"But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan." Psalm 10:14 NRS
We usually reserve talk about grief to the end of life. We talk about it in the wake of the death of a loved one, the memorial service and the weeks and months afterward where we have to learn to live without the person who has died. Yet grief comes with any loss: that of hopes, dreams and ambitions; the loss of relationships, jobs, businesses, homes and so on. It is hard to face grief because in it we find ourselves out of our depth, uncertain as to where to turn, what to do and how on earth to proceed. And yet, we are facing a season of all kinds of loss.
Yet our Savior was well acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3 says,
“He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering
and acquainted with infirmity...
” Jesus did not hide from the pain and grief He experienced when He walked on this earth and He sees ours as we walk through our lives. And in our grief, as hard as the powerlessness feels, we can turn to Him and He will help us. He will weep with us and walk with us–even carry us–through those valleys. So today, allow yourself to grieve if you’ve been holding back, to let go, and know the One who will take you in His hands.
The Rev. Dr. Susannah (Suse) E. McBay
Associate for Adult Christian Education and Prayer Ministries
