"The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me." The word hell in this verse means grave or burial place. In our modern psychological terms this would be deep and prolonged depression. We have reached the end of our rope so to speak and no longer have the strength to even hang on. The depression has so consumed our soul that it stops even the chosen of God from applying the means of grace given by God to overcome this temporal world.

Unfortunately such deep sorrow can overtake even the Christian and they too find this is their place in life as we know it in the human sense. Where do we turn when there is none that understands, when we are all alone in the world, and our very life is draining from us and we seem unable to slow, much less stop the flow? To answer a question that often arises when this topic is discussed, can a Christian commit suicide? A very unqualified, yes, they most certainly can! Many will disagree, but such argument is for another place, here I want you to accept, we are mortal and have a foot in two worlds, such can happen to us. My purpose here is to attempt to apply God’s Word of love and salvation to the hurting soul so that this salve from heaven may bring health, and that now.

Do you understand that being a Christian that God does care about you? God so cares that He has numbered the very hairs of your head? God is sovereign and still interacts with His creation. God is so concerned and involved that not a single sparrow falls from the air that God does not so make note of it. The awesome God of creation knows you by name and loves you as none among men have or can. God is not only a father to His children, He is a friend that will never leave you alone to fall into total despair. God is the God of love and new beginnings. God can and will bring health and yes even prosperity in the spiritual sense to all who call upon His name, and that today. God knows your plight and is aware of your tears! God awaits your prayer for salvation, not in the eternal sense as we consider it here, but for deliverance from this present circumstance that has so troubled your soul.

Why does God allow His own people to be so deeply troubled? Why does God await the prayer of the saint for salvation from this darkness from hell that would consume the soul? We can add many other question that begin with the word why at this point. There are three answers, though two of them are so intertwined they are almost one.

First, God allows the circumstances of life to be the chastisement of His own in this world. The price of sin in terms of now, today, is human misery. The biblical rendering the price of sin is death deals with eternal salvation, and going to heaven. We are citizens of both worlds, and need to under stand this citizenship with responsibilities, benefits, and holding currency in both.

Second, we simply do not appreciate what we have until we don’t have it. Remember how "inconvenient" it was the last time your power or telephone service was interrupted? How often do you stop during the day and say thank you Lord for my electric power and telephone, or for that matter a million other things that make your life easier? In this sense there is a pedagogical or teaching element to the hard times and sufferings of this life.

Third is real close and interwoven into number two above. That is, we will not see our need for, nor that all is of God and it is only by His grace we exist, much less prosper until we see the underside of human life. We may sing the song, but the melody is not in our heart. It is only when we can see things from this perspective we can understand the words of Christ to take up our cross and follow Him. This isn’t a burden we assume. The cross represents death, so Christ in effect said take up your life and follow me. We have been given the opportunity to have freedom and control our own destiny so to speak for the first time since conception. Take your life and live in the household of the King as a member of the royal family is one fantastic word of salvation speaking temporally.

The Bible directs the Christian to examine their own life, to judge themselves. Yet, Christ says that from the darkened heart of man comes all evil, and the heart is the most deceitful thing in creation. But again, we see the Psalms speak of being given the desires of our heart. What is going on here, what is all this double talk about? The Bible addresses the heart of man and the heart of God’s people, Christians, they are different things. The healing salve of the Lord is only available to His own people, who know where they stand in His presence and boldly claim and live the promises given by grace from God the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. The regeneration of the Holy Spirit is thus real and tangible this side of heaven. The fact is we are new creatures in Christ! Now it is up to us to live like it!

That which then drives the ungodly into a rage and away from the God of grace brings us home, as we come to our senses and return to the house of our Father. The story of the Prodigal Son told by Christ is along this line of reasoning We have been in the world, we have known despair and lack of hope, by the power of the Spirit within all God’s children then, let us come to our senses and return to our creator God, our Father who does care and love us, and who in no way will cast out one of His own, and from whom none can remove the least of His children from His all powerful hand.

Why this foolishness of prayer to tell God what He already knows? Because this too is a test of obedience, and an exercise of the faith given by God. Remember the ruler who was angry when told by the prophet to go bathe himself in the Jordon River and he would be cleansed? This ruler was furious, he had traveled many miles to be told to bathe in muddy water when at home he had access to mighty rivers of clean water. As pointed out by his servant, if told to do a great deed he would have immediately embarked upon the quest. But the simple he refused because he didn’t understand it, thus didn’t believe. God says we are to do everything in prayer, so it is we do everything in prayer because God said do it this way.

God is here for you then in the very pit of hell. Turn to the Bible, the very Word of God and read it with prayer, trusting the author, who is God for the application and it will be that as the legendary Phoenix, you too will arise from the ashes of death to soar among the glory of the loftiest mountains, for our rock is God!

Lord, Remember me the most unworthy of Thy servants, in this season of doubt, and lift me from the hand of the devil that I might sing forth your praises before all men.

AMEN