A way out of darkness, answers for the suicidal.
7. Threats or Depression
An evil queen threatened to kill the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:2-4 and it caused him so much fear that he even prayed that he would die. Following this threat, it would also appear that Elijah struggled with a bout of depression. In his case, it is difficult to determine which of these things brought about his desire to die. Depression is a significant issue that many people struggle with. If you need help with questions of depression, please take the time at the end of this article to click the link for more information on that topic. When people threaten us, it can create a significant amount of fear in our hearts. We live in a day when threats seem to be frequent, especially with the advent of social media where they can even be from anonymous sources. This type of bullying and threatening can cause a person to be filled with anxiety and dread. Elijah ran for his life, but the truth is that most bullies are only brave in the shadows. Elijah never was killed, and he ended up doing many more things in his life. Of course, bullying and threats need to be dealt with, but we should not allow intimidation to drive us to the point of suicide. Instead we should stand up and do what is right so that others can have an example of facing such bullies as well. Jesus faced threats, and even death, for us and through it He gave us a way to have strength to endure. If you would like to learn how to have that strength, continue to read on.
8. Bitterness
Another illustration of someone who wished they were dead is a man by the name of Jonah. Jonah was bitter toward an entire city because of how they had wronged his people. In Jonah 4:3-7, Jonah told God “O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” His anger and bitterness had so overwhelmed him that he wished he was dead. Anger and bitterness can take a heavy toll on the mind, and can cause us to do very foolish things. Jonah’s bitterness caused him to have a complete self-focus. He was not thoughtful of the hurts that the people of Nineveh experienced; he was just thinking about himself. This is often the case with people who are bitter. Jonah had become ungrateful for every blessing that God provided him. God had been very good to Jonah and even while he was brooding in self-pity, God was showing him kindness. But Jonah was not grateful for the good things in his life. We all have good things in our lives that we can start taking for granted. Ultimately, Jonah became a very lonely man. Bitterness often leads us to extreme loneliness and isolation, as it did in the life of Jonah. I am not saying that everyone who is lonely is bitter. There are, of course, many reasons that people become lonely and it is important that when you find yourself in a lonely place, you reach out to show yourself friendly to others. The Bible says in, Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” The friend that sticks closer than a brother is Jesus who is always there for you. There is a way to deal with anger and bitterness that will break their power over you though if you will follow God’s instructions in the Bible. God has said that we can destroy the power of anger and bitterness through the act of forgiveness. I know that sounds crazy, but that is exactly what God has done for you. Even though you have broken His law and offended His righteousness, He chose to forgive you by accepting the payment of Jesus Christ for your sin. It says in Ephesians 4:32c, “forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Forgiveness toward those who have offended and hurt you is to be done in the same way that God has forgiven you. He chose to accept the payment of Christ on the cross as sufficient for every sin. And if you will accept the payment of Christ as well, then you can have victory over the anger and bitterness that has brought you to this point of wanting to end your life. To find out more, continue to read on.
