There is a worldwide epidemic that is costing lives at an alarming rate. No, it’s not a virus or some other airborne illness. It can’t be traced to a bacterium or another type of “traditional” disease. Instead, the suicide epidemic is raging as millions of people around the globe struggle with their mental health. While mental health professionals are incredibly valuable, it’s also important to understand the spiritual aspect of suicide.
The statistics surrounding suicide are staggering. According to the CDC, suicide rates increased by 30% in the United States between 2000 and 2018. While those numbers did subside in 2019 and 2020, the number of people who take their own lives is still incredibly alarming. Suicide is still considered one of the leading causes of death in the United States, as 45,979 deaths were ruled as suicide in 2020. If that number doesn’t sound staggering enough, that is one person every 11 minutes. That is roughly 131 people every single day!
Suicide is also becoming even more of a problem among young people. When broken down by ages, suicide was the ninth-leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 10 and 64. When you break those age demographics down even further, it is the second leading cause of death for people between 10-14 and 25-34.
While we are going to discuss the spiritual aspects of suicide today, please, if you or someone you know is battling suicidal ideations, contact a mental health professional. Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can now be reached by dialing 988 on any phone. The organization recently dropped the 1-800 number that they had used for years in order to shorten the number, making it easier for people to remember.
While there is most certainly a spirit of suicide that is plaguing our nation and our world, it’s crucial to understand that it is also a mental health crisis. Seeking professional mental health does not indicate a lack of faith. Instead, it is an acknowledgement of the fact that God has blessed us with men and women who study and understand how the brain works, chemical imbalances, and other mental health illnesses that result in a tragic loss of life.
While getting the mental health help that you need, you can also tackle the spiritual aspect of suicide. The Bible teaches us that Satan has come to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). There is certainly no denying that suicide does all those things. Obviously, when someone ends their own life, they have been killed. But Satan uses wicked tools such as suicide to steal and destroy, as well. When someone makes the decision to end his or her own life, their family’s peace of mind is stolen, and a part of that family is permanently destroyed.
Today’s study will focus on the spiritual side of the problem, but again, seek professional help if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts. However, we can look at some of the lies that people who consider suicide have believed and combat them with truths from God’s Word.
You Aren’t Alone
Isaiah 41:8-10 (ESV)
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Do you ever feel like you’re all alone? One of the main reasons that people make the decision to take their own lives is because they believe that no one will care if they’re gone. First of all, this is rarely, if ever, true. If you weren’t here anymore, there are people in your life who would feel the impact of your absence. Those people would mourn you forever, constantly dealing with the impact of your decision.
However, you are not alone. Even if you feel like there are not people in your life who care about you, there is a God in Heaven who passionately, relentlessly pursues you every day of your life. The words that God spoke to Isaiah are just as important in our lives. Don’t be dismayed, don’t me afraid, because He is our God! He will strengthen you; He will help you, and when you feel like you don’t have the strength to go on, He will uphold you with His hand.
Don’t believe that lie that you are alone or that no one cares about you. You are loved by your Father in Heaven.
Your Life Has Value
Psalm 139:13-14 (TPT)
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are you works; my soul knows it very well.
Have you ever felt like your life isn’t worth much? In the 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a character named George Bailey had made the decision to end his own life. Before he did, an angel appeared and showed George what the world would have looked like without him in it. While we don’t have the time or space to break down the entire film, the overall storyline hinges on the value of a single life.
David understood that concept thousands of years before Jimmy Stewart played one of his most famous roles. While we don’t know that David had ever reached the point of suicidal thoughts, there was something that caused him to sit back and evaluate his own value.
Remember, David’s family didn’t place a lot of value on him. When Samuel came to anoint a new king, they didn’t even think enough of David to bring him into the room. Instead, they left him in the field. When he fought Goliath, his brothers thought so little of him that they mocked him for even coming to the battlefield.
If you are doubting the value of your life, remember that you were handcrafted by God. Additionally, take some time and think about what other peoples’ lives would look like without you. You will soon understand that you are valuable.
You Have a Purpose
Ephesians 2:10 (TPT)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which god prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Finally, it’s important to realize that you have a purpose. God didn’t just put you on this planet to take up some space. You may have heard it said that we’re only here to “pay taxes and die,” but that’s simply not true. We’ve already established that God took the time to handcraft you, weaving together your innermost parts in your mother’s womb. Why would He do that if He didn’t have a plan and a purpose for your life? He wouldn’t!
It’s easy to become so caught up in our difficulties that we lose hope for our future. One of the most important things that anyone can have is a purpose. Purpose is that thing that causes you to wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, wash your face, and start the day. Purpose is that thing that keeps you going when it feels like you’re spinning your wheels.
Even if you don’t fully understand what your purpose is right now, you have one! It’s crucial that you understand that the magnitude of your purpose isn’t based on your comparison to other people. Even if you never stand in front of thousands and preach the Gospel, you have purpose. Even if you don’t write a book that changes peoples’ lives, you have a purpose.
Your purpose is based on God’s plan for you, and when you understand that purpose, you know that your life has infinite value.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please help me to get past the thoughts of self-harm that have flooded my mind. I know that You love me, You have created me, and You have a purpose for me. In Christ’s name, Amen.