4/5/09: Giant Despair And Doubting Castle

In Sunday’s class we got back on the path with Christian toward the Celestial City…and quickly left it again as he and Hopeful took a near-fatal shortcut. As it turned out, the meadow they crossed belonged to Giant Despair, who arrested them for trespassing and threw them in his dungeon. They languished there for days without food or water, beaten without mercy and encouraged by the giant to escape their sufferings by taking their own lives.

Christian despaired of life and seriously considered suicide, but Hopeful encouraged him to persevere. Finally, after a night of earnest prayer, Christian remembered a key that he carried next to his heart — a key called Promise. As soon as he inserted it into the lock, the dungeon door flew open, enabling him and Hopeful to escape and get back on the path.

This sobering chapter provided an opportunity to speak briefly about the fact that even young people can reach a point of despair and be tempted to think that self-injury offers a way of escape from their troubles. We ended class by focusing on Jesus, the Savior in whom all God’s promises are fulfilled. Young people can experience deep doubts, crippling fears…

• Is God strong enough to help me with my problems?
• Does God even hear my prayers?
• Can God forgive me even after I sinned like that?
• Does God really care about me – does he even know I exist?

When our doubts and sorrows multiply, how liberating it is to know that “all the promises of God find their yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20)!

One other highlight of Sunday’s class came when we honored those students who have committed to reading through the Bible in a year (or two). After three months, over 20 students are on pace to complete this demanding challenge. What an honor it is to get to teach students like these!

There will be no 12:13 class during the next two weeks. On Sunday, 4/12 we will celebrate the Lord’s resurrection together as a church, and on Sunday, 4/19 I want to keep all the 12:13 students in the main service as I have the opportunity to preach from Ephesians 6:1-3. We will return to our 12:13 class on Sunday, April 26.

Praying that you and your family have a blessed Easter as you celebrate our Savior’s victory over sin and death!

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