“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone.” ~ Robin Williams
Sometimes the impact of LIFE hits hard. I spent the last two days in Catania, Sicily with The Sweetheart. The sweet missionaries we are staying with encouraged us to take a short trip to Sicily, it is so close to Malta, flights are cheap and it only takes 40 minutes to get there. We had hoped to meet up with some national pastors but their schedule didn’t work out this time. But we prayed we would be able to do more than just sight-see and God made a way for us to witness for His name (I’ll share that story soon!) and intercede in a desperate situation. This is a plea to the desperate.
Catania sits at the bottom of Mt. Etna and right on the Iconian Sea. The beauty is unsurpassed friends, it is breathtaking.
We made a trek up to Mt. Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. In the late 1600’s, the city of Catania was nearly wiped out by a volcanic eruption that took 16,000 of the 20,000 living in the city! We took a tour bus to the top, about 1 ½ hours straight up. I will write about that in a day or two…pictures are AH-MAZ-ING!
Back on the ground the next morning we witnessed something entirely opposite.
Heading down Via Etnea, the main thoroughfare through Catania, we came upon a large gathering of people all looking upward and we were trying hard to focus on what had grabbed their attention.
Then we saw him.
Dangling on a pedestal on top of a roof, four stories high, was a young, teenage boy about to take his own life. (You can see him at the very top, on the middle limestone pedestal with his leg hanging over the side.)
We could see he was desperate, he kept motioning for those that were trying to talk him down to get back or he would jump.
I have never witnessed anything of this nature and The Sweetheart kept saying, “Let’s go, let’s just go, you don’t want this scene in your mind the rest of your life.” He was a nervous wreck but yet we knew we had to pray. Someone had to pray!!
We began to intercede for this young man, praying in the Holy Ghost and asking God to intervene on His behalf. There was no net, no fire department to help as of yet. Friends, it was intense.
What makes a soul so desperate to leave this earthly life?
This is the way of the lost soul. The soul without Jesus Christ. There is desperation, there is extreme anxiety and frustration. To them, there is nothing that will make it better; nothing you can do or say that will ease their hurt and anger. You can make no promise that they will believe.
The world is in turmoil. There is fear on every hand; threats of war, famine, unemployment, hunger, drought, and of course ISIS. It is real around the world, not just in places like Italy, Malta, South African and Libya. This danger is global and getting worse.
No wonder people who have no hope are intimidated by the enemy into thinking that suicide is their only recourse! The devil wants to put desperation and fear into every heart that will listen and then he stands there, ready to push them over the edge where we know, and he knows, is everlasting darkness.
We must rescue, we must intercede!
Watching this scene unfold before us, and praying as hard as we have ever prayed in our lives, a policeman and another unidentified man had crept up to the floor just below the young man. He could not see them since he was perched on this pedestal on his stomach with his legs dangling.
The man you see in the blue t-shirt then jumped up to the ledge, risking his life for sure, and with all of his strength shoved the young man as hard as he could to the safety of the balcony.
And the crowd roars.
Are you feeling that desperation in your life at this moment? Have pressures from just trying to get by weighed you down so much that you see no way out? Friend, there is HOPE.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. “ 1 Peter 5:7.
Jesus Christ gave HIS LIFE so you wouldn’t ever have to take your own. When He died on Calvary’s cross, He did away with the need for sacrifice, He paid the price, the ultimate price for YOUR salvation and mine. Look at this promise He left with us:
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24.
There is nothing in this life worth taking matters into your own hands in desperation. Jesus truly offers a way out; He is the way! He promises to never leave or forsake us even though times are difficult; they may prove discouraging, frustrating and just plain hard at times. Yet He promises to walk with us through EVERYTHING, bringing Hope, Peace and Comfort in our most challenging circumstances.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11.
Not only is there hope in this life but He offers eternal salvation and hope for eternity! Yes, things will get better even if it is not in this life. There is no peace that compares with the peace of God. It can carry you through ANYTHING!
“The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17.
He will quiet you with His love; bringing the security that you are desperately seeking. And then…Hope for today and the promise of living with our Savior in perfect peace for all eternity.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4. NLT
If you are desperate today, please feel welcome to email me if you need guidance to a Bible-believing church or need prayer. Reach out to family, friends or a pastor; someone who will help you find Hope in Jesus Christ. He loves you more than you can imagine and desires to set you free and give joy unspeakable in the midst of your trouble.
If you are struggling with believing you are forgiven, or feel as if you cannot come back to God, please read my post If God has Forgiven me, why can’t I Forgive Myself here.
