God and Sorrow
As I always do, I prayed earlier this week asking God what lesson He wanted me to deliver this Sunday. For whatever reason, nothing was coming to me as it normally would. I couldn’t understand why and I had so many others things to do. I simply didn’t have time to wait. We had a memorial coming on Saturday for which I was unprepared and, obviously, a service at Sunrise Chapel the day after. What was I to do?
On Wednesday afternoon, I began feeling sad for no apparent reason. The skies were beautiful, work was flowing smoothly and everything was fine at home. Why was I so sad? Why did it feel as though my eyes were going to erupt in cascading waterfalls of tears?
Could it be my mind was drifting to the one I lost? I thought I had pretty much gotten over that as my understanding now was so much clearer. Was it for my Dad… Mom? I simply didn’t know.
Now God, just like a Bill Engvall segment on the Jeff Foxworthy show suddenly slapped me up-side the head and said: “Here’s yer sign!”
Dummy! I breathed a sigh of relief, understood, and went about my research.
It’s okay to feel sad!
Experiencing Sorrow
No matter how hard we try, we will experience times of grief and sadness from time to time. Even though we are children of God, we aren’t necessarily shielded from the stressors of this world.
It may be our jobs, it may be the pressure to always do better or it may simply be we’re overwhelmed with society for the moment and our bodies are feeling weary and worn.
Those people knowing we’re God-fearing children will watch us closely as they think we’re immune to sadness. The one thing we need to remember is we have the Holy Spirit within us and this should let us know these moments will be short-lived as our Lord will lift our spirits.
I found several verses in the Bible and excerpts from other pastors and ministers I associate myself with on various motivational web sites regarding sadness and sorrow and I’d like to share them with you this morning.
There Will Be a Time for Sorrow
If you read through the Bible, you will clearly see that our Lord and all His prophets know we will experience times of sorrow as can be witnessed in…
Ecclesiastes 3:4 – “A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance”
Unfortunately, even as Christians, times like these cannot be avoided. With all the sin in our world and all the sinful people whose actions bring sorrow upon others, sorrow is just something we’ll have to face occasionally.
We can take hope that our sorrow is already known by our Father in heaven and He will help us through it. Even in our times of sorrow, we must strive to show the grace, Love, and hope of God in our words and actions.
We May Have a Season of Sorrow
For a lot of us, there may be specific times throughout the year where we feel sorrow. This might be, as in my personal case, in remembrance of someone we’ve lost. Perhaps you’re alone during the holidays or simply missing someone that has moved away.
As human beings, we may make mistakes during these times… we may sin, we don’t necessarily do the things we should be doing and, perhaps, we make God angry. The good news is… our Lord’s anger doesn’t last long as told to us in…
Psalm 30:5 – “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”
If we trust in Him, He will fill us with the Holy Spirit who will convert our sorrows and tears into prayers to heaven. Our Lord also gives us peace to endure through the difficult days so that we can make it through.
We Will Bear Witness to Sorrow
There are many times in this world where we will have to deal with the sorrow of others. As we did yesterday, in attending a memorial of someone who had recently passed. We could clearly see the sadness in other people’s eyes. We could feel it in their hearts as God let us listen to their sadness. There is a lesson in this to be learned…
Ecclesiastes 7:2 – “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart”
When we comfort those, who are going through sorrowful times, we are reminded of the shortness of life yet the promise of Heaven.
These moments help us realign our lives with God’s will and purpose for our lives. We waste less time on the fruitless pursuits of worldliness and charge forward towards holiness and righteousness.
Weariness of Sorrow
As children of God, sorrow can wear us down. We need to be reminded to focus on His word. Read our Bibles and listen for the messages He gives us and pray for His comfort…
Psalm 119:28 – “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word”
God gives us strength to push forward. God uses His word to bring the necessary healing we need on a daily basis. It’s our responsibility to make the Bible a centralized part of our lives every day even when it feels difficult.
A Blessing of Sorrow
We need to understand there is a blessing in our sorrow. It is okay to weep. Okay to feel tired and weak. We know our comfort will eventually come from God as the Bible tells us this all too clearly in…
Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”
Some of us feel sorrow over the things we’ve done, the sins we may have made or perhaps we’re feeling sadness due to sinful acts against us… harsh treatment from others.
Knowing our Lord makes the difference as He has sent the Comforter to those who place their trust in Him. We are comforted even when we are stricken with grief as the Lord brings peace that passes all understanding through the Holy Spirit. In sorrowful days, we may not feel blessed at that time—yet we will know His comforting hand over our hurting souls.
When God Removes Our Sorrow
Even though it is perfectly fine to feel sorrow and go through the various emotions surrounding it, we need to be careful not to let it completely wrap our entire being around it.
Cry as you must, feel the hurt and let your emotions out but…in the end, after God has eased your pain, remember to give thanks…
Psalm 30:11 – “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever”
For those who know our Lord, there will be days of rejoicing again because the joy of Him, is our strength.
Someday, No More Sorrow
We will all pass in time. We will all move on to our Lord in Heaven as these vessels wear down and can no longer house our spirits. We need to know this will not be a sorrowful time for us but, instead, a time of great rejoicing!
Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
…yet while we are on this earth, we will suffer times of sorrow. Our solid hope is in the Lord to comfort, sustain, and restore us in those days of sorrow.
A Little Research on Crying
Someone once said to me, “Woody, I feel like crying as I ache so badly inside right now but I just can’t show my weakness!”
This is what I had to say:
“No, you’ll show your strength! You will show that you’re not afraid of your emotions and you’re more than willing to share them to those who are strong enough to listen. Do not hide your tears… instead, show your heart! If you are ridiculed, have pity on them in their ignorance as how difficult it must be for them to live in a world without emotion!”
Neuroscientist and tear researcher Dr. William H. Frey II, PhD, the director of the Alzheimer’s Research Center at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, has spent over 15 years studying crying and tears.
How Crying is Good for You
- It Relieves Stress
Because unalleviated stress can increase our risk for heart attack and damage certain areas of our brain, humans’ ability to cry has survival value, Frey says. - Crying Lowers Blood Pressure
Crying has been found to lower blood pressure and pulse rate immediately following therapy sessions during which patients cried and raged. - Tears Remove Toxins
In addition, Frey says tears actually remove toxins from the body. Tears help humans remove chemicals that build up during emotional stress. - Emotional Crying Means You’re Human
While the eyes of all mammals are moistened and soothed by tears, only human beings shed tears in response to emotional stress. Emotional expression acknowledges the feelings you’re having. Emotions motivate us to empathize, coordinate and work as a unit to best survive
So, next time you feel those tears welling up or that lump in your throat, go ahead, have a good cry!
Cry when you must, let the tears flow from your eyes and feel the comfort of our Lord. Remember He will ease your pain and bring peace to your soul if you truly believe in Him!
Prayer List:
- My Friend Sandy’s Brother Richard
- Alan’s friend Tim Smith
- Our Brother Jerry
- All others suffering illness
- Our Soldiers on foreign land
Go with God, be good to one another… Humble & Kind!