pWhen a loved one dies by suicide, with grief comes an extra load of unanswerable questions. ‘What should I have said or done differently?’ ‘Why didn’t they appreciate how much this would hurt us?...’ Those feelings and questions will take time, and God’s grace, to resolve.br /
Those who have lost a loved one through suicide often wrestle with these questions, so we hope looking at them might help.br /
‘How does God feel about people who commit suicide?’ God’s plan is not suicide. Not for anyone. But equally, nobody understands better than He does the pain and despair that could lead someone to want to escape from their suffering. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is constantly ‘moved with compassion’ for people. And today’s verse describes how God feels about us when we’re feeling like a snapped plant-stem, or a faint glow where there was once a proud flame: He’s for us, not against us.br /
‘Are those who commit suicide somehow not allowed into heaven?’ In Matthew 12:31-32, the Bible lays out the only ‘unforgivable’ sin. It isn’t suicide. Like we said (and we’ll say it again) God’s plan is not suicide. He has more for each of us than that. But He loves every person beyond suicide, too. Those of us who are already grieving don’t need to add that particular worry to our loads, thank heaven. Read Romans 8:38-39. Suicide can’t stop God’s overflowing love, or undo the salvation His love bought for us./p
pWhat now?br /
Some people are hurting right now. Make prayer time today for those who have lost loved ones, and for those struggling who may even be considering suicide. Come, Lord Jesus, to each of them, we pray./p