Loss

Loss

MY QUESTION for GOD

How can I deal with loss in my life?

A MOMENT with GOD

“Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”

John 11:34-36

Don’t deny your loss. The tears Jesus shed over the death of Lazarus validate your own tears of grief.

The Egyptians mourned his death for seventy days.

Genesis 50:3

Grief over loss is a process that should not be denied or hurried. The rituals of wakes, visitations, funerals, and memorial services all help you move through the stages of grief. Even if your loss does not involve death—for example, a friend moved away, a relationship was broken, a good job was lost—you still need to allow yourself to grieve in order to bring healing to your soul.

In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was.

2 Samuel 11:1-3

For reasons unknown, King David gave up the active leadership of his troops. This loss may have created a vacuum in his life, which he sought to fill by engaging in an immoral relationship with Bathsheba. As you grieve over your losses, be careful not to medicate your pain in ways that only create more pain.

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. . . . He said, “. . . The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.”

Job 1:20-22

Loss always brings pain. Recognizing and expressing your feelings of pain is not wrong or sinful; rather, it is honest and appropriate.

The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:19-23

Those who know God grieve with hope and with the assurance of God’s love. Those who don’t know God grieve without hope and without help.

You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

Hebrews 10:34

It is important to allow yourself to grieve, but there is a time for grieving to end. You can begin to find healing by serving God and other people with all the energy and enthusiasm you can muster. As a Christian, you have the comfort of knowing that one day you will be with God in heaven, where all grief and loss will be gone forever.

DIVINE PROMISE

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18