Hope for Despairing Ones

“ALL the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) These words of the apostle Paul come to mind when we learn that a major problem of suicidal people is despair, a lack of hope. Does not “the comfort from the Scriptures” remove that despair? In countless cases, yes. For example, consider:

One young woman had actually turned on the gas in order to kill herself when one of Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked at her door and gave her a new hope from the Bible.

Another girl, whose hopes for the future were dashed when she was paralyzed in an automobile accident, made several suicide attempts. Then Jehovah’s Witnesses helped her to find “comfort from the Scriptures,” and she was able to hope once more.

Again, an elderly man’s wife died just before their 50th wedding anniversary. The man was very depressed and was actually preparing the poison he was planning to take when Jehovah’s Witnesses called at his door and showed him how the Bible message could give him a new purpose in life.

These people learned to “hope in Jehovah; [to] be courageous.” (Psalm 27:14) They learned to lean on him for strength, to ‘throw their burden upon Jehovah, who would sustain them.’ (Psalm 55:22) They also learned of Jehovah’s purposes for the future, and as that wonderful panorama unfolded before them, their present situation seemed less important, less overwhelming. Yes, for them, “the comfort from the Scriptures” was a real lifesaver.

What, though, if someone suffers strong feelings of guilt, or lacks joy, and concludes that “the God who gives hope” must have abandoned him? (Romans 15:13) Is there any “comfort from the Scriptures” for such a person? Yes. “Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” (Psalm 34:18) Truly, he does not abandon them.

Feelings of Guilt

For example, it is understandable if someone who has committed a serious sin should doubt for a while whether God will ever forgive him. When the shock of realizing what has been done sinks in, he may feel like the worst and most unworthy person in the world. But while Jehovah hates sin he has mercy on sinners who are truly sorry and cease their wrong course. Such persons he forgives “in a large way.”​—Isaiah 55:7.

Ancient King David knew this. He wrote: “For you, O Jehovah, are good and ready to forgive; and the loving-kindness to all those calling upon you is abundant.” (Psalm 86:5) David lived a long life of faithfulness, but during it he committed some very serious sins indeed. Nevertheless, on each occasion, when he came to his senses and realized what he had done, he sincerely repented and approached God in prayer, confident that God would forgive him.​—Psalm 51:9-12.

While we would not want to imitate the sins of King David, if we do commit a sin, we can imitate his deep, heartfelt repentance, freely admit that what we did was wrong, and have faith in Jehovah’s willingness to forgive us.​—1 John 2:1, 2.

Is it not, though, proof of the withdrawal of God’s spirit if a Christian feels no joy or peace of mind for some reason? Not necessarily. While Christians are a joyful people, they may still suffer anguish at times. Even Jesus did, such as in the garden of Gethsemane just before he died. The Bible record says: “But getting into an agony he continued praying more earnestly; and his sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) Do you ever feel guilty because you sometimes experience agony of spirit due to the various trials that you have to face? If so, you should look for comfort from Jehovah, just as Jesus did.

But is it not wicked for a Christian to want to die? Well, do you remember how Job felt when he was depressed? He suffered an agonizing sickness, was tormented by false friends and believed that Jehovah had abandoned him. Hence, he groaned out loud: “My soul certainly feels a loathing toward my life.” (Job 10:1; 14:13) To Job, death seemed to be a restful escape from his agony, rather than the enemy that it truly is.​—1 Corinthians 15:26.

If Job had gone ahead and tried, in his torment, to end his life, that would have been a grave sin. But when a person is desperately unhappy or emotionally disturbed, he cannot always control the thoughts that come into his mind. Nevertheless, if we find ourselves dwelling on thoughts of death or constantly wishing that we were dead, we should view this as a warning. It is time to do something quickly. What?

‘Go for Help’

A young woman experienced severe financial and marital problems. In the midst of one crisis, she took an overdose of drugs, which she happily survived. Reflecting on why she did it, she now says: “I think the problem is that I did not let anybody know how I was feeling. I did not plan the attempt. Things just built up inside until I impulsively did this thing.” Her advice? “Go to others for help before you reach that point.”

That is sound advice. Sometimes when we are under emotional strain our burdens may seem too heavy to carry. Our guilt, grief or hopelessness may be just too weighty. But we are not expected to carry our burdens alone. Through the apostle Paul, Jehovah God commands: “Go on carrying the burdens of one another.” (Galatians 6:2) Others want to help. They may have the obligation to help. But they often will not know how much you need help unless you tell them.

A young girl, three of whose friends committed suicide, asked in anguish: “How could we have known? . . . How could we have been there when they needed us if we never knew how they felt?” It may be agonizingly difficult to speak to others about your problems. But you may be surprised how easily the words flow after a start has been made. And be assured that others do want to help. Let us see who some of these others are.

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Think of Others

A young girl who considered suicide explained what held her back from going through with it: “Pain, sorrow and guilt are what suicides leave behind​—a lot more devastating and lasting than the problems that seemed unbearable to them.”​—Matthew 7:12.

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Things Will Get Better

“Nothing in this world lasts forever. . . . We know that relief is near at hand.” This thought led one individual to reject the idea of suicide.

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A Change of Mind

Dr. Herbert Hendin states that over the years he got to know four people who had jumped off high buildings and had survived. Two of them said that the moment they jumped they wanted to change their mind.​—Suicide in America, by Herbert Hendin, M.D.