Grieving is painful. Whether you have experienced the death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of belongings, abuse, or something else you have entered a process that will take time. God has not left you, he has not abandoned you.
WHAT CAN I DO?
PRAY THE PSALMS
Pastor Jeff often encourages people to pray through the Psalms. He shares about a time when three children whom he was in the process of adopting were suddenly taken away from his family:
“At the time, my face hit the floor and I wept and wept; I could hardly breathe because someone had taken my children away and we were not allowed to even see them. Why… why… I turned to the book of Psalms, and I suggest you do this, too. I read that book of songs & prayers until I found one that exemplified what I felt… If these words are in Scripture, I can surely pray them. Look through the Psalms and PRAY those things to God.”
- “How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?” (Psalms 89:46)
- “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalms 42:11)
- “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. (Psalms 31:9-10)
30 DAY PSALMS GRIEF DEVOTIONAL
Here is an e-book. A lady whose daughter died made this to help deal with her grief. She takes one Psalm each day for 30 days and asks questions/says a prayer each day. You can read the chapter she quotes and then read her notes, it could be beneficial to your soul: Psalms-for-the-Grieving-Heart
PASTOR JEFF’S SERMONS ON JOB
Pastor Jeff preached a two-sermon series on Job. You may find these beneficial to listen to. Although it won’t take your pain away, it does help us to remember who God is and how we should handle it: Job Sermons, By Pastor Jeff
DO NOT CAVE INTO SATAN
Another thing to keep in mind is that Satan doesn’t play fair. He won’t hold up and stop attacking you because you are wounded… he’ll throw everything he has at you now because he’s evil and wants your faith to fail. But, we are not unaware of his schemes (2 Cor 2:9). Keep an eye out for bitterness and a proclivity to sin.
GOD KNOWS YOUR PAIN
Please, know that our God isn’t a God who sits way up in the sky, not hearing you. He isn’t distant, he’s nearby. Our God knows what suffering is like because the Father allowed Jesus to die. Jesus himself suffered many years on Earth, went through everything we go through, saw his friends die… Our God knows suffering, and can empathize with what you’re going through.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
TAKE ALONE TIME, BUT DO NOT ISOLATE
Two errors people in grief can fall into is (1) filling up their time so full they never deal with the emotions of loss and (2) isolating themselves from other people.
We need alone time… but, there is a big difference between alone time and isolation.
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16), so it is clear that alone time is not bad, especially when facing grief and pain. Take purposeful time away from crowds and noise, to focus on God. This isn’t hiding – it is a decision to spend some time with just you and your Lord, to help process some of the feelings you are having.
However, to not isolate yourself. You still need the Christian community, even when the last thing you want to do is be around people.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.”