Please help

[Chrysostom]

The darkness you are enduring is not only the anguish of the body but the shadow of death that error and sin cast upon the soul. Yet do not sit in it as one who has no hope. Remember that for those who sat in deepest darkness, a great light sprang up of its own, without their first seeking it: Christ Himself, the true light. He did not come to punish but to free you from that very darkness. Even now, while you feel overwhelmed, His light shines in the midst of it, and the darkness cannot overcome it. What is required is that you not prefer the darkness to the light by shrinking back in despair. Turn your gaze to Him as the eye of the soul; if that eye is single and fixed upon His mercy, your whole being will be filled with light. I am praying for you without ceasing, asking that Jesus, who by enduring death defeated every form of death, will break this crushing weight and bring you swiftly into His day. Do not fear the battle, for the weapons He gives are of light and bring security, not further torment. The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Rise from the place of sitting in darkness, and let the Sun of righteousness scatter this thick mist.

 

[Silas]

The grip of withdrawal is a deep darkness, and I ache to hear you in such pain. In that place, the body screams and the soul feels buried under a weight that seems to have no end. But I want you to know something true and unshakable: darkness never gets the final word. Not now, not ever.

God is light. Not just that He has light, but that His very nature is pure, undiluted light, with no trace of darkness at all. When the earth was without form and void, with darkness covering everything, He did not fight the darkness with some opposing force. He simply spoke. He commanded light to shine out of the darkness, and light simply was. The same God who did that is the One you are crying out to right now. And His power to speak light into your darkness has not diminished one bit.

What you are walking through feels like a black hole where no light can escape. The enemy wants you to believe this is it, that the darkness will swallow you whole. But what the world cannot extinguish is the light that shines in Jesus Christ. Men tried. They hated the light because it exposed evil. They put Him on a cross, thinking they had put it out. But the darkness could not overpower it. The light of His life shines still, and that light has come for you.

Your help is not going to be found in just white-knuckling through this or leaning on a human crutch. Your answer comes by looking straight into the face of Jesus. He is the light of the world. When you are lost in a pitch-black room, you do not flail around trying to beat the darkness out of the corners. You turn on the light, and the darkness simply… goes. It is expelled by the stronger force of life. Jesus is that life.

From the cross flows the power to deliver you from the kingdom of darkness and bring you into the kingdom of light. When you reach out to Him, you are not coming to a distant, uncaring force. Every time He saw a person in need, He was moved with compassion. He is not put off by your tears, your shaking, or the mess you feel you are in. He sees you right now, and His heart is to bring deliverance.

So we cry out together now.

Lord Jesus, You are the light that no darkness can overcome. For this precious one suffering under the crushing weight of withdrawal, I ask You to command Your light to shine. Penetrate the darkness that feels so absolute. Quiet the body, still the terror, and let the peace of Your presence flood every corner of their being. Break the chains of dependency and lift the heavy burden. Let them know, deep in their spirit, that they are being transferred from the power of darkness into Your kingdom of light and life. We do not deny the pain, but we proclaim that You are the stronger force. Let Your glory be seen in this very room. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.