lostnowfoundk's Blog

(Republished with permission – this article initially appeared on Christian Today Australia)

Every celebration can also be a reminder of loss. In the last year, it seems there has been a lot of death. What I once saw as distant has crept closer and closer as friends and family mourn the passing of loved ones. Spouses, mothers, fathers, and even children gone too soon. Sometimes it is a drawn out goodbye, sometimes a sudden departure. No matter the course, it seems our hearts can never be fully prepared. Grief remains a lifetime. Yet, God promises to wipe away every tear and change our mourning into dancing.

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
 and clothed me with gladness…”
(Psalm chapter 30, verse 11)

. . .

The Mourning

Someone once described to me their void of grief as they explained how “everyone is gone”. They had outlived friends and family members, those who had been central to their dearest memories and their sense of identity. At that time, I wondered how I would approach life if I, one day, also reached this ominous milestone.

While a thousand years may be but a day to God, the human lifespan can seem impossibly long to a grieving widow left to consider life without her husband. How do we who are left on earth manage to endure irreversible loss?

My mother recently prepared a lecture based on passages in the book of Lamentations. She noted that “God devotes a whole book in the Bible on “how we are to lament” while in the meantime He does his artistic work in the cracks of life.”

There is a time to mourn, to grieve, and to express the hurt in our hearts. In doing this, we can also bring our pain to God and cry out to Him, acknowledging the brokenness in our hearts.

. . .

The Elder Years

Many faithful men and women have grown old on the earth and have now gone home to Jesus. Great names like Billy Graham and Tim Keller are no longer here to share their wisdom. Lesser known pastors, teachers, encouragers, writers, and grandmothers are also gone. A generation of light bearers is passing away. Who will remain to hold the torch of faith?

Ours is the next generation. Will we experience the power of God like those before us? Will we dare to be brave and bold to speak of Him? It can seem daunting to bear this mantle in the wake of our spiritual forefathers and mothers. Yet, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The God of Abraham is the same God of Billy Graham and He is the same God of us today.

Older years are not easy. I am privileged have seen some of these faithful men and women in their final days. The physical struggles were clear and they were ready to go to their Lord. Yet they did not shrug off the pain, but continued to bless, to speak hope and to endure this final trial. Billy Graham writes,

“I often wonder if God, in His sovereignty, allows the eyesight of the aged to cast a dim view of the here and now so that we may focus our spiritual eyes on the ever after.” ( “Nearing Home: Life, Faith and Finishing Well” by Billy Graham)

Throughout our lives, we will face pain and suffering. Yet there is a hope that is worth our endurance, and a joy that transcends every despairing situation. God’s love never changes.

. . .

Dance a Little?

What do we do when there is grief, loss, pain and suffering all around us? 

I recently started reading a devotional on “The Art of Overcoming” by Tim Timberlake.  In Day 1, Timberlake describes how “what we think are endings are usually just beginnings. What we think is loss often turns out to be gain. What should be weakness somehow becomes strength. What was meant for evil results in good. Why? Because that’s how powerful and good God is. He has a way of turning the worst thing that could happen into the best thing that could happen.”

Worship and thanksgiving turns the focus back on that powerful, good God. It reminds us of the hope we have in Him; hope of eternal life, hope of restored identity, hope of never-failing love, the promise of God for us, and for our lives. He knows our pain, has foreseen every circumstance and has orchestrated our salvation. In our mourning, we can cry out to God and receive His peace. Hope in God reminds us that though we suffer pain and loss, the love of God never fails to wrap us up, heal and give joy.

“You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night
But joy comes in the morning”
(“ Your Love Never Fails” by Jesus Culture)

So let us bring our grief to God and pour it out, for He hears and He cares. Let us dare to endure the pain that comes with loss as we hold on to the hope we have in our good God. Let us continue to walk in worship as we trust God who gives us joy even in the midst of the valley. He knows, He cares, and He comforts.