Skip to main content

God's Comfort Amidst Loss

The Lord will surely comfort Zion
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
he will make her deserts like Eden,
her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Isaiah 51:3

I was deeply moved by the memorial service led by President Biden. His words of comfort at White House candlelight ceremony spoke meaningfully of grief and loss.  The Whitehouse draped in black bunting, the candles lit, the sign of the cross all spoke to me in the "ruins" of 500,000 Covid-19 deaths. Surely, the Lord provided comfort through the words, images, and rituals of that moment.

Coping with loss is no easy thing. Loss leaves space in your soul, an empty place where love used to be that cries out for some sort of filling. That loss may be a loved one, a friendship, a job, a marriage, or a physical limitation due to health. Whatever the loss, it cries out to God for some sort of recognition of the pain of emptiness. 

I assure you, as Isaiah does, God hears that cry and leads us compassionately through our grief. 

Isaiah is talking to people who have tried remaining faithful, even in exile, and that will lead to success. 

As you remain faithful, look back at what God has already done. The wastelands will be like the "garden of the Lord." Continue, Isaiah says, by looking forward; "joy and gladness will be found". 

Consider using Wesley's Means of Grace to look backward, and then forward.

Use Prayer, for example, to give thanks for all the blessings you have received. Prayer is also the way to cry out to the Lord for relief from your suffering.

Search the Scriptures to find passages of hope or simply read some of your favorite Bible stories.

Through these Means of Grace, God will comfort you. This is how our loving God works to help you experience compassion in your time of loss.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more