THE MANY FACES OF GRIEF PART 2

There is much pain and distress in the heart of a grieving person. There is much sorrow and anguish. But if you will look at the Bible, there have been different well-known Bible characters that have experienced grief or sorrow in their lives but these are NOT necessary due the loss of a loved one.

DAVID - because of his sin. In Psalms 6:7, King David at one time also felt the intense grief of soul and spirit. In here, he was groaning all night long. He was actually weeping and asking God to deliver him. His eyes grow weak with much tears and sadness. He had been crying all night long. No only that, he was sick physically. He was in so much pain. As he searched his heart, he realized he had sinned against God. God inflicted him with some illness in order for him to come to his senses and ask God for forgiveness. To make matters worst; his enemies are out to get him. His burden seems insurmountable. He was grieving. This kind of grief has been due to a heaviness of heart that he has experienced because of his sin. Sin can bring grief to our hearts.

SOLOMON . Grief due to past mistakes. The wisest man that has ever lived on earth felt grief in his heart as well. This was at the latter part of his life. In Ecclesiastes 1:18, he writes that much wisdom and increase in knowledge also brings about a great deal of grief and sorrow to a person’s heart. That is what he has discovered in his life. Why? He had wealth, wisdom and power, but he was still grieving. He concluded: Life is vanity. He reasoned that the more he knows, the more he sees that there is much more to know. Since he recognizes the need for more knowledge, he begins to think that his work is without end. The task ahead is great. And that is vanity. That gives him much grief. The grief mounts when he remembers all the mistakes and blunders that he had committed in the past due to a life of sin and ignorance.

In the same manner, we experience such grief as we look back to our own blunders, our own mistakes, our misjudgment and wrong decisions of the past. Now that we have gained knowledge and wisdom from those hurtful experiences, our hearts are grieving because such wrong decisions have put a heavy toll in our present life. Grief can also be felt because of the past mistakes.

ISRAEL – Grief due to sin of the nation. People are not the only ones that grieve. Even nation such as Israel has experienced grief in Lamentations 1:5. In here, God had allowed Israel to be conquered by her enemies. Because of this, the city has been made desolate. The people had been brought into captivity and in exile. The Lord had brought about the misery to Israel because of her disobedience and spiritual adultery. The nation of Israel was grieving because of her sin. The people in exile are in deep anguish. Those who were left behind were grieving for their nation. Life was not what it was before. It was the grief of the entire nation so that the people will turn to God again.

Friends, Jesus certainly did not intend for us to bear our grief alone. He taught us how to have lasting joy and peace even in the midst of grief. He died and rose from the dead. Our grief is only temporary. He now intercedes for all of us. He sends us the Holy Spirit to comfort us. We have a church family who encourages and comforts us in times of grief. Surely, this is great blessing. We can overcome grief through faith in Christ alone.