This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Its purpose is to inform and help prevent suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death in many age groups. Depression and anxiety are serious medical concerns but Christians don’t seem to want to address them. Yes, many Christians struggle with anxiety and depression and some succumb to suicide. But shouldn’t Christians have some sense of inner peace that keeps this from happening?
Christians should have peace but it’s not always that simple. When I was in my lowest place, my battle cry was Isaiah 26:3-4, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” I would pray that verse in some of my darkest moments. I would pray until I believed it. But it would take years before it was rooted in my heart.
1 Peter 5:8 says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The devil is after God’s children. He hates them and wants them to falter. He often disguises himself as an angel of light, confusing people to think things which are destructive would actually be good for you.
But where there is a lack of peace – both external conflicts and a lack of peace within – you can know that the devil is at work. The Bible tells Christians to be ready to take action. To be sober-minded. Peter is saying “Wake up! Be on guard! Be watchful. Pay attention” Peter is telling the people he is writing to this because they have an enemy that is after them, trying to harm them and stop them from sharing God’s love with others.
We have an enemy and are at war. Satan would want nothing more than for us to despair of life and harm ourselves. He wants us to live in fear. But… WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR because we have already won the war! We won when Jesus died in our place to save us from our sins. All we have to do is trust in HIm and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
In Jesus, we have peace. One of the pieces of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 is “shoes fitted with the readiness” that comes from the gospel of peace. God gives us His peace so that we can walk through the battle and come out safe on the other side.
John 14:27 says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, help is available. Dialing 988 will get you through to the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Also, please purchase a copy of my book Love in the Breaking: My Journey Through Anxiety and Depression available at Amazon. This would also make a great gift to someone who is struggling, so pick up a copy for a friend as well!
May God bless you and keep you and may his face shine upon you all the days of your life!
Jacob Orr 
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