Sorrow

During a time of grieve, does your friends seem to forget you? They fail to call, or write, or promise to pray. But those are the times when we can sense God's tenderness most deeply.

Pain and sorrow are inescapable facts of life. All of us grieve at one time or another - including those of us who are Christ-followers. For the believer, however, there is something beyond the tears, pain and loss. There is hope. Yet the Holy Spirit is our source of gladness, 'bringing us the richest treasures man can wish or God can send.' - David McCasland.

Sadness, tears, and mourning are familiar territory for everyone on this earth - even for Jesus. Jesus saw Mary and Martha and their friends mourning (Lazarus death), and He too was overcome. Sorrowing with them, "Jesus wept" [John 11:35]

The psalmist David also experience hopeless despair, as he struggled with his own failures, the attacks of others, and the disappointments of life. In Psalm 6:6 he said, "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears." The depth of his sorrow and loss drove him to heartache - but in that grief he turned to God of all comfort. In the pain and struggle of living without answers, we can always find comfort in our heavenly Father. Just like David, in his frustration, his doubts and fears turned to trust. Psalm 13:5, from his heart he prayed, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

The psalmist said that while God's Word gives life, there is still the combination of "comfort in my affliction" Psalm 119:50

Even in life's toughest circumstances, we can, with God's help, enjoy a measure of healing. - Dave Branon