Sorrow

According to Oxford Dictionary, sorrow is a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.  It is an outward expression of grief or lamentation.

Times of grief and sorrow will visit on every person at some point in time.  Believers aren’t insulated from tragedies and painful situations.  However because we have the Holy Spirit within us, we have hope that keeps us one moment at a time.  Because of the overwhelming pressure of sorrow, we’re often unaware of how our coping reflects our testimony and faith in God.   We don’t weep as the world weeps.

King Solomon wrote, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Proverbs 15:13).   A cheerful countenance is simply an outward expression of being happy.  It’s a reaction to an inward physical emotion. 

But Solomon also notes that the spirit can be broken by the sorrow of the heart.  The heart of a man describes the mind and the thinking of a person.  What is meant by the spirit being broken?

I believed there are basically two types of sorrow ; godly sorrow and ungodly sorrow or sorrow of the world.

"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.  For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner:  What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11). 

Paul’s description here is pretty clear.   Godly sorrow will produce something in us that will change us and motivate us to be sorrowful enough to repent.

Godly sorrow will also leads to a change in our thinking, our actions and our lives.   It puts us in the right attitude so we can repent.  However, worldly sorrow is concerned more with the punishment or consequences.   Godly sorrow is concerned more with the willingness to change.

Clarke’s Bible Commentary states this about godly sorrow: “It was not a sorrow because ye were found out, and thus solemnly reprehended, but a sorrow because ye had sinned against God, and which consideration caused you to grieve more than the apprehension of any punishment” (comment on 2 Corinthians 7:9). 

If a child is doing something wrong and a parent corrects him, the child may experience regret because of hurt feelings or because he could not do what he wanted to do.  It’s not until we have the right kind of sorrow that we can begin to see that what we are doing is truly wrong.

Having a right kind of sorrow will lead a person to a changed heart.   God can then grant that person repentance.

The result of godly sorrow is a changed heart, and it will lead us to a new life—and eventually eternal life. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

There are distinct differences between godly and worldly sorrow.  As demonstrated by Peter who was sorrowful, but returned to the disciples in contrast to Judas who was sorrowful, but committed suicide [Matthew 27:5].  Godly sorrow brings us to our knees in complete surrender to the Lord.  However the worldly sorrow can only offer temporary relief at best—that will end in death eventually.

Some example of worldly sorrow include :

1 Samuel 20 : 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

Luke 22:45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.