Resolve grief with hope

Jesus wept. John 11:35

Life can be full of grief for various reasons, including losing our loved ones, losing our job or business, breaking up with someone, or our dreams falling apart.

As Ecclesiastes summarized "a time to weep, a time to mourn," grieving and mourning as a natural part of life.  The key verse for today shows that Jesus doesn’t avoid grieving, though He was going to resurrect Lazarus shortly, He still wept with the family. 

Grief is often left unresolved when we fail to recognize and process it when we are conditioned to be strong and get over the loss quickly. In unresolved grief, the pain remains, resulting in negative physical and emotional effects.  Some people may suffer from sleeping problems, chronic pains, or other physical difficulties, while others may find it tormenting because of bitterness and sorrow deep within. Therefore, they may divert their negative energy elsewhere, isolate themselves from others, overwork themselves, or resort to substance abuse to numb the pain within.

The bible instructs us that “not to grieve as others who have no hope.” 1 Thes. 4:13,  Jesus is our hope because He can resurrect the dead and revive our lost dreams, and He promises to “wipe away all tears from our eyes. And there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor will there be any more pain." Rev 21:4.

Grief is temporary. Therefore, do not bury our grief, but give it all to Jesus, for He is here to comfort us and to weep with us. We will soon experience His resurrecting power as He brings life and restores all that has been lost.

Blessing prayer: God, we give you all our pain and sorrow because only you can comfort and heal us. Let the Holy Spirit search our hearts for any unresolved grief we need to bring to Jesus, for blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. We pray that we are filled with hope and experience your resurrecting power to bring every dead thing to life. In Jesus’s name, Amen