Grief and Tears

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.”
Psalm 6:6-7 NLT

David is in a desperate place, sobbing, weeping and grieving. David is irreconcilable, and all because of his enemies. They could have been his physical enemies, both inside and outside of Israel. They could have been the forces of the enemy, the devil, playing havoc with his mind. But whatever they were, they were so real to David that he was spending the night crying when he should have been sleeping. 

David was not in an unique place, because his experience is not uncommon. In the dark hours there are times when a problem we are facing into becomes so pressing, so hopeless, that we plunge into depressive depths and, even if not openly, we weep inside, lying awake as the waves of despair flood over us. And isn’t it strange, that a problem being faced by one person is something minor and insignificant to another. Whatever our stations in life, there is always a problem that could be facing us, one with the potential to reduce us to weeping and sobbing. 

There was a time when the Jews, exiled to Babylon, far away from home, did a lot of weeping. But Jeremiah the prophet had some encouraging Godly words for them, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”(Jeremiah 29:11). And that is what afflicts so many people – a lack of hope. Many people think that the life they lead is hopeless and futile and they try to dull the pain by turning to some other remedy, like alcohol or drugs. For a time their pain and distress will be alleviated, but it will still be there in the morning. Others become so hopeless and depressed that they finally decide to take their own lives. 

Paul wrote to the Romans the following words, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Sadly, so many people will never turn to the “Source of hope” for a solution to their distress. But Paul’s prayer provides such a different picture to the one generated by the weeping David. God is hope and as we trust in Him, the power of the Holy Spirit will provide the solution to our problems.

Dear Heavenly Father. Only You can open doors to people locked in a place of hopelessness, weeping and sobbing. As we face into distressful situations like David, please help us as we turn to You, the Source of hope. Amen.

Empathy

Posted on by korgrocker

“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
Romans 12:15-16 NLT

What was Paul getting at when he wrote this? Were the Christians in Rome really so insensitive to each other that they failed to share their emotional needs? This simple verse is really an encouragement to empathise with their fellow believers, when they experience good or bad times. But before that can happen they must have a relationship with them, close enough to know them and what they are experiencing. Perhaps the Roman Christians were lacking in the relationship department. But whatever the local situation was, Paul felt the need to remind them of their obligations, and at the root of their relationships must be love, both for God and each other.

Jesus taught His disciples about the importance of loving one another. In John 13:34 Jesus said, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other”. Jesus didn’t give His disciples an option. They had to obey this “new commandment”. 

If we consider this verse, Romans 12:15, today, we immediately see that our churches mostly lack the love that was the distinctive feature of the early Christians. Instead we observe that some worldly features and attitudes have replaced it. Other priorities have become more important than loving relationships. Those early Christians would have given their lives for each other, and what they had they shared. They established a movement that was distinguished by love and it attracted new converts in droves. 

What love do we pilgrims experience? How do we love others? And are our love experiences focused on what we can get out of the relationship or the other person’s highest good? Our televisions portray a selfish love, perhaps between a man and wife, resulting in scenes of strife that may make “good” television but they also continue, and extrapolate, the damage that poor relationships can do.

Out of a true loving relationship, based on love the Jesus way, comes caring and empathising, an environment where people will share their hurts and fears, their good experiences, their challenges; in fact they will share life together. That will mean contact with people who we wouldn’t normally meet or socialise with. It will cost us something. Our time and attitudes. Our money and possessions. But we share with people who God created. Because He loves them, so must we. And we extend God’s compassion to those hurting people around us, as they will for us in our times of trouble. There is something precious about living harmoniously with each other. It’s an opportunity worth striving for, and one which will expose us to a relational richness that those in the world just don’t get.

Father God. We thank You for the love that You have shown us, a love so profound that You sent Your only Son to share it with us. We thank You for Jesus, and all He has done for us. Amen.

Emotions

Posted on by korgrocker

“Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise His holy name. For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms‬ ‭30:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These two verses in Psalm 30 capture the positive conditions of singing, praising, favour and joy. But they also include the negatives of anger and weeping. As humans we have the ability to encounter and experience many different emotions, both in our own lives and in the lives of others. Some people seem to swing from one extreme to another in their pilgrimage through life. Others seem much more emotionally stable. And in our interaction with society we encounter situations and circumstances that can invoke both negative and positive emotional responses, requiring serious personal time to process and resolve.

There is much about people that will cause God to become angry. But we are His creation. He made us with the ability to make choices, and as we observe society around us, we see the many consequences of choices, both good and bad. Some choices we make will inevitably make God angry. But He is gracious and merciful, quick to forgive and forget the sins of His repentant people. For those who have chosen to be amongst His “godly ones”, there is the exhortation to sing out His praises. And in the bubble of His favour the sorrow and weeping is replaced by morning joy.

How do you “feel” this morning? Full of joy? If not, start singing His praises and enjoy His favour. Saying that, sing His praises anyway. We can’t praise God too much.