‘I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.’ Psalm 27:13
I was watching a show this morning and it echoed something that has been visiting my heart over the past few days. It made me think of a post that I originally wrote back in 2012. It was a post about ‘a living hope’. National Suicide Prevention Day is not until September 10th but many precious souls will not make it that long. So I am sharing that post today … since it is heavy on my heart today. I pray you will be blessed by it…
[originally posted 22 March 2012]
I have something that has been on my heart for
several days and it just will not move for some reason. My prayer is that
I can make the following statement without people jumping to a bunch of
conclusions.
In the past few years with all that I have
experienced personally and in my interactions with others, I have come to this
conclusion:
"There are many
people who have contemplated suicide who do not want to die ... they
simply want the pain to end."
They are not completely hopeless as some would
presume. Saved or unsaved, they have a hope and an expectation that what lies
on the other side must be better than what they are currently experiencing - if
for no other reason than the simple fact that they can rest.
To those who have never been there, and cannot
fathom how someone could reach that place:
- Do you know what it is like to be so exhausted from living that an eternal rest seems like a better option than awaking to face one more draining day all over again?
- Can you understand and have a heart of compassion for someone who feels that way?
- Or do you scoff, spew out a Bible verse and flippantly declare, 'It's not that serious.'?
My heart aches for those who hurt. And I
have come to the realization that but for Christ in my life (and me actively in
Him), there am I.
'I would have lost
hope unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in
the land of the living.' [my emphasis] Psalm 27:13
So tonight I am praying ....
Praying that God will touch every person who is
so tired of living that death seems like the only viable alternative. I pray
that He would speak to you in a personal way, unique and specific to how
you can hear Him best. He loves you so much and He is present, even
though it may not feel that way.
My pastor made a comment on Sunday and he said,
'There are people that are so lonely ... they can be in an
auditorium full of people and feel completely alone ... sometimes you need Jesus
with some skin.'
Powerful statements ...
And while I pray that He would speak to you
individually and directly, through a dream, through a song, through a
sermon, to your heart, through a breeze, a flower or a touch
... I pray also that He would send you a 'Jesus with some skin', a
child of God who will not judge or condemn or minimize your pain - but one who
is blessed with discernment and understanding, who radiates the love and
compassion of Christ in such a way that it will be difficult to discern the
difference.
Yes, God is bigger than anything you are facing
and He is well able to handle it. However, I have come to the realization that
the biggest hurdle for most people to jump is not in comprehending or believing
in the ability of God but in having the assurance of His willingness,
believing that He desires to do something meaningful for them.
He does ...
Therefore, I pray that He would comfort you with
an everlasting and powerful comfort. And I pray that His love would be as real
and tangible as the pain has been ... and so much more so.
I pray that you would see and experience
His goodness in the land of the living and that it would be the foundation for
a living hope - a match which ignites a desire to stay among us and fulfill the
plan and purpose that God has for you life. He does indeed have a good plan, to
prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a real hope and a future. (Jer.
29:11)
'Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a
tree planted by the waters, that extends its roots by a stream and will not
fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green and, it will not be
anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.' Jeremiah 17:7-8
Another word for trust is confidence or hope. It
is one thing to place confidence in the LORD. However, it is something entirely
different when He becomes the very confidence or hope that you possess.
Jesus Christ, who died so that we could live, is our hope and
confidence.
May the LORD God Almighty, truly bless
you and keep you...
May His Holy Spirit supply you with strength
and wisdom
May Christ be your living hope and give you
hope to live ...
