Tests into Testimony || Life is Worth Living || Part 6 (FINALE)

Welcome to Part 6 of our “Life is Worth Living” Bible study! This series is in honor of Suicide Awareness Month happening. I have found six stories in the Bible that talk about people asking God to die, wishing they would die, and the intense feelings that fall in between. I want to share their story and discuss how God can help us when we feel like they did. Some disclaimers before today’s blog begins:

• I AM NOT A THERAPIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, PSYCHIATRIST. I have an extensive knowledge of mental health understandings and biblical connections, and I want to share my own testimony and knowledge of how we can understand and wrestle with the topic of suicide from a theological perspective.
• IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH SUICIDAL THOUGHTS OR IDEATIONS, please contact your local helpline or seek a trusted person/counselor to walk alongside you:
  • You can call or text 988
  • You can call 911
  • You can reach the crisis text line by text at 741-741
  • If you’re outside of the US, please check out this Wikipedia link for resources in your country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines

In each part, I will provide a complete list of the people we’re talking about and where their stories can be found. I do this to provide transparency and a trigger warning for those sensitive to this topic. I will also begin to provide a 1-2 sentence synopsis of those parts for continuity purposes.

• Part 1:   Judas (Matthew 27:3-8)
  • Judas felt remorseful about his actions and was in a situation where even the church had turned their backs on him. However, God’s mercy is so vast that it can cover even the most significant mistakes. This story is a beacon of hope, reminding us that peace can be found in our struggles.
• Part 2:   Job (Job 3:11, 20-22)
  • Job, despite the immense grief he experienced due to the loss of his possessions and the death of his children, never turned his back on God. This story is a testament to the resilience that can be found in faith. It’s a reminder that no battle is lost with God guiding our path.
• Part 3:   Moses (Numbers 11:10-17)
  • Moses, overwhelmed by the burden he was carrying alone, was shown by God the importance of community. This story reminds us that we don’t have to carry our burdens alone. People and resources are available to help us; seeking them out is a sign of strength, not weakness.
• Part 4:   Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-8)
  • Elijah was worn out after intense spiritual battles that exhausted his physical strength and intense emotions. He was also running away from Jezebel and feared for his life. Elijah responded by taking a nap and getting some food and water. He could rest and replenish before God had him continue, showing us that it’s okay to stop and rest when we’re tired and overwhelmed.
• Part 5:   Jonah (Jonah 4:3-10)
  • Jonah was annoyed that God would spare the Ninevites of their sinful actions and embarrass him for not making the prophecy come true. Why would God give them mercy? Jonah learned that he was being selfish about the mercy he received for his obedience. God provides grace and mercy for all people! God sent Jesus to the world to receive that gift so that we could have eternal life, teaching us to release our judgment and embrace the love and compassion God gifts to us to those around us.
• Part 6:  The Jailor (Acts 16:27-34)

Today, we wrap up our series by discussing the jailor holding Paul and Silas. Paul and Silas were worshiping in prison, and God could shake the prison doors open and free them and all the prisoners. Yet, they stayed in their cells and continued to worship the God that freed them.

Acts 16:27-34

AMP	NLT	MSG
27 When the jailer, shaken out of sleep, saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.	27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.	27-28 Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!”
28 But Paul shouted, saying, “Do not hurt yourself, we are all here!”	28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 Then the jailer called for torches and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas	29The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.	29-31 The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!”
30 and after he brought them out [of the inner prison], he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”	30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 And they answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe].”	31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] to him and to all who were in his house.	32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.	32-34 They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part. They never did get to bed that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn’t wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family. There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration.
33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their bloody wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.	33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.
34 Then he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, since he had believed in God with his entire family [accepting with joy what had been made known to them about the Christ].	34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

The jailer drew his sword to kill himself because jailers were responsible for their prisoners and would be held accountable for their escape. Typically, in this culture, the jailer would be killed for failing to keep the prisoners locked up. He had immense guilt about his prisoners escaping, and he was ready to kill himself rather than let his death be a punishment for the town. This brings the reality for some of us that we’d rather harm ourselves than deal with the pain and the consequences of our actions or inaction (in the jailer’s case). We get so overwhelmed with the complex emotions that it’s hard for us to think or want to deal with them. Instead, we’d immediately overcome them and deal with the short-term pain rather than potentially work through and wrestle them over time. So, how did the jailer overcome it?

Paul stopped him. Paul cared for him so much that he would let him die for a truth that wasn’t true. Paul and Silas’s reputation in Philippi, where they were jailed, was well known. When the jailer recognized his mental status and emotional stability, he risked everything to find the answer to salvation. Paul and Silas shared with him the good news of salvation: to believe in Jesus and receive his salvation. We find salvation when we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior and trust him throughout our lives. If you never trusted in Jesus to save you, do so! It’s an easy and difficult decision all at the same time. Before the jailer received salvation, I wonder if he questioned himself: “Who am I to deserve this?” “I’ve messed up so much that God can’t love me?” “I don’t deserve to be saved.”

How many of us have asked those same questions? We can get so deep into the emotional trauma of what’s happened to us that we feel that it would be impossible to climb out of it or that we have to climb out of it ourselves. God is there to help you. It’s also important to recognize that a community is helpful. The jailer stopped himself because Paul called out to him. What would have happened if he didn’t? God will lead us to the right people and resources to help walk us through our emotional trauma and learn how to overcome and adapt to our world today. Our community is there to encourage and motivate us. Our resources are there to teach and guide us. Our God is there to do everything for and with us.

Paul and Silas took the family unit seriously, so the offer of salvation was extended to the jailer’s entire household – his family and servants. The jailer’s faith is not what saved them; they all needed to come to Jesus in faith and believe in him the same way the jailer did. It happened, though. His entire family believed, and all were saved. Don’t doubt God can use you to introduce Jesus to our unbelieving community. This isn’t saying God took you through this path because he needed you to share him with others. Yet, God will use all parts of your life for good. The jailer’s acceptance of salvation wasn’t enough to rescue his family and servants. Still, the jailer’s story encouraged them to follow in his footsteps of being saved. Your story, as painful as it was for you and possibly is to share, can help make a difference in someone’s life.

That wraps up our series on suicide awareness. Next week will be all devotionals to give us a break from the heavier topics of lust, sexuality immorality, and suicide before we dive into our next major study on the different descriptions of Hell. Until then, stay blessed!