothe you? Oh, you of little faith. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things. And your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. The answer Jesus gives, in addition to the logical flow we’ll talk about in a few moments, is in verse 33. Instead of being anxious about your life, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and God will add all these things to you.

So, this is why it gets really messy to talk about this. Number one, we all face it, or we’re about to. And secondly, when I am struggling, I might be struggling with something like Job that has nothing to do with me doing anything wrong. Or I might be doing something that Jesus says is sinful. Do not be anxious about your life. If I have a broken arm and you treat my leg, does that help me? No. If I have a broken leg and a broken arm, does that help me? Halfway. We have different causes of different injuries. And to act as if we can talk about them all the same because they fit into a neat heading or a census poll in an American government does not make it easy to study from a biblical perspective or make it right.

If I ask the question, who struggles with anxiety, if you’re listening, everyone’s hand should go up. Otherwise, it’s weird that Jesus keeps saying, Do not be anxious about your life. That Paul would say, be anxious and nothing. That Peter would say, cast your anxieties onto him because God cares for you. That’s a lot of focus on something that only a few of us feel. But does that mean our solution is all the same? No. Did Job just need more faith? In chapter 3, when Job says, I wish I wasn’t even born, I wish I was a stillborn. And if you’ve been around that, you know how serious that charge is. Are we saying he deserves that? Or if he just had more faith, Satan wouldn’t have gotten him?

Of course not. His faith is what led to the challenge in the first place. I don’t know why God did that, but I know the text says that he did. God speaks to Satan and says, Have you considered my servant Job? Sometimes I make bad choices that lead me to anxiety. And that’s on me, and I need to fix it. But it’s not on me to fix it. It’s on me to trust Jesus to take care of me. Jesus does not say in Matthew 6 25, don’t be anxious about your life because it doesn’t matter. He says, Don’t be anxious about your life because God will take care of that. God will take care of you on the things that are temporary if you trust him on the things that matter.

The kingdom of God and his righteousness. The solution from Jesus to anxiety is not be better. It’s trusting God to take care of you. And that holds across the board. But to look at someone who has a disease, and to say, if your faith is better, it wouldn’t work, isn’t just wrong. It’s anti-biblical. In 2 Chronicles 16, Asa is charged twice with not relying on the Lord. Once in battle. And God says, How many victories have I given you? You should have trusted me. Don’t go to your neighbor and have them fight your battles. You should have relied on me. And then it says he did it again. By the way, Asa’s described in 1 Kings 15 as a good king. Excuse me, 2 Kings 15 as a good king.

And his second problem is when he had a disease in his feet and it became severe, he trusted the doctors. Is the takeaway from the Old Testament story? Don’t go to the doctor for help when you need it? I’m not comfortable with that conclusion. I hope you’re not either. And if you are, I’m happy to study with you afterwards. Maybe you can change my mind. As we consider what’s going on with Asa, we know the answer. The answer is not someone can’t help. It’s that you either trust God the most or you trust yourself for someone else. And there’s only one right answer. Trust God when it’s hard. We’re going to break down what that means as we go. But we have to know this. God cares about everyone experiencing every struggle.

And he expects us to care for them too. That means, I may be unequivocal here. If you are struggling mentally or otherwise, and it’s a hundred percent your fault, God cares about you. Jesus died for you. That does not make you inferior to anyone else. If you are struggling mentally for something that has nothing to do with you, God sees you. Jesus died for you. And you are not inferior to anybody else. And I hope if you think otherwise, you realize that’s Satan lying to you, just like it was Satan striking Job with sores and taking away everything he loves. Don’t listen to the lies. That’ll be our focus tomorrow night. Our focus this evening is how do we help ourselves and others facing these mental challenges that range from fault and faith to it’s just the way the body and the mind work.

