Elijah, Jeremiah, Job, Jonah all prayed or wished they were dead. But in all four instances God answered their heartache, disobedience and discouragement in astonishing ways. Sometimes life overwhelms us to the point of depression and anxiety. Checking out seemed reasonable in the moment, but is it better? It’s a temporary desire that if granted or explored, is irreversible. Pushing through whatever seems unbearable is the better option but in the heat of the moment, you’re not the one wishing to die, it’s the enemy of our souls trying to short circuit God’s plan for your life. You are his greatest threat. But if you fall prey to his lies, you’ll believe you’re hopeless.
You can go from your greatest victory to your lowest low. You can go from success to your greatest loss. You can go from your greatest act of obedience, to your most disappointing outcome. From trying to end your life to being saved supernaturally. We’ve all been there. Disappointed by the life we have chosen, or the life chosen for us. But when God is in the details, We will live to see another day! Satan wants us to cut and run, he wants us to abort the plans God has for us. But we will finish the assignment, even if it means starting over from scratch. Because your Heavenly Father sees greatness in you.
I’m grateful for those of you in my reading audience who‘ve never had those thoughts, experiences or feelings. Consider yourself fortunate, even blessed. But when I was going through those horrible years of abuse as a child, feeling trapped with no one to call and nowhere to go- I wished for death, and even thought of ways I could end my life. I’d cry myself to sleep, wake up and live it all over again. My heart breaks for children who are trapped in abusive environments. The safe places have become torture chambers. Most of us know how to hide the scars, some never rise above what they’ve gone through. But there’s hope in Jesus. I remember the night I heard the voice of Jesus saying these words- I didn’t even know they were in the Bible, “ I have bottled your tears.” Psalm 56:8. He saved my life. I had found a friend and confidant.
That’s what those men found. They had been given an assignment, and God was going to make sure that they completed it. God had a plan for me and you. He has given me beauty for ashes, turned evil into good, used every experience for His glory, renewed my youth, and given me a hope and a glorious future. Suicide is never the answer. It glorifies Satan and robs people of the gifts God has given us to make a difference in the world. I’m glad He didn’t give Elijah, Jeremiah, Job and Jonah their wish. Their stories would’ve been very different, or probably never written. Today because they persevered, we can learn from their challenges. We can glean from their finished work. When we go through the disappointments with Him, He’ll get us to the other side. Today I won’t be writing out the scriptures, instead I would like for you to do some digging, and go look up the lives of the people I mentioned. Learn from their mistakes as well as their triumphs. Hear the heart of the Father as He responded. And find His answers for you.
Never be disappointed that you woke up. No matter how hard life gets. There’s hope in God. All of our days from birth to the grave are written in His book. Everything we will ever face, is documented and next to each trial or test the victory is already recorded, if, we don’t faint or give up. I guarantee you that suicide isn’t written there. Why? Because that’s a personal choice. His plans are always about life. Finishing strong. Crawl to the finish line if you have to, but never give up.
There’s a story about an old mule that the owner thought wasn’t useful anymore. So he dug a hole and put the mule into it. As he shoveled the dirt on top of the old mule, he’d shake it off and climb on top of it. He repeated this exercise until what was supposed to bury him, raised him to the top and he climbed out. Life can seem like we’re buried with no way out. But if we’ll shake off whatever dirt life throws at us and use it as a stepping stone, we’ll live and not die to declare the mighty works of our God. Psalm 118:17.
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 KJV
“You are a vessel of My glory. You are beautiful. You are brave. You are loved. You are fearless. You are My treasure. You are wanted. And nothing-absolutely nothing-can separate you from My love.“ Quote from “ I hear His whispers”
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
June 11, 2021
I’m making this a weekend message so you’ll have the time to go find the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to use their experiences to help you grow in your faith in our unchanging and faithful God🙏