Words Someone Needs To Hear
July 25, 2009
CNN continues to report new details surrounding Michael Jackson’s death. They say he asked a nurse practitioner for Diprivan (an anesthetic used in surgery) so he could get some sleep. And Dr. Deepak Chopra said in an interview he had asked for narcotics to dull his pain. In the mid-’90s, Jackson apparently even toured with an anesthesiologist who would “take him down” at night so he could get some rest.
My heart breaks when I hear of someone with pain so deep that he needed anesthesia just to get away from this world for a while. Nurse Practitioner Cherilyn Lee told CNN that she refused his recent requests for Diprivan, saying if he took it, he might never wake up.
The world is filled with people who are hurting so badly that they want to sleep and never wake up. There are people surfing the Web right now, looking for ways to die. There might even be someone reading this blog right now who’s in the darkest moment of their life. Like Jackson, you’re looking for someone or something to “take you down” so you can get some rest, even if it means never waking up again.
Don’t give up. Don’t give in. You’re worth the fight. Be courageous and seek help. And as you do, never forget that rest is found ultimately in God. The Bible says God offers “shalom,” which is completeness, wholeness, well-being, peace and rest for the weary soul.
Hear this “benediction,” literally “good words” spoken over your life — my prayer for you in this moment:
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