3. God’s Way of Helping Elijah

Let’s look at God’s way of helping Elijah again a little bit more systematically. First of all, as we already covered, I think in pretty good detail, he provided for Elijah’s physical needs. Now, if you’re a kind of person who is in a dark hole all day, whether because you have to be or because you’re an introvert like me and you just like it, I gotta tell you, God made us, and what did he make Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel to do? Especially Adam, Cain, and Abel, we can prove. I understand some of you might say, well, we don’t prove this about you, but that’s fine. Adam, Cain, and Abel all had to do what? Work. And they weren’t working in a two-story colonial style home.

They were working outside. This is just clear. The data is clear on this. We are supposed to be outside. We’re supposed to talk to people. You have to eat, you have to sleep. Does that mean when someone needs you to have a Bible study with them, you go, nope, I need my tidy 12 hours of sleep? No. Benjamin doesn’t understand that yet. But we have to wake him up from his 12-hour overnight sleeps constantly because there’s stuff to do. And he always looks at me like I am the biggest betrayal he has ever faced in his life. But the reality is we all do have these needs. And sometimes it’s because I’m just not taking care of myself. Am I drinking enough water? Exercising. Am I paying attention?

This is not some sort of anti-biblical concern. God made us to need these things. And here’s where it gets more personal to a Christian study. It might be that I can take care of myself. But maybe not everyone in here can for whatever reason. Physical limitations, financial limitations, time limitations. Maybe I need your help to do them. Maybe I won’t talk to anyone because I can’t get out, or my phone died, or I don’t have the finances to have this type of communication. And I need you, someone here at my Christian family, to reach out to me. Maybe I need someone to go on a walk with me, to talk with me, and to share our water with as we’re going. God takes these needs pretty seriously.

Jesus is constantly healing. When Elijah’s in a cave, God doesn’t go, how dare you get up? I just saved you with fire. I can take care of Jezebel. He gives him what he needs: a place to be, food to eat, and water to drink. What was it that Jesus says? Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, or what you will wear, for your heavenly father knows that you need these things. That doesn’t sound to me like they’re unimportant. It sounds to me like God says, I’ve got it covered. Part of the way God’s got it covered is Christian family helps each other with it. When I am starving and my Christian family helps me, that is God. Because that’s his plan.

A woman one time of faith lived next door to an atheist, and he he constantly was frustrated because she always tried to bring up God. And finally, knowing that she was reliant upon her social security and running out of money one month for groceries, he said, I’m gonna show her that it is not God who provides, and it’s gonna be me. I’m gonna show it’s me, the big bad atheist next door. So he went to the grocery store and he brought the groceries to her and he dropped them off and he opened the door, knocked on it, and said, Here are your groceries. And she said, Oh, thank you. And he said, I went and got them for you. It wasn’t. And she was laughing, and he said, Why are you laughing so hard?

And she said, Oh, sweetie, I knew God would provide. I just didn’t think he’d make the devil do it.

God provides through his people. We often sing the song, the world’s Bible. He has no hands but our hands. I think sometimes we lean into that a little too much, to be honest. God can handle things in ways and mechanisms that I don’t understand. If he can send down fire from heaven and create fire in heaven, he doesn’t necessarily need my hand. But he does expect me to play my part in his plan. And so I need to help people with this part. Second thing is, he spoke to him, and he spoke to him with patience and grace. This again, this is a guy, God’s greatest servant who could be doing so much good. He just converted probably hundreds, if not thousands of Israelites back to God, and he’s hiding in a cave saying an untrue thing over and over and over again.

And again, I don’t know if he’s lying. I don’t know if he just doesn’t understand. I don’t know if he’s so mentally warped, he honestly believes he’s the only one, but he keeps saying it, and he’s wrong every time he says it. And when does God call him on it? After he’s fed him, after he’s cared for him, after he’s shown him great power, after he’s spoken to him in the whisper, and after he’s given him his marching orders. Sometimes we need to speak to people, including ourselves, with God’s eyesight and words. That’s a challenge because sometimes when I’m at an intersection and I see someone asking me for help, I’m thinking, wow, I wonder how much money they make doing this, taking advantage of people like me.

