A good song here: Cry Out to Jesus by Third Day.
Jesus was the man of sorrows, Jeremiah the weeping prophet, and David consistently brought God his sadness. Heartbreak is no joke. It honestly is one of the worst feelings we can go through as humans, and there are different kinds of heartbreak. Yet each is equally as destructive to our spirit, but God promises to be with us in our suffering.
'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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ' - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
I lost someone close to me this year, and then lost someone in a relationship as well. It has been a tough year. It has been tough to stay motivated and focused on God when everything around me seems to be fading away. The comfort I once felt has been shattered. Some of the comfort was good, and a lot of it was bad, but still it hurts. So why does God allow that to happen? Why did he take someone from me? Why did he remove me from a relationship with someone whom I loved and cherished? Why does it seem like each season of happiness I go through gets overshadowed by a greater season of sadness?
I know all about seasons. I was in a season of sadness for over a decade. I hated living. I hated waking up every day and giving myself to God; it felt impossible. I constantly wondered why God could not spare me from this suffering and take me home. Why should I feel this pain and destruction inside of me when heaven is right there? Just take me home I prayed daily.
Job said, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born, And the night which said, ‘A man is conceived.’ “May that day be darkness; Let not God seek it from above, Nor light shine on it. “Let darkness and shadow of death redeem it; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let the blackness of the day terrify it. “ As for that night, let thick darkness take it; Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months. “Behold, let that night be barren; Let no joyful shout enter it. “Let those curse it who curse the day, Who are ready to rouse Leviathan. “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened; Let it hope for light but have none, And let it not see the breaking dawn, Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s body, Or hide trouble from my eyes. “Why did I not die from the womb, Come forth from the womb and breathe my last? “Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I should suck? “For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then; it would have been rest to me, With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt waste places for themselves, Or with princes who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver. “Or why was I not like a miscarriage hidden away, As infants that never saw light? “There the wicked cease from raging, And there the weary of strength are at rest. “The prisoners are at ease together; They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster. “The small and the great are there, And the slave is free from his master. “Why is light given to him who is troubled, And life to the bitter of soul, Who long for death, but there is none, And dig for it more than for hidden treasures, Who are glad with joy, And rejoice when they find the grave? “ Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has hedged in? “For my groaning comes at the sight of my food, And my roaring pours out like water. “For the dread that I dread comes upon me, And what I am afraid of befalls me. “I am not complacent, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, and raging comes.”' - Job 3:2-26
I find it amusing that Christianity is painted in a light that shines, “No Sadness Found Here.” It goes against everything that the Bible speaks of. The Bible constantly reminds us that lamenting and sadness are a part of life itself, in our innermost being.
There is a season for everything:
'There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to lose; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. ' - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
In this fast paced world we forget to slow down and understand our emotions. If you are a man, you are told not to show your emotion, if you are a woman, you are told to keep it inside, no one wants to see it. Yet why do we forget this verse here?
'Jesus wept. ' - John 11:35
If the God of the universe wept, why don’t we? The man who came down from heaven, born to a virgin, who healed many, saved the entire world, died and came back to life, wept for his friend who had died, so why don’t we? Why don’t I allow myself to feel? To grieve. To weep and lament.
Various things are going on in the world that give reason to weep, and we think that those are the only things worthy of crying. But why do we forget that each time we cry, God collects our tears! ‘You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? ‘ – Psalm 56:8
Life is hard. Every day, I wonder if I can make it through the day. I see so much suffering in the world, and it hurts. It makes me suffer. But it also gives me hope. I know the One True God, and He has a plan. For all our suffering, for all our sorrow, for all our pain and hurt, He has a plan. One that brings us victory over death and sorrow. Jesus was the man of sorrows, and now He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. One day, we will sit there with Him.
'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ' - Revelation 3:21
I miss the person I lost and the relationship I had. But I also know that the person is with God and the other still has a chance to find Him. That gives me hope. I pray for that person everyday that they would find Him. And something in my soul tells me they will find Him. We must look past the present suffering and see the future glory.
Jesus looked past the cross and saw the glory. Saw the suffering we held in our hearts and saw the redemption. He chose to go through the pain and suffering of the cross. The mocking, the flogging, the crown of thorns, the spitting, the beating, and He never complained. So why do I?
If I see that God has a plan, why do I lament? Why do I cry? Because I am human, and God knows it. Reading Psalms, we see that David constantly asks God why, but always follows it with, but Your will be done, for you are greater. So when you are sad, don’t shove it below the surface, feel it, then give it to God.
I leave you with this.
'"Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also. For my life is worn down with sorrow And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. Among all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, Especially to my neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man—out of mind— I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the bad report of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take my life. But as for me, I trust in You, O Yahweh, I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me. Make Your face to shine upon Your slave; Save me in Your lovingkindness. O Yahweh, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, Which speak arrogantly against the righteous With lofty pride and contempt. How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have worked for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be Yahweh, For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city. As for me, I said in my alarm, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless, You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You for help. Oh, love Yahweh, all you His holy ones! Yahweh guards the faithful But repays fully the one who acts in lofty pride. Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who wait for Yahweh.' - Psalm 31:9-24
Maranatha, Watchman
