A TIME OF GRIEF

 

Saturday, June 18, 2022

 

A TIME OF GRIEF

Isa 53:3-4

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 

Lam 3:32

though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

 

          A variety of words in both the Old Testament and the New are translated with the English word grief. We generally think of grief as sorrow over some great loss, especially the death of a friend or loved one. Job used a word which includes the idea of anger because he felt unjustly afflicted. He measured his good nature and good deeds alongside his miserable circumstances. He thought it unfair.

 

          There may be times when the bereaved puts their grief on hold. They put on a happy or normal demeaner and encapsulate their grief for a later, more private, or convenient time. If we observe someone like this, we must not suppose that they are cold and heartless. They are now enduring grief, and that grief will intensify later.

 

          The person who is chronically ill may suffer grief for himself. He has suffered the loss of health and mourns that loss. Job surely demonstrates this condition.

 

          Grief may cause physical illness if not properly dealt with. I once lost a dear friend. I was asked to speak at his funeral, and I slipped into a professional mode. This required me to set my grief aside so that I could comfort others. At my next appointment with my cardiologist, my grief showed up on my EKG. I had a broken heart. My heart told on me, and the doctor prescribed a time of grief. I was to set aside some time to remember, to mourn, and to cry. Eventually, I was able to put things in a proper perspective and get on with my life.

 

          We all grieve. Messiah has promised to carry our sorrows. Bring to Him your sense of loss, your time of grief, and he will lift you up.

 

Matt 5:4

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

 

Dear God of all comfort, come alongside those who suffer loss today. Be very close to those who mourn. Observe, and respond to their tears. Thank you for carrying our sorrows. AMEN