Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. John 16:22 (NKJV)
After my Daddy died, I wondered how to deal with my grief. The Bible promises us in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
So, claiming this promise, I searched the Gospels to discover how Jesus handled His grief. What He did was really quite simple, Jesus spent time with His Father in prayer and kept serving others through His ministry. Let’s take a look.
In Matthew 14:12-13 we read how Jesus learned his cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded. Jesus went to a deserted place to be by Himself and talk to God. How did God comfort Him? He sent 5000 people for Jesus to heal and feed! That must have taken Jesus’ mind off His sorrows for a little bit. And in comforting others, Jesus also was comforted.
We can also look at John 11 for the story of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Lazarus was the brother of Jesus’ friends Mary and Martha. Word was sent for Jesus to hurry and come, for Lazarus was very sick. But Jesus waited and Lazarus died. When Jesus finally arrived four days late, both Martha and Mary said, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died!” And what did Jesus do? Jesus wept. Then He ministered to Mary and Martha and raised Lazarus from the grave to the glory of God the Father.
What can we learn about grieving from Jesus?
- Cry, it’s okay.
- Spend time with the Father in prayer.
- Keep on serving.
Most of all, let Jesus carry you and wipe away your tears. I know, for I’ve lost my Daddy, three unborn babies, and my college cross country team. When I see pictures of Daddy now, I think, “Daddy, you should be here.” When the pastor spoke of Mary meeting Jesus in the garden on the first Easter morning, I wished Daddy could be at the cemetery to greet us when we visited after the service. When I see a little girl born around 2009, I think that’s how big my Gloria Anne would be. And, when I saw a space station movie which told of the Challenger explosion in 1986 (32 years ago!), tears gushed from my eyes as I recalled the time in my life when I also lost my cross country team. Only Jesus can carry us through all this. We must hold all Jesus’ promises and remember, this earthly life is not the end…we have eternity in heaven with Jesus.
Today’s TEA CUPP: Are you grieving for a loved one? Perhaps you know someone who is grieving who you can help. Follow Jesus’ example: Cry, Pray, Keep serving, all the while remembering God’s promise of heaven. Let Jesus carry you.
He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces… Isaiah 25:8 (NKJV)
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms… Deuteronomy 33:27 (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4 (NKJV)
Scripture from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.