How to interrupt a suicide
Every week thousands of people try to kill themselves because they’ve lost hope. If you were to stumble across someone just as they were attempting suicide, what would you tell them?
This happened a few days ago to our World Race team (Team Nessa – in the picture at right) in a remote part of Africa where the man had driven in his truck when the team encountered him. Stephanie tells it from God’s perspective and Linnea tells the story as the team experienced it:
“We put the equipment away. When we got back to the house, we ate lunch, and then we hopped in the Land Rover and drove toward the cave.
Stumbling up dirt roads, in an extremely remote area, we came upon a nice-looking pick-up truck. As we approached, we realized there was someone in the truck. As we started to drive by, Trompie yells, “there’s a hose going into the car!”
He immediately backs up, hops out of the car, opens the man’s car door, turns his car off, and grabs the key. Scott jumped out and pulled the hose out of the rear window, and out of the exhaust line. This man was attempting suicide.
As Trompie spoke with the man in Afrikaans, we stood around, praying, until Trompie told us to take a walk to a lookout. We did this and when we got there, just kept praying… praying against the darkness, the curses over his life, illness, and sending it to the pit of hell. We prophesied life over this man, I said, “today he’s met God, this is his road to Damascus (and yes, his name was Paul), he’s been given rebirth on the day God chose to bring me into the world.”
I couldn’t help but cry. It was a really emotional time for us all. We all prayed healing over Paul. Then we heard a whistle.
We came back to the cars. Trompie asked us if we’d pray with Paul. I told him, “there is no reason at all we should be up in the middle of nowhere, except that it’s my birthday and we were having a day of fun. There’s no reason I should be in South Africa, except that God called me out on this trip over a year ago.”
Paul broke down as I broke down. This is God’s grace. Not that a man should feel embarrassed about his sin, but that we surround him and tell him about God’s great love for him. God decided to use what Satan intended for harm, to be used for His glory!
The rest of the girls prayed, and then Scott asked Paul if someone he knows prays for him. Paul answered that his wife must be. We found out that his wife is a Christian, just as Paul admits to being one. Scott explained that his wife must be doing major battle in the heavenlies for him, because we were sent on this mission today. We didn’t have a clue, however, as we thought we were just coming up here to check out caves.
In the end, Trompie gave him his keys back, asked him what he should do with the hose. Paul offered it to Trompie, and he gladly accepted it as a reward from heaven. I looked at Paul and Trompie talking and saw a new relationship… a father-son relationship forming. It was a work that only God could do. Paul drove away, with a renewed hope. We drove away absolutely in awe of what God had just done. I am grateful to God, for my life, for allowing me to do His work, letting me be his hands and feet, for rebirth, and especially for grace.”
Comments (7)
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this is an awesome story.
I do not know who you are or even where you are from. I stumbled upon your blog quite randomly, but it is such an ecouragement to see all that God is doing where you are. I will be praying for you.
Grace and peace,
Crystal
God is soooo AWESOME!!!
What an inspiring story about how God works!
Wow! This story gives me goosebumps! God is good. It’s awesome that he used a day of fun to help this man. My husband’s family is currently experiencing loss due to a suicide. It’s so hard to understand. I’m so thankful that Paul has a new lease on life!
We are following my nephew Josh on his “World Trip” and I came across this story. I’m sitting at work in my comfortable office and I can’t imagine how one becomes so hopeless. Thank God for using your team to “save” this man. You were truly God’s chosen vessels. You will be blessed. I’ll keep you all in my daily prayers.
Found your blog and this post by “accident” today. This is the way my Father committed suicide.
Praise God you and your crew obeyed the leading of the Lord that day and snatched this man out of the jaws of Satan.
Would that many more of us Christians would do so …
Many Blessings 🙂
Ace
joyandgrace.blogspot.com