November 17, 2023

Author: Pastor David Miner
November 17, 2023

Reading: 2 Samuel 1 Optional Reading: 2 Samuel 2 - 4
“26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women. (2 Samuel 1:26 NIV)
All of us will face it sooner or later. A close friend is killed in an auto accident. A beloved uncle or grandfather dies of a heart attack. An innocent teacher is struck down when a holdup occurs at a store she is visiting. It may even be when a beloved friend moves away. It can happen anywhere, anytime. God does not keep us from facing such losses. They happen to all of us, and the older I get, the more they seem to happen.
When David learned of the death of his best friend, Jonathan, he grieved. The process of grief, when you work through your feelings over the loss of a loved one, can be long and painful. Feelings of anger, depression, and other pain strike us. We may slip into deep despair if we are not careful.
When you lose a loved one, talk about the situation with your spouse, your friends, your church leaders, maybe even a licensed therapist. God does not tell us to act as if nothing has happened, or even to pretend we are fine when we are not. He wants to go with us through the grief and show us the way beyond it. He will not simply zap us to eliminate all our bad feelings.
When you grieve, it is OK to cry. OK to feel anger, even at God. Tell the truth about how you feel. That is the way through it.

Lord, help me to look to you when grief strikes. Help me to keep my eyes on you. I know you understand how I feel. Amen.

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