A friend of mine committed suicide a few days ago. He must have come to believe that this dark act was his best way out of his emotional and financial problems. The final lie he believed was that it made sense to implement a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Of course the truth is that he passed on a bigger problem to his large grief-stricken family. Even if he had become financially destitute, his wife and four children would be better off with him alive than collecting the life insurance benefits without him.

You might be able to understand how this could happen with someone whose life was a complete shambles and didn’t know God. My friend however, was one of the most involved and engaged Christian men in our community and had many loving relationships.  Your first thought might be to doubt the authenticity of His faith. God is clear that we do not know, nor is it our place to judge the hearts of other people. If that is off limits, then how are we to understand what happened?

We learn from the story of King David when the Amalekites had taken everything and his men wanted to kill him, that authentic Christians can experience despair. Instead of allowing the despair to bring destruction in David’s life or dishonor to God, the story reveals that David strengthened himself in the Lord. His Psalms indicate how he may have done this. He most likely proclaimed the truth of the awesome magnificence of God, thanked Him for how trustworthy He had been throughout his life, and affirmed his acceptance and belief in His promises, including David’s anointing to be king of Israel.

Once strengthened, David inquired of the Lord for guidance on how to deal with the situation. No longer in despair, he turned to God for answers as to what to do. The result was that David regained all that was taken plus more, and David became king of Israel soon thereafter. In comparing the two situations of King David and my friend, you can see that one reached out for strength before trying to figure out what to do and the other made a decision from a place of isolation with a heart full of hopelessness.

Jesus and God live in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit within. We never need to be alone or in despair because God is always only one thought away, and His promises are real. When we are in desperation we are in a place of fear. Under this emotion from hell we are open to the lies of the enemy that are intended to kill, steal and destroy. God does not intend for you to take on these intense and powerful emotions on your own.

3 Suggestions to fight through:

• Reach For Help: Don’t engage alone, Satan’s strategy is to keep you isolated. There is very real danger in staying there.
• Confess: Get with someone who is trustworthy and be transparent.
• Pray:  God is one prayer away. He lives in you. You are never alone and His spirit can provide you power to break free