You have probably read in recent news that Canada’s health care system is now planning to broaden the scope of their, already in place, medically assisted suicide. The plan is to make it far easier to end one’s life. The proposed plan for 2023 is to actually make it available to children as well. Stunning? Yes! To be very clear, Canada is just one of many countries, to date, that have legalized assisted suicide.
The general consensus is that despair is driving this growing scourge. Samuel Mangold-Lenett, in an article titled, “No, Killing People Is Not A Humane Solution For The West’s Epidemic Of Despair”, wrote, “Western civilization is in a state of lethargic malaise, marriage rates and population growth are decreasing rapidly while obesity, recreational substance use, overdose, and instances of major depressive episodes are increasing. There are few better analogs for the state of Western dissatisfaction and widespread personal anguish than the seemingly ever-increasing number of people who die from despair.”
Despair is best described as a complete loss of hope. What is the solution to this deadly malaise? The answer lies in the spiritual realm. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Our God is a God of hope. The future for believers is stunningly bright — eternal life where happiness and peace will only increase continually. Just ahead is the opportunity to assist Christ in bringing hope to millions of people who now are presently swallowed up, or nearly so, with despair! The Holy Spirit, which we now have access to, will soon be poured out at Christ’s return on all those who will be humbled and subsequently brought to repentance.
The thing driving the present malaise is the other spirit — the spirit of this world. As believers of God, we can tune into that spirit also, if we allow it. We, too, can have bouts of despair. King David did. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance” (Psalm 42:5). Lots of things can get us down, especially problems that linger. David could have been thinking of Saul’s pursuance of himself. We can get down over whatever circumstance it is that we face in life: relational, health, financial or sin, etc. Like David, we need to continually refocus on the source of all our solutions — God. Confidence in Him is our spiritual solution.
God made all people physical. Given time, we will all die a physical death. The only question is in how we meet the end. Through Solomon, God says, “The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: But the righteous hath hope in his death (Proverbs14:32). The wicked do not leave life cheerfully, whether because they want to cling to it or because they want to end it by assisted murder. The righteous, however, leave it full of the very hope of God!
Marshall Stiver
