The Overcoming of Sorrow and Pain

UV 1289/10,000 The Overcoming of Grief
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should assuage your grief.
Job 16 v 5

Many people allow grief to shatter their lives. One of my daughter’s classmates and friends allowed his father’s death to completely derail his otherwise brilliant career. He dropped out of his course in the university and languished in pain. This uni-verse throws light on how our words should comfort and strengthen people who are in a time of grief or distress. When Job was undergoing great grief at his many losses that came in quick succession, his friends instead of making things look better made it worse by rubbing it in and saying that it must have been his sin that had brought such great tragedy upon him. The Lord strengthens us when we are weak by speaking the word of comfort to us. The Holy Spirit lays it on our hearts and assuages our sorrows. The sorrow is often not removed but our ability to bear it, to endure it and overcome it is increased. Our belief brings relief. The Lord will release an inner strength from within us to revive us, to enable us to overcome our grief.

It does not mean that we should only pay lip service. After I was injured in the assassination of Mr Rajiv Gandhi, a senior officer heard me crying out in pain , “Jesus, Jesus!” He merely said, “ Jesus will help you” and made no effort to move me to a more specialized medical facility to treat my injuries. Our words should be followed by commensurate actions to help or reduce the suffering of people we come across in the course of our daily lives.

Prayer and the Word of God are the wings on which our spirits rise up from our sorrows and burdens. They bring us under the comfort, refuge and might of the wings of the Lord. This morning as I watched two doves flying overhead, I thought to myself that so many things have to come together for those doves to fly in this manner. The muscles holding the birds’ wings need to be tightened, the different types of feathers need to play its role, the tails have to be held in a certain fashion. It flutters its wings. Then the bird is able to fly. When we pray and claim the Word, many things come together in real time. We have to do certain practical things on our own. We will have to do our own flying and running. The Lord will not cause us to walk or run or fly. But the Lord will speak a specific promise or word to comfort, strengthen and guide us. We need to wait at the mouth of the Lord to hear His word and not allow ourselves to wallow in sorrow or be overcome by it. Times of such grief are special seasons when we should draw closer to the Lord, feel His embrace and the whisper of His words in our ears. He is the Balm of Gilead to heal our deep and inner wounds. By His blood we are forgiven. By His wounds we are healed. By His spirit and His word are we nourished, comforted and greatly strengthened so that the depths of sorrow cannot separate us from His love, grace and mercy.

Prateep V Philip