Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me. LORD, be my helper. You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have put off my sackcloth and surrounded me with gladness. Psalm 30:10-11
Two things that are not a part of our vocabulary when we are in the midst of grief: dancing and gladness.
As a matter of fact, those things seem so far away when our souls are aching that it seems absolutely impossible to even conceive that we might even feel like dancing again. That we might have gladness in our hearts again.
Well, that's what happens when God's mercy gets involved in our lives; when He comes to help us.
The real trick is to not let the Evil One convince us that this grief we're experiencing will never go away. That the clouds will never lift and the sun will never rise. It is difficult to avoid thinking those things when our heart is breaking.
But God will be faithful. He promises that to us when we cling to Him.
And just the thought of His great love for us, when we really ponder it, when we really spend time with it...can make us feel like dancing.
What is your take on these verses?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Grief 4
Blessed are You, God, even the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and ther God of all comfort. You comfort me in all my tribulation, that I may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble by the comfort with which I myself am comforted by You. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Pay It Forward. That was the title of a movie with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt in which a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with this concept of paying forward to others good deeds that are done to you.
That concept is far from originating in that movie. God came up with it before anyone walked on the earth.
When we're in the middle of grief, God's comfort is the only comfort that will last. And yet He isn't content with our pain subsiding. He then wants us to be instruments of comfort to others around us who are also in need.
In other words, God calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people we come in contact with. Why?
Because He started it with us.
What are your thoughts on this passage?
Pay It Forward. That was the title of a movie with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt in which a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) comes up with this concept of paying forward to others good deeds that are done to you.
That concept is far from originating in that movie. God came up with it before anyone walked on the earth.
When we're in the middle of grief, God's comfort is the only comfort that will last. And yet He isn't content with our pain subsiding. He then wants us to be instruments of comfort to others around us who are also in need.
In other words, God calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people we come in contact with. Why?
Because He started it with us.
What are your thoughts on this passage?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Grief 3
You will swallow up death in victory, and You, Lord GOD, will wipe away tears from all faces...for You, LORD, have spoken it. Isaiah 25:8
That middle part. The wipe away all tears part. That almost seems more comforting to us than the swallow up death in victory part.
Why is that?
Well, we almost take for granted that in the end, God wins. We've heard that so many times that sometimes we lose the magnitude of it.
But the wiping away of all tears? That's life now. Here. On this earth. One day brings joy and happiness and the next brings grief and sorrow. And we often don't have any control over either one. Or in some cases, our own behavior brings our tears.
So to think that one day, there will be no more tears, brings a deep sense of comfort that nothing else can.
You know why that's true?
Because of that last part. The You have spoken it part.
How does this passage strike you?
That middle part. The wipe away all tears part. That almost seems more comforting to us than the swallow up death in victory part.
Why is that?
Well, we almost take for granted that in the end, God wins. We've heard that so many times that sometimes we lose the magnitude of it.
But the wiping away of all tears? That's life now. Here. On this earth. One day brings joy and happiness and the next brings grief and sorrow. And we often don't have any control over either one. Or in some cases, our own behavior brings our tears.
So to think that one day, there will be no more tears, brings a deep sense of comfort that nothing else can.
You know why that's true?
Because of that last part. The You have spoken it part.
How does this passage strike you?
Friday, August 27, 2010
Grief 2
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice... Isaiah 42:3
Have you ever been taken advantage of? Dumb question. If you breathe, you've been taken advantage of. Everyone hates it when that happens, but I think it is even worse when someone kicks a person when they're already down. It can be devastating.
God's assurance here that He will not allow His people to be pushed beyond their endurance level is one of the most powerful promises in scripture. It goes well with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 about God being faithful to us and not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.
Check out the way Eugene Peterson translates this passage from Isaiah in The Message:
He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right.
That's a promise we can count on.
What does this scripture bring to mind for you?
Have you ever been taken advantage of? Dumb question. If you breathe, you've been taken advantage of. Everyone hates it when that happens, but I think it is even worse when someone kicks a person when they're already down. It can be devastating.
God's assurance here that He will not allow His people to be pushed beyond their endurance level is one of the most powerful promises in scripture. It goes well with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 about God being faithful to us and not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.
Check out the way Eugene Peterson translates this passage from Isaiah in The Message:
He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right.
That's a promise we can count on.
What does this scripture bring to mind for you?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Vacation!
The blog has had the past week off, but it is back with post number 2 on Grief coming tomorrow...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Relying on God when dealing with grief
He was despised and rejected of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried... Isaiah 53:3-4
Any conversation about grief has to start from the bottom-line reference point of Christ. There really can be no meaningful discussion of the topic without addressing the suffering of Christ.
I wonder what it must have felt like for Jesus to read scripture like this and know they were talking about Him? The verses that precede and follow these are no better. Actually, they are worse.
This passage is in God's Word for who-knows-how-many-reasons. However, I can't imagine that one of them wouldn't be to remind us when we are living in the pit, that He has walked where we're walking. He has hurt where we're hurting. He has grieved where we're grieving. He has wept where we're weeping.
Does that take the pain and suffering away? Of course not. Does it give new perspective for our lives?
Of course.
If we let it.
What is your response to this passage?
Any conversation about grief has to start from the bottom-line reference point of Christ. There really can be no meaningful discussion of the topic without addressing the suffering of Christ.
I wonder what it must have felt like for Jesus to read scripture like this and know they were talking about Him? The verses that precede and follow these are no better. Actually, they are worse.
This passage is in God's Word for who-knows-how-many-reasons. However, I can't imagine that one of them wouldn't be to remind us when we are living in the pit, that He has walked where we're walking. He has hurt where we're hurting. He has grieved where we're grieving. He has wept where we're weeping.
Does that take the pain and suffering away? Of course not. Does it give new perspective for our lives?
Of course.
If we let it.
What is your response to this passage?
Finances 7
A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree. Proverbs 11:28
Everything in life is relative, isn't it?
One man appears to be filthy rich to another, but to yet another, he looks poor. One woman's car is nicer than some people's cars, but not as nice as others. One kid's toys are better than some of his friends, but not as good as others.
There is always someone who has more and nicer and shinier things than we do, isn't there? And then there is always someone who has less than we do. Right?
If we know this, why do allow ourselves to get caught up in materialism that throws us into the slavery of debt and steals our opportunities to serve others?
I guess it goes back to our human nature. When we feed our selfish, self-centered side, it always asks for more. It is never, ever satisfied.
But when we feed our Christ-like nature, it has an incredible result.
It fills our souls.
How do you feel about this scripture?
Everything in life is relative, isn't it?
One man appears to be filthy rich to another, but to yet another, he looks poor. One woman's car is nicer than some people's cars, but not as nice as others. One kid's toys are better than some of his friends, but not as good as others.
There is always someone who has more and nicer and shinier things than we do, isn't there? And then there is always someone who has less than we do. Right?
If we know this, why do allow ourselves to get caught up in materialism that throws us into the slavery of debt and steals our opportunities to serve others?
I guess it goes back to our human nature. When we feed our selfish, self-centered side, it always asks for more. It is never, ever satisfied.
But when we feed our Christ-like nature, it has an incredible result.
It fills our souls.
How do you feel about this scripture?
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