Ecclesiastes 7God’s purpose for grief |  | what the Bible says about Grief

Transcript

3 days. That's how long I had between my mom's funeral and my first day back at work. I remember driving in between sobs just asking God for the strength just to make it through the day. I'd only been awake an hour and already I had no strength left. And then a song came on the radio, one I'd never heard before. The lyrics said, "You don't keep my heart from breaking, but when it does, you weep with me."

And I started crying harder, but it was different. My tears of grief turned into joy. I laughed out loud and said, "Well, God, guess I'm driving home cuz no way I can go to work today." The Bible says, "It is better to spend time at funerals than at parties." Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. Sadness has a way of softening even the hardest of hearts.

Think about farming. You have to break up the soil before it will take seed. And grief does that to our hearts. It humbles us. It strips away the illusion that we have the answers and leaves us with an honest feeling. This doesn't feel right. And here's the thing. God agrees. One of my spiritual mentors is a widow. And above her fireplace hangs a picture of a house and written over it says the following.

Rey is not here. Rey is with Christ, but Christ is here. That's the promise every believer has. Jesus Christ is with you now. And you may be sitting in your grief right now thinking, "I can't wait for the day I can no longer cry. But what do I do today when I feel like crying, and I often do, and that's a fair question." And here's what I've learned.

God doesn't want your strength. He wants your heart. Even the broken parts you may want to hide. And that's not weakness. That's worship. So if you're grieving right now, bring it to God honestly. Not a version of you that you think God wants, the real one. Because Jesus has a reason for the pain. After all, he made your heart. And in salvation, he made it new. And he will remind you today his purposes.

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