You Are Loved

We know that the Lord is near to us and invites us to come to Him, to call out to Him in our times of struggle, and to walk in His peace. We gain insight into God's presence from these words in Zephaniah chapter 3:
17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
18 "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.
19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame.

The Lord is with us - if we have been born again, we can know the presence of His Holy Spirit moving through our lives.  We can enjoy the sweet presence of our Savior and experience His peace within. When our minds are racked with fear and anxiety, He has come to bring peace and the assurance that not only is He with us, but He is rejoicing over us, He is singing over us. He loves us and wants us to have sweet fellowship with Him.  He is indeed our source of strength.

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In Psalm 121, we find the Psalmist pointing to the help that is available through the Lord; he wrote:
(1) I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

Within the past couple of weeks on The Meeting House program, I have had guests making comments relative to suicide, including Danny Huerta from Focus on the Family in a conversation about teen suicide and how parents can help to intervene.  And, just this week from the Christian Product Expo, Carole Leathem walked listeners through her journey alongside her husband, who was struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

The threat is real; the statistics are staggering. The website of America's Health Rankings states these numbers from 2019:

Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death in the United States. It is the fourth-leading cause of death for adolescents ages 15-19 globally. In 2019, there were an estimated 3.5 million people who planned a suicide, 1.4 million suicide attempts and 47,511 deaths by suicide. Firearms were involved in half of all suicides, and there were more than twice as many deaths by suicide than by homicide.

Recently, a high-profile personality shared some potentially life-saving words of encouragement. Montell Jordan is a singer and a worship leader, a former Meeting House guest, who believes that he was directed by the Lord to speak out on the issue of suicide, according to a Movieguide article.  He is quoted in the article, saying:

“It’s amazing what goes viral in today’s culture. I just felt like in my spirit today, the Lord was asking me if I want what’s viral or what’s vital,” Jordan said in a YouTube video about increase in suicidal thoughts among today’s youth and adults. “The craziest stuff goes viral right, but something that’s vital is something that is absolutely necessary. This is a post out of my obedience to God by speaking what I believe He gave to me to share with you and it’s probably not viral but I believe it is vital.”

He went on to say: “Suicide rocked me personally...And whether it’s been recent for you or some time ago, that wound can stay fresh. If I could speak to my loved one, I would say to him what I’m saying to you today." He added:

“If for some reason you haven’t felt loved, you haven’t been told that you are loved, please just allow me to stand in the place of that husband, wife, family member, child, parent, friend, pastor … I want to stand in the gap today and tell you, I love you. You are necessary, wanted, valuable, important and I know God loves you because He told me to tell you. You’re incredibly valuable here and now.”

Jordan reminded those viewing that "it's okay to not be okay." He related: “You are not alone,” adding, “When the word of God tells us in Hebrews 13 and 5, I’ll never leave you, I’ll never forsake you … meaning I’ll never abandon you, I’ll never desert you. That’s a promise from God and I know loneliness is a real, legitimate feeling but please don’t allow your feelings to determine your future.”

Comments from Michael Howell of Movieguide were also included in the article.  Howell's son, Connor, took his own life, and Michael was attempting to process his death.  He wrote several things he had learned - he said:

First, we live in a fallen world.

The second thing, "all things work to the good for those who love God." Howell added: 

What if Connor dying would lead to others coming to Christ who never would any other way? I know of at least two examples of this. Was it better for Connor to live, and those souls never to know Christ and go to hell?

What people forget is that when we give our lives to Christ, we trust him to use it in a way that will lead others to him, and sometimes that means unto death. We can either be used by Him or for Him, and often our actions are responsible for which of those he uses.

And, then Howell wrote:

Finally, I take comfort in that God went through everything we went through and more when His son died on the cross. If anyone knows about losing a child, it is God. Only His son was crucified and hated and took on the sins of the world. Past, present and future, including my son taking his own life.

The good news? His son rose and now lives with his Father in Heaven. This is a promise he made my son when he accepted him at age eleven and was baptized. I will see my son again just like God did. I take such great comfort in that reality.

There are several principles to take away from the comments of these gentlemen. Montell Jordan wanted to remind people about God's availability to us, including those who are contemplating taking their own life. We know that He is near to those who are brokenhearted, those who struggle, those who are anxious.  And, He is also near to those who are grieving, those who are confused, those who are having difficulty processing the loss of a loved one. 

The Psalmist wrote about lifting up his eyes to the Lord, who is our source of help.  I know, life has the potential to be so overwhelming that sometimes that it can be difficult to take that step.  But, we can be mindful of His presence and peace.  And, when we walk through a mental health journey with someone else, we can seek out resources based on God's Word in order provide wisdom and direction.  And, as it was mentioned on the Movieguide website:

***If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255***

Focus on the Family also included that number in its Alive to Thrive web resource that is oriented to preventing teen suicide.