Should faith in God eliminate my sorrow? - Sorrow - TouchPoints

2 Samuel 18:32-33“What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?” And the Ethiopian replied, “May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!” The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

King David’s reaction to the loss of his son was an acute response of grief. God himself called David a man after his own heart, yet David experienced great sorrow. Sorrow is a regular part of our earthly existence. Although faith in God does not erase our sorrow on earth, it does give us hope and a longing for an eternal future where there will be no sorrow.

Mark 14:32-36They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Even Jesus suffered great sorrow and pain on earth.

Matthew 17:22-23After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Even though Jesus promised he would rise from the dead, the disciples still grieved his coming death.