“You
shall not at all do as we are doing here today-every man doing whatever is
right in his own eyes-for as yet you have not come to the rest and the
inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 12:8-9
We sometimes become so caught up in our journey’s trials and tribulations we lose sight that this “here and now” will soon become “there and went.” It’s easy to overlook the fact we are only pilgrims passing through this one shadowed valley in our eternal existence.
But as real
as our pain and suffering is now, it is only temporary. Our greatest hope is
the life we now live, is lived by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:29). Moses, speaking to the twelve tribes of Israel,
talks of seeking the place God chooses where He will put His name for His
dwelling place (Deut. 12:5). For the Israelites, that was in the Promised
Land. For you, that’s in your heart and
life.
This life offers
no permanent solutions. Some of you reading this may be so overcome with grief
and pain that you may be contemplating putting an end to it all. I would ask you to stop and reconsider. Suicide is a permanent solution to a
temporary problem. At one point in my life, it looked to me as the only way I
could stop the pain. Thankfully, the
Lord put someone in that instant who kept me from it. If you’re perhaps there, you have not arrived
here by accident. If you are
contemplating it, wait 24 hours and things might look very differently
tomorrow. There’s a Suicide Prevention
Lifeline phone number in your area. You
found me, now find them online and call them.
Don’t be afraid. These folks are
there for you and will hear you with understanding and empathy. They won’t judge you.
This current
life is not forever. If we only have
Christ in this life, we would of all people be the most miserable for believing
a lie. But it is not a lie, for Christ
is risen from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:19-26).
With all the
insane developments we see now we can rest assured it remains a temporary insanity. The Lord has promised his wayfaring children
a precious heritage and guardianship. In
the forty years He led the Israelites in the wilderness He kept their clothes
and sandals from wearing out (Deuteronomy 29:5). Take heart and trust He’s
right there with you in your darkness. He
has perfect night vision. He will never
leave you or forsake you, and He remains as good as his
word (Hebrews 13:5, 13:8).
Ken
