Tonight's Word 🌱

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book”

 -Psalm 56:8 NLT

This week, a teacher died suddenly from a heart attack. Last month, a young man died due to gun violence. This week, the lives of several members of a family were taken by an unknown assailant in their home. A few months ago, a man lost his father. A son is still numb from the death of his mother decades ago. A father died years ago while battling a terminal illness. A sister leaves her sister behind. What do all these unrelated persons have in common? All these persons who are now asleep, have left behind friends, family, and even communities who carry the memory of them and miss them dearly. 

While death is something that occurs daily, I was especially moved this week with compassion for those who are grieving. I am surrounded by persons suffering silently and I quietly share in and empathize with their pain. Some are weighed down with feelings of sadness, guilt or regret, some are angry, some are questioning God, some are depressed and anxious. Some have managed to find themselves back in their everyday routine, but the painful memory of a loved one lingers in their heart. Many persons are suffering with a broken heart. 

Grief is the price we pay for love.

The Bible is not silent on the topic of death and grief. In fact, it offers many words of truth, wisdom,  encouragement and comfort for times like these. The following scriptures came to me this week.

King Solomon in all his wisdom shares that "it is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2). The knowledge and experience of grief seems to keep us grounded and in touch with God and the pain of others. 

The psalmist David prays: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) Our days must come to an end one day. We are encouraged to live life, soberly investing in living wisely and righteously.

Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, declares: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) He promises blessing and comfort for the searing pain of loss that continues to spring up in and around each of us throughout our life. There is a testimony to come out of this.

But the scripture that kept me in even more reflection is tonight's Word. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

(Psalm 56:8). Friends, this scripture is here to remind us that we are important to God. We are not alone in our grief and pain. God is acutely aware of our pain and each tear that is shed. When we go through things like grief, and pain, betrayal, etc, we have to remember that He too went through very similar things. God the Father experienced grief when he had to watch His only begotten son crucified. Jesus experienced a lot of grief while he lived on earth. He was a man of sorrows. When we go through our tough moments, let us find some comfort in that we share in his experiences, and allow it to bring us closer to Him. He sympathizes with us, is touched by our tears, and His desire is to give us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning. Take every heartache, every thought, every tear to Him, friends. Hold on, and keep reaching out to and leaning on Him for our healing, for our strength, for our comfort and understanding, for our hope and for the restoration of our joy. And let us look out for one another, being there for each other, during the painful times.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for the opportunity in this lifetime to have persons we can love. We mourn their loss, father, because we loved them and we miss them. Father, be our Comfort. Thank You for reminding us that You are aware of every tear that we shed, and while we know life on this earth is not perfect, we thank You for the promises and encouragements in Your word that we can hold on to, to guide us to You and Your will for our lives. Mend broken hearts Lord, may Your name be glorified through the rain of our tears. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Be blessed by this timely song of encouragement. The beauty is in the words 🎧🙏🏽

Redeemer of the Rain [Collingsworth Family - Fountainview Academy]