I’m gonna keep my window up. Do you think that’s the way God views it? Challenge, isn’t it? I’m not saying help every person who knocks on your window, unless it’s you know Mirkovsky desperately trying to feed Benjamin again, but generically we have to make these calls. We need to have God’s eyesight towards all people. That includes ourselves. And he does correct the problem. It is not loving to not take care of people who have mistakes in their life and who are living against God’s will. That’s not love.

But there’s still a time, place, and method to get there. And for God and Elijah in 1 Kings 19, it wasn’t first and only. It was last and after. We need to speak to others with patience and grace. And I really want to can on this. In 1 Kings chapter 19, God didn’t just provide for him. And the lesson tonight is not mental health is for us all. It’s hard, it’s terrible, and just God’s going to Amazon prime you have everything you need, you’re going to wake up and feel better. God has a plan for Elijah. He does take care of him, but he has something Elijah has to do. In 1 Kings chapter 19, notice the different things that he has to do, beginning in verse 11.

One of them is he says, I need you to go out. The idea is to get up and stand on the mount before the Lord. The first thing he does is he shows him his presence. And eventually, he’s not in the strong wind. He’s not in the earthquake. He’s not in the fire. Isn’t that by the way, ironic? Because when I’m upset, when I’m in my mental trap, when I’m in the cage, when I’m in prison, I’m just waiting for God. Why isn’t he helping me? Why isn’t he sending down the fire? I know he can help. I know he should help. I know they should help me, and they’re not. This is terrible. This is awful. And we keep looking for God in the miracle and the powerful.

And where was God? In the whisper. We need to stop deciding where God’s gonna show up from and trust that he’s there for us. Even when I don’t see it coming. Even when it’s not the help I desire. Isn’t it interesting in 2 Kings chapter 5 the story of Naaman who has leprosy? He ends up at the great prophet’s door who Elijah’s going to tag in here at the end of 1 Kings chapter 19. He’s come all this way to be cured of his leprosy. And because God’s prophet sends out a messenger and says, go dip in what he deemed to be a very dirty water, the Jordan. He doesn’t do it. And he starts with the silliest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say, and we say it all the time, behold I thought.

And we say, Naaman, you are crazy. You just came all this way. You went through two different kings who almost started a war. You got to the prophet. You finally can be healed of your leprosy. Get in the water. But he didn’t think that’s the way he would be healed. And so he didn’t take advantage of it at first. We need to be willing to listen. The second thing he does is not just listen. Then he’s supposed to do something. We are to listen to God. Then we are to serve. Notice what he says in verse 15. You are to go. You can’t stay. You can’t wallow. You can’t hide. Even though God led him there, even though God fed him there, even though God showed him his mercy, love, and power there.

You can’t stay. I need you to serve. You’re not going to get better alone in the cave. You gotta go out. And you’ve got to go out and do what? Get help. You are to anoint Jehu to be king. You are to anoint Elisha to be prophet in your place. Go out and get help. Not just for you, but for my will to be done. I will never get better of any problem, physical, mental, spiritual, or otherwise, if I’m constantly thinking about me. I’ve got to think about God. What does he want from me? Y’all know this better than anyone that will ever know, because I’ll never tell anyone else. I am an incredibly picky eater. And normally, because of the love here, no one’s tested me.

And normally when we go to buffets, there’s all this food. But we don’t do buffets in Christian churches most of the time because that would be too impersonal. We do, what are they called? Potlucks. That means everyone makes their favorite dish. So they’re watching. Does the preacher eat all the food? This creates a dilemma for me, obviously. So I fill my plate with as much bread, meat, and mac and cheese as I can find. And if I look guilty, I hand it to a five-year-old and say, here you go, your dreams come true. But when my plate’s full, no one’s worried about what else goes on. There’s no more room for something else. It’s a loophole in the system. Maybe if our time, like God tells Elijah, is so full of helping others, finding where I can help, rather than meditating on how I’m by myself, I won’t have time for Satan to trap me in my cave.

