A Light in Darkness

Have you ever been in darkness so deep that you could not even imagine what light would look like? Or been so far underwater your lungs burned and still you could not see the surface? Have you ever been in fire so hot that you could not remember a cool drink of water? Or sadness so intense you could not believe in happiness?

Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; don’t be deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger…

Psalm 39:12

We live in a fallen world. Not just that I am fallen, that I have sinned. We are fallen. All of us. Even nature was cursed at the fall. Because of that, illness exists. Cancer. Ebola. Depression. Mental Illness. The common cold. Uncommon super bacteria.

You are God, my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Psalm 43:2

David understood. He knew oppression and depression. He understood the dark night of the soul. He knew what despair felt like, and to our benefit, he wrote about. We don’t ever need to feel alone. I think that he and Robin Williams would have been good friends. They would have a shared experience.

So, why does the church turn a blind eye to mental illness? We take dinner to those recovering from surgeries and do what we can to support those fighting cancer. We turn our heads and pretend the schizophrenic doesn’t exist. Depression is seen as a spiritual deficiency. Not all of us, of course, but as a church we’re okay with the fighting of addictions but rarely mention mental illness.

The church needs to reach out to those who are broken, regardless of how we are broken. There is no shame in admitting we are wounded and need healing.

It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Matt. 9:12-13

The church, the body of the Great Physician, is called to compassion. We are to follow the example of the Good Samaritan and reach down to heal the wounded. Just as it was not the fault of the man who had been robbed that he was wounded, so the dark is not the fault of the one who is lost in it. We need to reach out and help the sick rejoice because there is a Doctor in the house.

We were all shocked by the death of Robin Williams this week. The thought of a man who brought so many so much laughter being unable to find any reason to keep living is incredibly sad. There is hope in Jesus. There is hope in Jesus alone. As the arms of Jesus, we need to reach out. We need to stop condemning the sick, and help them find healing. We need to share hope.

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor. 4:6