The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble.-2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (New Life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells us: This world is tough. Some days your spirit can really take a beating. Some days you just need to be comforted. Because I am always with you, it takes only the slightest glance in My direction-the softest whisper-to connect you with Me and My comfort. I wrap you up in My arms so that you are protected from the kicks and punches of this world. I comfort you, and then I bless you with the ability to comfort others.
Jesus Concludes: You see, I am the God who can bring good out of all things. Out of your hurts, I give you understanding-an understanding of how others are hurting-and an ability to comfort them.
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Psalm 34:4-6; Psalm 105:4
Footnotes -2 Corinthians 1:3-4: 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all encouragement, 4who encourages us in all our affliction, so that we are able to encourage those in every hardship with the encouragement which we ourselves receive from God.
Passage Psalm 34:4-6: 4I sought the LORD, and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears. 5Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame. 6This poor man called, and the LORD heard him, he saved him out of all his troubles.
Footnotes Psalm 34:1-6: God promises great blessings to his people, but many of these blessings require active participation from us. He will set us free from fear, deliver from shame, guard and defend us.
Passage Psalm 105:4: Look to the LORD and his strength, see his face always.
Footnotes Psalm 105:4: If God seems far away, persist I your search for him. God rewards those who sincerely look for him. Jesus promised, “ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you”. The writer of this psalm suggested a valuable way to find God, become familiar with the way he has helped his people in the past. The Bible records the history of God’s people. In searching it’s pages, we will discover a loving God who is waiting for us to find him.
Jesus Tells us is from the Jesus Calling 365 Devotions for kids.
THE WORLD…we see history
The First 100 People Sober
Bill W, Co-founder of AA, Alcoholics Anonymous
Starting in Bill w’s home in Brooklyn, and later moving to his friend, Dr Bob’s residence in Akron, the two men began helping other individuals with alcoholism, one person at a time. It took four years to get the first 100 participants sober in the first three groups that formed in Akron, New York, and Cleveland. But after the publication in 1939 of the group’s “textbook”. Alcoholics Anonymous, and the publication of a series of articles about the group in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the A.A. rapidly developed, and the membership in the Cleveland group soon grew to 500.
The Legacy of AA
By 1950, Alcoholics Anonymous had helped more than 100,000 people recover from alcoholism, and by 1973, more than one million copies of the Big Book had been distributed. By 2005, the number of copies sold had reached 25 million. Since that time, the fellowship has continued to grow and has become worldwide. A number for Alcoholics Anonymous can be found in the white pages
The WORD…we see Jesus, His Story!
When Bill Wilson, and his friend Dr. Bob Smith, founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, his hope was that AA would become a safe haven for those who suffered from this disease. Thirty years after his death, AA continues to help millions of Alcoholics recover from what had been commonly regarded as a hopeless addiction.
Mr. Wilson recalled then that Ebby T. had told him. “You admit you are licked, you get honest with yourself, you pray to whatever God you think there is, even as an experiment.” Bill W. found himself crying out: “If there is a God, let him show Himself. I am ready to do anything, anything!” “Suddenly,” he related, “the room lit up with a great white light. I was caught up into an Ecstacy which there are no words to describe. It seemed, that a wind not of air, but of spirit was blowing. And then it burst upon me that I was a free man.” William Griffith Wilson died late on a Sunday night and, with the announcement of his death, was revealed to have been the Bill W. Who was a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, His age was 75. The retired Wall Street securities analyst had expected to die or go insane as a hopeless drunk 36 years before, but, after what he called a dramatic spiritual experience, had sobered up and stayed sober. He leaves a program of recovery as a legacy to 475,000 acknowledged alcoholics in 15,000 AA groups throughout the United States and in 88 other countries. Prior to AA being founded, the most common treatment of the most chronic mental illness, was Psychiatric Care.
Psychiatric Care in the 1930’s
Although it had come a long way from the days of simply restraining and locking away the mentally ill, psychiatric care in the 1930’s was still very limited. There was essentially no treatment for Schizophrenic patients for example. Psychiatrists attempted to treat their symptoms by prescribing drugs like sedatives, which suppressed the patient’s nervous system, and trying a number of different mind-body therapies. Schizophrenics received hydrotherapy in the form of hot or cold baths for hours at a time. There were also a few different types of Shock Therapy, Insulin, Metrazol and electroconvulsive therapy, (ECT) all of these therapies induced seizures in patients. Many Psychiatrists claimed that these therapies worked by “shocking” patients out of their illness. Others believed that there was a connection between Epilepsy and Schizophrenia, a patient who had the former, even if it was induced, couldn’t have the latter.
These treatments didn’t generally cure Schizophrenics, depressives and others of their mental illness. Most were in and out of hospitals or ultimately spent their entire lives inside them. In addition, hospitals in the United States were overcrowded. By 1940, there were around 1 million patients, and the population was growing by 80 percent per year. Conditions were also deteriorating due to a lack of funding during the Great Depression. Public Hospitals were understaffed and patients were often left without any kind of treatment.