When Grief Takes Hold

“While you were doing all these things declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you but you did not answer.” Jeremiah 7:13

This verse speaks specifically to the sin that had overcome the region as a community back in the days of Jeremiah the prophet. In reading the verse this morning my Griefshare class came to mind instead of the topic of sin.

Grief is a paradox in itself. It is the very time when we should hold dearest the things of God since He is the only One who can deliver us from our pain. But, grief is such an overwhelming and all surpassing pain that many times it polarizes us from the heart of God. He calls out to us, extends His nail-scarred hand only for us to not respond. He speaks to us through the calm and beauty of nature and precious new memories with remaining family members, yet we seem numb to these blessings.

Instead we wrap the garment of John 11:34 around our shoulders, ‘But some of them said, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ We have all worn this garment before and it hangs in each of our closets. This does not anger God nor does it cause Him to turn away from His children. At certain times in the Bible, each member of the Trinity is noted as grief being an emotion they also experience. Since the beginning of time, man’s sins have grieved the heart of God. ‘The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become…The LORD was grieved…and his heart was full of pain.’ ‘And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,’ Eph 4:30. ‘When Jesus saw her weeping…he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled…Jesus wept…’ John 11:32.

My Bible commentary states that Jesus groaned with pain over the passing of Lazarus and the pain his death has caused. God gave us the ability to love deeply which means we will experience pain in the loss of that person. It is the person that we grieve for since their love was such an important part of our lives. But God had to send death into the world once sin infiltrated mankind. Only through death on earth can eternal life with God begin.

Grief is experienced through any loss and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Call out to God for comfort and answer Him when He calls. He has been experiencing grief in His heart since the beginning of time. When grief takes hold of our hearts we are experiencing fellowship with every part of the Holy Trinity.