Maybe even while he’s constantly whispering, yelling, talking, lying, you’re alone, you can’t do it, you can’t do it, you’re alone, you’re not good enough. Maybe even while I’m hearing that, I’m helping someone else. And eventually it might turn down that volume. Maybe even help me tune them out because I’m helping too many people for Satan’s lie that I’m alone to make any sense. Remember, what did Elijah keep saying? I’m the only one left. And God says, wait a minute, I have a king I need you to put in place. I have a prophet who’s gonna take your place, and I need you to be the bridge to them. We need to get up. We need to listen, we need to serve, and we need to go get help.

4. Care About People and Give Some Time

Tag in other people. So what can I do for those who are struggling? One of these things is care about. There’s nothing else I can say. This is the most important thing on this list. Care about people. Be on the lookout for them. Take care of them and give some time. Now, I don’t know, I don’t remember here, but in Kaba Heights in Birmingham, we have a bunch of English teachers. So every time I put up something like sometime or something, I have to think way too hard about what is the right use case. And the reason I looked up some time here is because I’m asking you to do exactly that. We have to commit a period of time at some point in the future.

And it can’t be never or when it’s convenient or when a neon sign flashes at me. I think Christians are awesome at helping people when there’s a neon sign. And that’s good. That’s good. A win is a win. Take it. Right? Florida played a division two team in football and we beat them. Enjoy it. But you don’t win trophies for that. Christians need to see people who are hurting, maybe even before they ask. We talked yesterday. Our hands need to go up when we need help. But maybe even when someone’s ashamed, afraid, Satan’s lying to them and they keep their hand down. We need to make it so obvious that I’m ready to help that they can’t believe Satan’s lie that no one wants to help me.

And I won’t do that when I’m only looking for neon signs and worrying about myself. I need to care about people. I need to be looking out for them. I need to make time. Notice in Job chapter 2. Job’s friends are essentially the worst. They are not helpful at almost anything. But one thing they are good at is in Job chapter 2. In Job 2, as Satan has afflicted Job multiple times, we see in verse 9, his wife said to him, Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil? And all this Job did not sin with his lips.

He was not getting help from his wife, but let’s see about his friends in verse 11. Now, when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place. Isn’t that awesome? We see that in verse 11. When they heard about it, they just went. And we gotta say, okay, well, maybe they had a great plan. Maybe they were doctors, they knew how to fix it. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads towards heaven, and they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

The point was not that they were geniuses or they knew how to help someone with a mental problem or who was broken. The point was they were there. And they were there quietly. And for some of us, that’s an improvement on if we speak. If you don’t know how to help someone, sit quietly and give them a hug and smile, but not in a creepy way, right? In a normal way. Be in the room. Most everyone appreciates someone showing love, care, and compassion. Maybe if you’re unqualified, it’s a good sign from heaven to stay quiet. But what did they do in verse 13? They sat with him on the ground for seven days and nights. And no one spoke a word. Because verse 12, when they saw him, they didn’t recognize him, and so they wept with him.

We need to give some time. Anyone who needs it. I need to make sure I listen in love first. Paul says in Romans chapter 12, verse 15 and 16, we’re to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Yes, we are to live in harmony with one another. I think what’s something, something we’re really good at doing is qualifying. Well, they’re rejoicing, so they don’t need my help. Or they’re weeping because it’s their fault. The Bible doesn’t say that. Paul doesn’t say, weep with those who weep if they deserve it. I’m well aware, 2 Thessalonians 3 says, if a man is unwilling to work, let him not eat. Can we be grown up enough to say there are extremes here and extremes here?

