A Fallen Friend - A Heart Like His

 

The splendor of Israel lies slain on your heights.  How the mighty have fallen (2 Samuel 1:19)

What has GOD shown you during seasons of grief?  What have you learned about Him, about yourself, and about your own expectations of what life really means?

When my father died earlier this year it was very difficult.  His death opened wide the chasm between my siblings and I.  I looked upon my father as the glue that held this fragile family together and I saw his death as the final fracture of what remained of our family.

I was blindsided by my overwhelming emotions and bewildered by the whirling confusion of grief.  At times I could scarcely breathe with the force of it.  

Knowing the Lord and knowing His comfort did not take away the ache; but it helped to know that God was there for me. I am never alone.  He comforts me with his presence, and helps me find peace in my pain.   

How has grief changed your relationship with Him?

God is at our side during our loss, often not speaking yet knowing our pain and sharing in our suffering. He knows the pain of having a child despised and rejected, and killed.

Jesus is our best role model for combining faith and grief, as revealed in John 11:1-45. When He saw Mary and Martha in anguish over the death of their brother Lazarus, He wept and groaned. Although Jesus knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, He still allowed Himself to feel – and express – the depths of human sorrow.

We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has experienced all of our pain, including loss, rejection, betrayal, and dying. As our Savior and Redeemer, He took all our sins to the cross and forgives us when we ask. As our Good Shepherd, He leads us safely through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4b). Remember, a shadow indicates that there is a light on the other side!