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.