And we’re addressing the 98% in the middle. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, period. I need to listen. Do you notice that’s what Job’s friend said? You know when Job’s friends ruined it? And we just went straight off a cliff when they started talking. As soon as they stopped listening to Job in chapter 3, they heard how down he was. And you know what? The first thing they said is, wow, we know this is really down, but you’re not going to like this. This is on you. This is your fault. Shockingly, that was neither accurate nor helpful. And sometimes, by the way, to be helpful and to be loving is to have the tough conversation and point out maybe if every word out of your mouth is on negative things that don’t have to be there, the solution is you need to change.

Maybe I do need to lovingly listen to your problem, realize it is a you problem, and talk about the good news is that Jesus died for your sins, and you don’t have to be stuck in it anymore. But for a lot of us, that’s not always the problem. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Jesus says this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. If it’s true then, it’s true now. You need to help people or help find the help. In 2 Kings chapter 5, we already talked about Naaman. You know how Naaman got to God’s prophet and the messenger from the king, from his king, from his household? It all started with who? Do you remember in 2 Kings 5? Naaman, the great warrior.

He was told about him by a little servant girl. I don’t think most everyone in here, I don’t remember, and I don’t know. And if you are, that’s great. That’s awesome. I want to hear from you, true. Most of us aren’t qualified to give true mental health diagnoses or problems solving. So maybe we need to be more like Job’s friends and be quiet and show love. Bring food. But if you can’t help, help someone get to the help they need. If that’s faith, help, get them to the person who can connect with them about Jesus’ saving grace. If it’s some sort of professional help they need, find someone within the framework of God’s kingdom who can help them. Help or help them find the help. There’s no reason anyone has to walk these paths alone.

That is crazy. That is against God’s plan. And if someone feels that way and acts that way, Satan’s not only lying, God’s people are failing. Make it a point to do something. Job’s friends at least came and sat in the room. They at least were there. If you notice in Philippians chapter 4, time would fail for us to go into this into great detail. But notice in Philippians chapter 4. As we consider what Paul says, he has a reminder for us of what Jesus says. Rejoice in the Lord, always again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

5. Strengthen My Faith When Facing Worldly Anxiety

It is only God who has the plan. It is only Jesus who has the saving peace that we need to calm the storm. So how can I strengthen my faith when I am facing worldly anxiety? Number one, count the cost of worry. If you look back at Matthew chapter 6 and go down what Jesus says in 25 through 32, he says, look, first of all, don’t worry. One, God sees your problem. Two, you have proof God will help. God clothes the lilies of the field, he heeds the birds of the air. And my favorite is in verse 27 By which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life. I’ve asked it here before, and I’m going to try it again.

Maybe someone has some breakthrough in the meantime. Has anyone ever had a family crisis, gotten all bent out of shape about it, got really worried, anxious, and upset about it, and said, You know what? You know what made this better? When everyone got super anxious and uptight about it. That’s when the calm thinking prevailed. Jesus says, not only is worry wrong and not trusting in God, it doesn’t do any good. You can worry all you want, and it won’t extend your lifespan whatsoever. Second thing, try to focus on the goodness of God instead of Satan’s terrible distractions. It might be that you’re facing a lot of things against you like Job, and it has nothing to do with you, or you’re doing the right thing. Joseph can feel that way.

In chapter 37, I don’t think it’s really great sibling dynamics, but he tells all of his siblings the interpretation of a dream that only God could have given him, they’re going to all bow down and worship him. And their response is, let’s kill him. They were super nice enough not to do that. Instead, they throw him into a pit and leave him there until they sell him into slavery. But if I’m Joseph, I’m laying in the pit, I’m saying that’s not fair. And guess what? It’s not. It’s not fair. But does that help him get out of the pit or help his faith or his mental health at all to focus how on how unfair it is and how mean his brothers are? No. And just in case that wasn’t strong enough, he finally ends up in Potiphar’s household.

