Are you feeling physically and mentally dead today? I am not talking about being tired or exhausted. No, I mean you feel a 100 lb. weight has dragged you down to the depths of despair. If you can currently relate, please read on. This deadness is a dark place; a deep emotional place of depression. One cannot stay in this state of mind for very long before something drastic happens. Either you succumb to this heaviness of nothing good, or someone pulls you out the mire, saving you from extinction.

I used to feel this heaviness, a weight so burdensome that I didn’t want to live any more – at 13 years old! What brings someone to such a depth? For me, it was being molested by a family member, then being dropped off far away from home at a boarding school with just a few of my belongings. It was the feeling of being abandoned yet again, and unwanted. It was the heartache of not feeling loved. I saw an easy way out with a rope in a tree one day, and nearly hung myself. Thankfully, the Lord did not allow this to happen, because He had not abandoned me, He wanted me, and He definitely loved me.

Jesus revives people – he brought them back to life both literally and figuratively, then and today.

In Luke, we read about 2 different instances where Jesus had a direct impact in the lives of men: one was on the brink of death, and the other had already died.

“There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.”
This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Luke 17:2-17

Can you imagine how those 2 men felt after Jesus intervened on their behalf? He physically healed them and brought them back from death’s door, not to mention how they were affected mentally and spiritually as well as a result. Their lives were never the same! They were given another chance to relish this life, and the freedom of serving the One who saved them.

If you are in need of a Savior to bring you back to life, Jesus is your answer. He alone can and will reach down to you, and save you from those depths of despair and darkness. He is that light that you need in your life to shine in your heart! If you don’t have that, then call on Jesus today. He IS alive, He IS close, and He DOES love you will all of his heart. You are not alone, you are not too far gone for him to help you, and He will always be there for you.

Jesus, I thank You SO much, from the depths of my heart, for loving me; for not allowing me to die on that tree, for taking my place on that tree long ago, for forgiving and healing me, and for being my best friend. Your love for me far exceeds any I can understand, and I want to share that type of love with others who are struggling to accept it. Please hear the cries of those who are in a dark place today. Let them know You are there, and that You will heal them, care for them, and give them a testimony of life that they can in turn share with others. Thank you.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

Reach out to someone today who needs this love of Jesus.

Food for thought: Here is a link for help in depression. Faithful Counseling provides professional mental health treatment from a Biblical perspective. Their goal is to increase psychological and spiritual wholeness.

Fun(?) facts: We cannot truly know how many people Jesus healed in his days. The Gospels record just a few, and in many cases do not give account of the specific number of those healed. What we do know is that Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the sick, the lame, the lepers, those with demons, those with lifelong disorders, and some of those who were dead or mostly dead. Since He is alive today, and his Spirit is among us, we have the same power in Jesus’ powerful name to do these same things for those around us who are suffering.

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – Rising light at sunset

The darkness is distinctly separate from the light, especially as the rays of light rise and point toward the heavens!
Darkness cannot overtake the light, but the light always shines through the darkness.