A dear lady in my church – let’s call her L –  is fighting for her life today. In just a couple of hours L will undergo a surgery which she may not survive. She has battled chronic illness for years now and after a recent fall, faces yet another major setback. Her heart has stopped beating more than once, but because of her will to live and the grace of God, she hasn’t been pronounced dead yet.

L is fighting for her life.

Although she believes her destiny beyond this world is secure in Jesus Christ (See John 3:16), L still values life in the here and now. She wants to live, so she fights for every breath – literally.

I find L‘s determination to live an inspiration, especially these days, when we hear of so many people giving up on life. Even if you tried, it is impossible not to notice the dark trend of people taking their own lives. The stories are coming all too frequently. Hopelessness and despair seem to be getting the upper hand.

And what may be the most confusing statistic is that suicide is now the third leading cause of death for young people 15-24 years old. Those who should be the most optimistic among us are falling victim to despair.

There’s no doubt, life can be brutally hard at times. When you are in a protracted season of pain and suffering, death can seem more desirable than life. Even sincere believers sometimes find themselves so deep emotionally that the idea of checking out early seems to be a better option.

It is in these moments that we must grasp tightly to the life-giving word of God. We must allow our difficult thoughts and feelings – as real and vivid as they may be – to be strained and filtered by the realism and promise of God’s word. Sometimes all it takes is one powerful verse to flip the script.

Take Psalm 118, for example, where the writer was going through some very troubled water. Rather than giving into the enemy’s taunts of “You’re done. You’ve got nothing left to look forward to…” by faith, the psalmist pushed back with this bold statement:

“I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the LORD has done.”  (v. 17)

What a perfect anthem for the person who feels like they are fighting for their life! If that’s you…if you feel like you are fighting for your life today, keep fighting. Whether you are battling cancer, depression, addiction, or kidney disease, your life is worth fighting for. God says so. With His help, you will survive and someday tell the story of how He saved you.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.

P.S. – L came through her surgery just fine. The doctor said she should be able to go home in  a few days : )