How To Deal With Grief And Sorrow

Last updated on: April 10, 2019 at 5:00 am by Jack Wellman

How To Deal With Grief And Sorrow 2019-04-03T10:56:03-05:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How can we endure when grief and sorrow wash over us like a wave?

Come to Him

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.

More often than not, just before God brings a person to repentance and faith, they are broken. Things in life may have brought them to a dead end, or they may have a shattering report from their doctor, but the ironical thing is, God cannot fix what is first not broken, so Jesus Christ says to all who are overloaded with trials, troubles, pain, suffering, grief, and sorrow, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30). You’ll never find rest in your own strength. I know I can’t. I’ve tried and it doesn’t work, but we know with certainty that “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). It’s almost as if, “The farther you fall, the closer He is.” I have failed so many times, even recently, yet I know God is the God of second, third, and abundantly more chances. When you reach the point where it all becomes too much…come to Jesus, so even if you say, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

Through Him

Before you come to Jesus to give Him all your heavy loads, remember, you cannot come to God unless the Father draws you, but it must be through Jesus Christ (John 6:44). There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12), but when you are dealing with more grief and sorrow than you can bear, you should be “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). When you feel like saying, “My flesh and my heart may fail”…in reality you can say, “God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). Jesus wants us to receive His peace. He told the disciples, and I believe He tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). The kind of peace Jesus gives is a lasting peace. It’s not like that which the world offers. That’s a fleeting peace that comes and goes and depends upon circumstances. Circumstances should not dictate our life and affect our peace, but it does, so read the words of Isaiah the Prophet, in speaking of Christ. He wrote, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 54:4-6). This was all laid upon Jesus so it wouldn’t have to be laid upon us.

Through Others

God gives us comfort so that we can comfort others in their times of need, so God may use us as a means to comfort others. The Apostle Paul wrote, “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 affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor 1:3-4). Scripture tells us that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3), but it may be that He wants to use you and the Word of God to do that. For example, the Word says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt 5:4). Here again, God may use you or me to comfort those who are in mourning and bless those who are hurting. Those who believe do not grieve in the same way that the world does. We know we’ll see our lost loved ones again (1 Thess 4:13), so give comfort to others, and use the Word of God, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Conclusion

All of us have had to go through a time of grief and sorrow, but we don’t have to go through it alone. We can also take solace in the fact that someday God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). If you are heartbroken over something, pray to God, “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away” (Psalm 31:9-10). God speaks comfort to us through His Word, and He says to you and to me, “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is a Pastor and Prison Minister in the State of Kansas. Jack is also a writer at Christian Quotes and Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

April 8, 2019

The Uniqueness Of The Brethren Church

Next Post

April 12, 2019 Isaiah 53 And The Prophecy About Jesus Christ

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Paul say godliness with what is great gain?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Prayer Faith Contentment Love