Hello
I invite our serious consideration of today’s Holy Nougat™
The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.
Acts of the Apostles 16:27 NLT
Let’s talk about suicide …
It is not restricted to “poor saps” who willfully forfeit their lives. Those who attempt and commit Suicide are are breathing, hurting, ordinary human beings just like you and me. They are professionals, students, unemployed, wealthy, middle class, or living in squalor. For suicide is not restricted to any one group.
Here are a few statistics on Suicide from Wikipedia:
Current state
global suicide : 1,000,000 p/a
(Expected increase to ~ 1.5M by 2020).
among top leading causes of death
Ages 15–44 . Suicide attempts are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicides
Suicide rates are highest in Europe’s Baltic states, where around 40 people/100,000 die by suicide each year.
In western countries men commit suicide at four times the rate of women. Women are more likely to attempt suicide than men.
The lowest rates are found mainly in Caribbean/West Indies nations and a few countries in Asia.
Annual suicide rates (approximate) along some developed countries:
Russia ~ 60,000
USA ~ 30,000
Japan > 30,000
China ~ 25,000
Despite our best hoped, it is reasonable to assume that there are individuals who read the Nougats who have attempted or considered suicide at least once. And, there are those among us who may have lost family members and friends to suicide.
According to www.funtrivia.com there are 7 reports of suicide in the biblical narrative and 1 case of attempted suicide. Most of the cases were resultant to defeat in battle/(coup attempt gone wrong), although in Judas’s case it was a response to bitter remorse at his betrayal of Jesus.
Christ’s declarations in John 3:16 & John 10:10 assures that God offers Life as a gift to EVERYONE. Moreover, Paul and Silas’ response to their jailer (v. 28) assures us that EACH of us who proclaim Christ as Lord has the responsibility to protect those who are contemplating suicide from themselves.
So what is our response when persons are seriously considering suicide?
- Cover yourself and the person in prayer (to discern the best course of action; the individual & for her/his life preservation)
- Where possible, disarm the person and remove potential weapons from the persons reach
- If equipped, engage the person to determine why they are so inclined, and perhaps counter their desire to end life prematurely with encouragement as the Lord leads
- Seek help for the person, cover him/her in prayer
- Assist to the extent of our natural and spiritual capabilities, be prepared to have others complete the healing process
- Love the person unconditionally, and back into fellowship
- Continue to cover the person and family in prayer
And on that note, we pray:
Dear Lord
For those who battle demonic thoughts that their life had little or no value to the world, for those who have seriously contemplated and attempted Suicide, we crave Your intervention. Heal their bruised minds and spirits dear Jesus, and where their bodies have been broken, we claim Your healing and restoration. Show us how to tend to them and bring them into full fellowship in the midst of their recovery. Anoint and deliver for Your glory’s sake we pray, in Jesus’s Holy name. Amen
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
