#183 The prison within (26th april 08)

Blessed is the people who know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day; and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength.......For the Lord is our defence...'

Psalm 89:15-17



Every 30 seconds, someone somewhere in the world makes the fatal decision to end his or her own life. That person is someone's child, parent, spouse, or friend...'

(quote from the Daily Bread Discovery Series titled "When you are left behind - surviving the aftermath of suicide")



As I placed onto paper or more like bytes these thoughts that God has placed in my heart to share with all, I am reminded that my closest experience to death(other than a couple of close shaves in my own blessed life) is that of having journeyed with a few late but still cherished friends who have since left, prayerfully all to be with the Lord.

But these were due to illnesses rather than a deliberate choice to end it all.



'Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

Which long for death but cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures.

Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?'

Job 3:20-22



Today, was a joyous occasion for me to renew friendship, over lunch, with an old schoolmate after almost two decades of incommunicado. It was however tinged with a bit of sadness to hear the news that her loved one died last year, by choice rather than otherwise.



God works in interesting ways. Knowing that such issues are quite alien to me, He educates me. This same day, in the evening, I received in the mail, this booklet titled as above " When you are left behind - surviving the aftermath of suicide"



'I can of mine own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will; but the will of the Father which hath sent me'

John 5:30



Enlightenment for me did not come from sitting under the canopy of a big tree. It did not come from staring hard at an even colder and harder rock-face. And thankfully it came not from my own understanding nor that of others. But in seeking God in His words, in being in His presence in prayer and worship or just being still, in being determined to live the life that He has commanded us all to, living out the fruits of the Spirit ie love, kindness, selflessness, patience, contentment.....



My imperfect and sinful self was no hindrance to the Spirit of God working that indescribable joy and and peace in my life, a mind that is renewed in the Lord, a life that stands firm upon the rock our God, in this difficult and sinful world.



'Blessed is te man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sittteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night'

Psalm 1:1-2



As Mart De Haan shared in his short leaflet on 'Personal Bible Reading," spending a lot of time in the Bible today may not be possible, necessary or even advisable. But thinking throughout the day about what is important to God is critical to our spiritual well-being.



Disillusions come when one is gripped by the delusions of the devil. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown us by example the need to look to God always, for to look otherwise would be to expose our self-deceiving minds to the machinations of the deceitful devil who wants our very soul with him in Hell.



'The Lord have called thee in righteousness..........To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house'

Isaiah 42:6-7



In the same booklet, the author said that suicides occur because the protagonists believe that the only way out of the prison of misery was to end their lives.



As I end this sharing, while never intending it to be a trilogy, ie my last 3 sharings titled "Panacea" "Lonely Planet" and now "The prison within"



It is apt to remind ourselves that all that the world can offer is never suffice to even come near to filling that vacumn in our lives.

A 'gaping hole' that caused so much angst and despair that many try to escape from by ending their lives.



And yet it need not have to end in suicide. For while many still feel that deep dread of loneliness and hopelessness in the midst of this very crowded planet, we need never be alone , if we look to the source of all comfort and grace, Our God.



Just like the RBC ministries to real prisoners in Thailand, many of these once lost souls have found renewed hope and vigor in the good news of the gospel and in the love shown by God's chosen people. They are still in prison yet not imprisoned.



What about many of us?? What about your loves ones?



Can we come out of the prison that is within our hearts. Can we shout 'Eureka' or more like "Hallelujah" ie that shout of unfettered inner joy when we are sanctified by the very presence of our loving Father in Heaven, in our hearts, where light shines forth into what was once darkness in our lives.



God Blesses



Eng Hieang