First of all, the song, “All the Poor and Powerless” is one of my all-time favorite worship songs, Nannette. It’s a beautiful reminder that even at our poorest, God is there to lift us up and love us. I’m so glad that someone was there to help lift this man up to that balcony–not just the man who physically pushed him, but you and Doug! You were brought there to that moment for just such a giant-sized, eternal task! Thanks for sharing your wonderful pics and all the perils that you are a part of on this adventure to serve the Lord, my friend!
Glad I dropped down to this post…powerful.
What a sad situation that you witnessed but probably more common than we realize. Thank you for sharing this message of hope on The Art of Home-Making Mondays!
Wow… That’s a life altering situation! Glad your prayers were answered. You’re right of course, there is no hope outside of God and human enlightenment leads to death now and forever.
Powerful lesson and post. I wasn’t there and the vision is embedded in my mind…
Such a powerful post. I’m so glad that that young man’s life was spared, and I surely hope he finds the help he needs for his pain. I’m sure that your prayers of intercession played a role in his rescue.
But yes, it’s sad isn’t it, how many desperate people there are in the world. The world itself has become a desperate place, and it’s scary and painful to live in it sometimes. So many are lost and broken, so many need a Savior.
I am grateful for His salvation, and for the hope that it brings to my life. May we be ever more bold to share His Good News with a world full of people who need Him so…
GOD BLESS.
(No irony that your quote came from Robin Williams – such a tragedy).
Wow, what a sobering experience! There are so many who have no hope… and it is easy to ignore them or just forget about them as we live our everyday lives. We do need to be concerned for their eternity… and their hope…. I’m so glad you interceded for him.
Thank you for Good Morning Mondays! I am loving it ♥ I agree, the Pusher was a Hero and a very brave man. I pray the young man finds the help he needs and ultimately finds God.
Hi Mary…loved unconditionally, we all want it, we can all have it! Not happy the incident happened but we are glad we are there…we know prayer made a difference and we definitely learned a few things that day. Much love to you!!
I loved your post too Carrie, so good about the likes we seek after every day! Everyone wants to be loved but when we have the unconditional love of God already what are we seeking after? Thank you for your insight. God bless!
So true Cheryl!! Those we do not see but are just as desperate and hopeless as you said. We sure are not patting ourselves on the back but giving God glory for saving this young man…now that he would find true salvation! Much love friend ♥
I believe in prayer…I’m sure there were several praying, surely no one was wanting to see a different outcome. God help us. I think the man in the blue tshirt is a hero!! Love your last sentence Chris…May He be glorified and the enemy a liar! Amen!
What a blessing for that young man that you were there just at that moment and were able to intercede for him. Thank you Lord for the courageous man who risked his life to push him back, please bless him. This is an amazing story and it is sad that people think that the only way out is to end it all. Thank you for sharing this journey you are on with us at Good Morning Mondays.
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I couldn’t stop reading because my heart sunk when you began your story. There are so many people who need Jesus and just need to know they are loved unconditionally. I love how God put there just at that moment. I know you have other amazing stories just like this. Praying as you continue your journey witnessing for God. Blessed to have you at The Weekend Brew.
Wow, I bet you never even expected that to happen. It’s interesting that you brought this up as we watched Robin Williams in the movie Hook tonight. I also just finished reading Donald Miller’s latest book called Scary Close. With this post and all my thinking on the subject, it is really making me think hard about what people will do in order to feel loved. I wrote about it a bit on my recent blog post. ( http://unspeakablejoymovement.blogspot.com/2015/05/when-we-abandon-our-self-for-world.html). Even more, I can see that with this guy, Robin Williams, and others I’ve known how badly they desire to feel as though they are loved. Little do they know that God loved them so much that He sacrificed His son. I am so thankful that you were there to pray for this young man and that he ended up being safe.
Oh, my word, this is so sad & what is even more sad is there are so many others who are just as desperate and hopeless. Just think if you were not obedient to God and not right where you were supposed to be at that moment! God bless you for interceding on his behalf!!!
A my sweet friend. I am so glad you were there to pray. Maybe that is what gave the helpers the courage to help. If he were in any other position the help would have been fruitless. May God be glorified and the enemy a lier.
So true, Sue. We saw him about an hour later in the back of a police car…I was hoping he was heading to the hospital but the ambulance was behind them. Praying he gets some mental and especially spiritual help. I do believe prayer made the difference, whoever was praying! ♥
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Wow! An amazing story of how our AMAZING GOD cares and places us in the right place at the right time! May God continue to protect that young man and yours. Life in Jesus Christ is so worth living!!!
It was definitely intense Valanne! I do feel like we needed to stay and pray…I am so glad we did. I am sure others were praying too, it grieves me to think someone is that desperate. I sure hope he finds the help he needs. Thank you for visiting!
I can’t even. Wow! You and the Sweetheart thought you were going for a little sightseeing, when in fact you were on a mission from God to intercede. Amen