Psalm 31:9-10 New American Standard Bible
9 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body too.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My strength has failed because of my guilt,
And my [a]body has wasted away.
The Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Within the Christian community, grief can be a topic put on the back burner.
Many of us are taught that as Christians, we should always be happy—no matter what.
Even if a parent, sibling, or spouse has suffered greatest loss, has passed away, we should still be happy all the time. Anything less would be fully unbiblical, right? This, as a 100% wrong mentality, needs to be vigorously challenged, eradicated from the church, and the body of the Christian community itself.
Nowhere in the Bible are we told we must be happy all the time. We should always be joyful, but joy and happiness are not the same thing. Even though many people use these words as synonyms, they are not the same. With Jesus as our Lord, joy is always present in our hearts because it is based on him not us.
Happiness, on the other hand, is fleeting and is based on our circumstances.
Grief is a very authentic something that can take a lifetime to fully process.
If the church cannot help Christians when they first experience the death of a loved one, then how will they, are they going to be able to support someone who is chronically managing grief?
Seeing things from the other person’s perspective can definitely help cultivate some very deep measures of compassion, care, and understanding for others.
Even if someone has never experienced grief of their own, they need to try to do their best to truly connect with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are going through this troubling time.
Instead of insensitive comments, such as “Oh, you’re still not over that?” We need to truly begin to understand others and truly meet them where they are.
It is essential for us to be a shoulder to cry on, a support system, and a safe place for them.
As someone who struggled with chronic grief, I can share with you that it is not an easy journey. Some days are better than others, but the bad days are severe.
I developed grief after the close together passing (4 1/2 month) of my mother and father, and I had great difficulty truly moving forward from their passing.
I don’t have much in common with people my own age because most of them haven’t witnessed the death of both their parent coming so tightly together.
While everyone my age had gotten married, started families, and moved into their own homes, I was sitting on my bed in a dark room, crying myself to sleep.
If you find yourself in a similar position, know you are not alone. There are Christians across the world who can relate to what you are going through, and Yeah! God understands your pain. Take solace in His love, comfort, and grace.
One Day We Will Rejoice
The Lord tells us, “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22).
Jesus is referring to His own death and how His disciples will see Him again. We experience grief over many things, yet the most common is the death of a loved one. Take your rest in the Lord’s words that there will be rejoicing in the future.
Now is our time of grief, but our grief will not last forever. While we might struggle with grief for our entire lives, we will not suffer from it for all eternity.
One day, our grief will be taken, God will welcome us home with open arms.
In the name of God, the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
In all humility, Pray …
Psalm 42 Complete Jewish Bible
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams,
God, I long for you.
3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God!
When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night,
while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?”
5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me,
how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God,
with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs
observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
for the salvation that comes from his presence.
7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast,
I remind myself of you
from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon,
from the hill Mizar.
8 (7) Deep is calling to deep
at the thunder of your waterfalls;
all your surging rapids and waves
are sweeping over me.
9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace,
and at night his song is with me
as a prayer to the God of my life.
10 (9) I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
under pressure by the enemy?
11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel
as if my bones were crushed,
as they ask me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
for being my Savior and God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 