He serves, he’s doing a great job. Potiphar’s wife grabs him, says, lie with me. He literally flees youthful lusts, New Testament, 2 Timothy 2 22. He leaves, she lies about him. He finds himself in prison for years. And again, I ask the question was that fair? No. Sometimes life’s not just unfair, it’s cruel. Because Satan works. Satan is trying to get you. He’s trying to get people around you. And he does a good job of it. But if you focus on it, you’re playing right into his hand. Just as it didn’t do Joseph any good to stare at the pit or to think about his brothers or to stare at the jail cell or to think of Potiphar’s wife lying, we can’t focus on all that’s unfair either.

Conclusion

And please, if it’s on me, I need to not focus on my own faults over and over. I just need to change and to get help to pray. You need to know that God loves you. You need to know that he takes care of you. I want to read these passages, and this is where we will essentially leave it. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 7. I know I quoted it. I want us to see it. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 7. I hope you have your Bibles. I know it’s late. I just want us to see these verses. 1 Peter 5 and verse 7. Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. God knows we will have the very anxieties we’re not supposed to give in to.

But he says there’s a place for them, and it’s on his shoulders. Secondly, in Psalm 55, look at me at the 55th Psalm in verse 22. Is there a context to these passages? Of course there are. But please trust me that God loves us, and no matter how we got here, God sees his people and cares about his people. In Psalm 55, verse 22, cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never permit the righteous to be moved. Sometimes we keep feeling like we let God down, which is really weird because I’m not strong enough to hold him up. God holds me up. I don’t hold him up. And if I feel like I’m failing, you bet I am, because I’m not strong enough to do that.

One final passage, Isaiah chapter 41. Isaiah chapter 41 and verse 10. Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. There are gonna be so many people, including me, that fail you. I’m sorry, and I hate it. I hate that. And they’re gonna be good people, Christian people trying their best who are gonna do wrong, and that’s on them. Don’t let other people, including me, make you lose your faith in God. God is good, God will provide, and he’ll do it despite me, around me, and even through me if he has to. No matter how much I fail you, God is good. Please know God loves you, and that God will provide for you.

The bottom line is Jesus loves the rose. There was a story from a preacher years ago. They were having a essentially conference on purity. They had a bunch of girls in the room. And they passed around a flower, a beautiful red rose. Perfect, fresh water still from I don’t know, being in the pot with water. I’m not a herbologist, it’s not my thing. Beautiful red rose. He passes it around. And thousands, there’s about 1,500 people here. They all touch it. All the girls have touched it. And by the time he gets it to the front of the room, he makes the point. Look at this rose. Who would want this rose? It’s been used, it’s been touched. It’s not worth anything anymore. It’s not what it was.

Jesus wants the rose. If you feel like you aren’t good enough for God, you’re right. God demonstrates his own love towards us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You struggle with mental health, get in line. We all do or will. Jesus loves you anyway. Does that mean you wallow in it, dwell on it, live in it, give in to sin because of it? Of course not. But Jesus died for you, knowing you were going to sin. You were going to feel trapped by sin, and that you would need help to get out of that. And Jesus broke the pain of death that Satan held over our hand. You can now live free if you trust in Jesus. You’ve never become a Christian.

You don’t know what that freedom tastes like, but you can. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Living God. Confess that He’s Lord and all that means. Repent of your sins. Be baptized, sharing in his death, burial, and resurrection. And please know that’s it. The message is simple. The way is hard, the path is narrow. The message is great news, and it is simple. Trust God, be forgiven. Follow his ways. Or maybe you’re a Christian here and you feel like Job, like Joseph. Maybe you’re like someone in Matthew 6 Jesus is speaking to, and you’re worried and it’s your fault. God still loves you. He will forgive you. And one of the mechanisms for that is to James 5 confess your sins to one another.

1 John 1 9, if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just.

You can be forgiven. Please don’t leave feeling unsure. Know that God loves you, He cares for you, and His people shouldn’t do too. If we can help you at all, come forward as we stand and sing the invitation song.