This past Sunday (September 13), I preached on a subject/topic I have never even broached before in my 50+ years of ministry. I had been preaching a series called “Break Those Chains.” I had preached about Forgiveness, Anger, Fear, Worry, Anxiety, and Envy/Jealousy. All these are like chains around many Christ-followers causing us to not experience the abundant life Jesus promised. This past Sunday was on Suicide. I’ll not rehash all that I said. If you care to listen, you can catch it on the church’s YouTube channel or Facebook page. You can find those links at https://www.ovcf.org/ovcf_wp/. Near the end of the sermon I used Elijah as one who had enough and just wanted to die. You can read that part of his story in I Kings 18-19. I used Elijah to make 4 points:
- NO ONE IS IMMUNE. Even God’s best can despair. Elijah was alone, hungry, tired, and angry which for anyone is a recipe for disaster. Warning: be careful of saying, “That will never happen to me” or “I will never.”
- GOD SPEAKS TO US IN THE QUIET. I draw your attention to I Kings 19:11-15 for a stunning display of God’s power. But take note of when/how God spoke to Elijah.
- YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE. Elijah wanted to die so he calls out to God. It is a sign of wisdom and strength, not weakness, to ask the Lord for help and guidance. And don’t be ashamed to reach out to people/professionals (preferably Christian) for help. You are no less a man or woman to do so.
- JESUS IS STILL LISTENING TO AND HEALING THE HOPELESS. Multiple incidents in the life of Jesus show that He cares for the welfare of people. Mt. 4:24 and Lk. 8:26-33 are just two examples.
I closed with a song, “Who Am I” which you can listen to here. Yes, there are “tamer” versions. 🙂
I want to encourage you today to not give up. You matter to God not because of what you have done but because of who He is.
I know that was a tuff sermon for you Bill and I thought you did a really good job with it. I know several families that have had to deal with a suicide in their family. I will never forget what one mother said to me, she said that everyone hears the news wrestles with questions, mourns and moves on, but she relives it every day, and the mourning doesn’t stop. That is a heartbreaking thought. At the time which was about 40yrs ago, I had no idea what to say to her. I was still catholic and had no Bible verse or spiritual awareness to share. I often think about what I would say to her now if she was still here to talk to.
You hit on several things Gail. One, many of us don’t know what to say. Two, without a solid biblical faith, we are lost in knowing how to give hope to people. Three, those who go through a suicide do relive it. Sadly, many blame themselves and can’t forgive themselves.
Yes, Bill, this is a tough subject but so very necessary that people realize that they are not alone. I’ll try to make a point of listening to your sermon.
Blessings!
Thanks for the comment Martha. it is imperative that people made to feel like they matter.