Prayer when you manage your chronic grief
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading: “So with you: Now is your time of sorrow, but I will see you again, and you will be pleased, and no one will take away your joy.” – John 16 :twenty two
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Within the Christian community, grief becomes a topic placed on the backburner. Many of us are taught that as Christians we should always be happy. We should always be happy, even if our parents, siblings, or spouses die. What’s less than that isn’t biblical, right? This is a terrible idea that needs to be eradicated from the church and the Christian community.
Nowhere in the Bible says we must always be happy. We should always be happy, but joy and happiness are not the same thing. Many people use these words as synonyms, but they are not the same. With Jesus as our Lord, joy is always present in our hearts, as it is based on Him and not on us. Happiness, on the other hand, is fleeting and based on our situation.
Grief is something that can be spent lifetimes to completely deal with. If the church cannot help when Christians experience the death of their loved one first, how can they help those who are chronically managing their grief? Seeing things from the perspective of others helps to develop compassion, care and understanding for others. Even if someone has never experienced their sorrow, they need to try their best to truly connect with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are experiencing this troublesome time. Instead of making insensitive comments like, “Oh, are you not above that yet?”, we need to start to understand others and really meet them where they are.
It is essential to be a shoulder for us to cry, a support system and a safe place for them. As someone struggling with chronic grief, I can share with you that it’s not an easy journey. Some days are better than others, but bad days are serious. I was saddened after my mother passed away, but I have never really made any progress from where she passed away. Sometimes I feel like I was only 18 years old when she passed away. I feel like I could turn 90 on other days.
Most of them have not witnessed the death of their parents, so I don’t have much in common with people of my age. Everyone at my age has married, started a family, moved into their own home, but I sit in my bed screaming about sleeping. If you find yourself in a similar position, know that you are not alone. There are Christians all over the world that can relate to what you are going through, and God understands your pain. Give comfort to his love, comfort and grace.
One day we will be happy
The Lord said, “So with you: Now is the time of your sorrow, but I will see you again, and you will be pleased, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22). . Jesus mentions his own death and how his disciples see him again. We experience grief over many things, but the most common is the death of a loved one. It remains the Lord’s words that there is joy in the future. Now is our time for grief, but our grief will not last forever. We may struggle with grief throughout our entire life, but we will not suffer from it forever. One day, our sorrow is taken away, and the Lord welcomes us into the house with open arms.
Let’s pray:
Dear Jesus, I am going through a tough period of sadness. I have struggled with sadness for a long time, but it seems like I’m not going anywhere soon. Help me find comfort, hope, comfort to you when I’m struggling. I look forward to the day I will be pleased, and all my pain will be taken away. Lord, I praise you. Amen.
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Vivian Bricker received his Bachelor of Mission and a Master of Arts with a focus on theology. She loves theology, mission work, and everything that helps others learn about Jesus. Find out more about her content on Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.
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