“He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.” – Isaiah 53:3 NLT
There is no one on earth who is a stranger to grief. Grief will find you, no matter who you are. This is so true that we read in the Scriptures that Jesus is acquainted with deepest grief. The Savior of the world wasn’t devoid of it.
Maybe you are grieving a loved one you were never supposed to be without. You could be a parent mourning the loss of a child or a daughter who lost a parent far too early. Maybe you’re mourning the end of a marriage or a season in life you never anticipated.
In all these instances, what if I told you Jesus is well acquainted with how you’re feeling?
When we look to Jesus in our deepest grief, He is very aware of what we’re feeling. He knows. He has been feet-first where we are. We read in Hebrews 5:2 that He deals gently with us because He Himself is beset with weakness. Our Savior, though He is perfect and without sin, deals gently with us because He knows what it’s like to be in our shoes. He knows what it’s like to be human.
Maybe grief has made you angry. Maybe grief has caused unexplainable heaviness and sadness. Maybe grief has made you numb to everything and apathetic to your entire world. I want to encourage you to run to Jesus.
Running to Jesus looks like confessing where you’re at and telling Him what you’re feeling. It means inviting Him into places you may be afraid to let anyone else. For me, that looks like sitting in solitude with my journal and pouring out my heart on the pages. Sometimes it can be driving to a favorite trail and walking as you talk to Him. Whatever it looks like for you, begin to pour out your heart to Jesus and let God speak to you through the Scriptures and His Holy Spirit.
When we run to Jesus, we see that He draws near to us in our time of need. While we read in Isaiah 53:3 that we turned our back on Him, Jesus does the opposite. We are not left alone and we aren’t abandoned, like we read in Hebrews 13:5: “For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you’” (NLT).
When we walk through our hardest moments, Jesus is near to us with greater compassion than we could anticipate. God has also assured us that one day, He will set all things right. He will wipe every tear from our eyes. In fact, in His eternal Kingdom, there will be no more tears (Revelation 21:4). We can cling to this promise in the midst of grief today and let the Holy Spirit’s comfort wash over us.
I know that it’s hard to navigate the things you may be feeling, but we can take everything to Jesus and invite Him into our grief. He is close to you!
A Prayer for Grief
Heavenly Father, I am grieving right now. I know that You have said in Your Word that You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. Lord, please show me how close You are right now. I need Your comfort and Your peace. In moments that feel unfair, remind me that You will set all things right one day. God, I know that I can trust You. I lay all of these feelings before You and ask You to meet me in the middle of them. Amen.
