Have you ever felt so hopeless that you didn’t want to live?
May 2024
“Two are better than one, for they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his companion: but woe unto him that is alone when he falls, for he hath not another to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Bite-size version
- Joy was so depressed that she attempted suicide and failed.
- I began praying with her over the phone.
- God did an amazing thing in her heart!
- She now says, “I am very happy now. God is really good.”
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In April of 2023, I met Joy*. We had only been in Thailand for a couple of weeks. On the outside, Joy seemed to have a good life. Although she had a loving husband, a caring son, and a stable job, she was lonely, frustrated, sad, and bitter. She became so overwhelmed by her negative thoughts and feelings that she attempted suicide and failed. She was hospitalized for a time and then released. The doctors helped her heal physically, but could not help her emotionally or spiritually. No one at church knew how to help her either.
Shortly after her suicide attempt, I met Joy at church. It was our first time at this small church. Concerned church members approached us and asked us to pray for her. We had a special time of prayer for her, but I knew it was not enough. She needed a friend and she needed Jesus. My husband encouraged me to befriend her and pray with her. I was hesitant because I was still trying to adjust to moving to Thailand (we arrived on March 31st) and I had four children to focus on. I also wasn’t sure if I was mentally or emotionally equipped to help her. But I knew that God was Joy’s only Physician. So I reached out to Joy and asked if we could pray together twice a day, trusting God to heal her broken heart. My heart went out to her because I knew that her deep emotional pain had led her to attempt suicide. I didn’t have the answer to her problem. I had no experience in helping someone with this issue other than my own personal struggles. I didn’t feel like I had much to offer, but I realized that my job was to talk to her about God’s love and faithfulness. So we prayed, talked, and texted for more than nine months (from July 2023 to April 2024).
As I talked with Joy, I focused less on the problem and more on the solution. I didn’t need to know all the details of her problems, and she didn’t want to share them. I learned that there were some financial problems, but we didn’t talk about them. I found out that she was lonely because her husband works seven hours away from her and they hardly see each other. She also suffered from negative thoughts and feelings. I have had my own struggles with negative thoughts/feelings and loneliness, so I could really empathize with her.
I have been to counseling, but that does not mean I am qualified to counsel. But I am learning how to love and pray. In July of 2023, we started praying together twice a day. When we couldn’t pray together, I would send a voice message where I would read a devotional (or share) and pray. I poured out my heart in prayer for her. Joy did not pray and barely spoke during those calls, but I know she heard and appreciated every word. I told Joy that I believed God would do great things and that God had an amazing plan for her. I told her that even if she didn’t believe, I believed for her because of what God had done in my life. Every time I prayed for Joy, I received a blessing! It was amazing how inspired I became and how my thoughts and feelings changed as I prayed for Joy. God taught me how to pray and I prayed deeper, more meaningful, more heartfelt prayers each time. I prayed with Joy for over a month and God worked a miracle…
I don’t know when or what happened, but as Joy listened to my testimonies of God’s faithfulness, the Bible promises, and my prayers, God did an amazing thing in her heart. In May of 2024, I asked Joy, “How are you?” She said, “I have completely surrendered everything to God. Even though most of the time I would ask God, ‘WHY?’ (because of the trials). Then, in the back of my mind, I hear God saying that His plans are better than our plans. Just wait. I am very happy where I am now. I’m happy in school. I’m happy with my new students. And most of all, I am with my sister and mother, even though my husband lives far away. I never feel lonely or alone when I go home. Indeed God is really good. He knows what is best for us even though most of the time it tests our patience.”
Joy now has hope and faith because of God’s love and faithfulness. She doesn’t sound sad anymore. She sounds happy. She doesn’t focus on her failures and sadness. Even though her circumstances haven’t changed, her heart and mind are focused on God’s love instead of her pain.
I thank God for using me to help someone who was struggling while I was struggling with my own life. Helping someone else helped me to rise above my own struggles and look to God.
*Joy’s name has been changed to protect her identity and privacy.
PERSONAL CHALLENGE: How about you? Do you struggle with your identity? Do you know who you are and why you are here? If not, please get in touch with us. We would love to talk to you. We can also connect you with a free, experienced Christian counselor.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray for Joy and her family. Joy’s husband lives and works in a distant city. They only see each other a few times a year.
- Pray that her husband will find a job in the same city.
- Pray for her son who lives and studies in another country.
- Pray for those who are struggling with depression, especially in Thailand. There are many people who turn to alcohol to cope with their pain.
“Heavenly Father, I praise You because You healed Joy’s heart from her pain. You restored her faith in You. You taught her how to look at You instead of her pain. I ask that You continue to be with Joy and strengthen her love for You. I pray for her husband to find a job close to Joy so they can live together again. Please be with her son as he studies nursing. Teach him to heal not only the body, but also the heart and mind. Please be with those in Thailand who are struggling with depression. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!”
This song reminded me of what happened with Joy. It is one of my favorite songs.
HYMN: Love Lifted Me (If you are not familiar with this hymn, listen to it here.)
1. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
Refrain:
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help, Love lifted me!
2. All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling,
In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service, too, to Him belongs.
3. Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves,
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves;
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.
#prayer #ministry #twentythree #twentyfour