Day 89
Die
to Grief
Christ
was to be a Comforter, and so he is; he is sent to comfort all who mourn, and
who seek to him, and not to the world, for comfort. [i]
Matthew Henry
~~~
|
T
|
he title of
this reading may be off-putting to those who have suffered great loss, and so
let me assure you I do not mean we are to forget the precious ones who have
preceded us in death, or to dismiss wounds we have received and suffering we
have endured. Sorrow is a fact of most lives, and of course we aren’t wrong to
have suffered as a result of grievous events. I mean only that we must not
allow our lives to be defined by sorrow. When our focus is upon all we have
lost, we lose sight of all we have gained in Christ.
When grief is new, it blinds with an agony so multi-faceted that it
defies analysis. During those early days, we learn the meaning of the
everlasting arms;[ii]
the Almighty carries us. But soon, sooner than we want, this first numbness and
blindness dissolves, and it is then we must choose whether we will stay in the
place of sorrow or walk forward with the Lord. Leaving the place of grieving as
led by our Savior does not mean, as it may seem, that we are leaving our loved
ones behind. It means we are hurrying toward reunion with them alongside the
One who is holding them safe in His arms. The world’s wisdom tells us to
cherish memories, but in truth, it is through Christ that our connection with
those who have died in Christ remains.
If we follow counsel to draw our comfort from memories, we abide in the
past rather than moving forward with Christ. Thus we rob ourselves of healing
communion with Him and our suffering does not diminish. If we continue in this
pattern of responding, we develop a sense of entitlement to take our comfort
where we can find it. We have been through so much, all our dreams have gone
beyond hope of fulfillment, and surely no one could blame us for seeking our
own relief from pain.
This is the way that people who have never known salvation in Jesus
Christ may react to grief, but when we as Christians respond like this, we
dishonor the Lord. We are not to grieve in the same ways as those who have no
hope.[iii] We
have a glorious hope, not only for provision of all we need during our most
difficult days, but also for a future that will bring us eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord. In seasons of grieving, it is this hope in Christ that
needs to hold our focus.
Sometimes we nurture anger toward the Lord, but this is self-defeating.
It is a divine paradox that the only comfort for our injuries lies in the arms
of Him who allowed the blows to fall. We don’t have to understand, but we do
need to trust. The decision to trust takes place in the will and not in the emotions,
and so even on our most difficult days we can agree with King David’s words:
“But I trust in you O Lord, I say, ‘You are my God, my times are in your
hands’” (Psalm 31:14).
The Lord expects us to trust Him, and the reason He expects trust from us
is that we know Him. Knowing Him, how can we possibly fail to trust when He did
not withhold even His only begotten Son from us? How can we fail to trust in a
God who is not only perfect in love, but is also perfect in resurrection power
that has conquered death?
Lord, forgive us when our trust wavers.
Pray: Father, I pour out my sorrow to You. Here are the losses I’ve
sustained, the dear faces of those that I won’t see again until Heaven, and my
tears. I do not turn away from You in my grief, I come to You willingly and
with praise for who You are and the sacrifice You made for us on the Cross. I
praise You because by Your suffering, dying, and resurrection, You have made
death into a temporary passage rather than a permanent state. I praise You and
thank You for Your provision for me now, and for the promise of eternity with
You. Amen and amen!
~~~
When my soul was embittered…
I was brutish
and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless,
I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me
with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I
in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides
you.
My flesh and
my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion
forever.
Psalm 73:21-26
No comments:
Post a Comment