Devotion.al

Tag: grieve

  • The Tension of Pain and Joy

    Job 4:1-21, Psalm 77, Ephesians 2:1-10 (read online ⧉)

    Job’s friend, Eliphaz, was one of 4 friends that came to visit Job in his time of trouble. While, ultimately, they misspoke of God, at other times they spoke truth of God and Job. Eliphaz told Job that he was a teacher of God and a believer. Wouldn’t we all want people to say these things of us? Yet, then he lectures Job about Job lamenting his situation. This exact pattern is something we have all experienced, and probably even followed.

    There has been a tendency to lecture people who are in emotional, spiritual, and/or pain that they need to be more joyful, more trusting, more faithful. When we look at all the woeful, lamenting words of Job, including even his questioning of God (and where God was in all of his troubles), Job did not . It is not to say that Job never sinned, but in the words that we have from him, he did not sin. There is something important here. It is okay to mourn, , lament.
    Part of is the aura of mourning, grieving, and lamenting. The overarching theme of Lent is that we know what is coming, Good Friday. The reason for Good Friday is mourning, grieving, and lamenting. The reason is sin. Sin was so deep and so pervasive only God breaking in could fix it. On the cross, the of God died.

    Under it all, it wasn’t that Job stopped trusting God, it was that he was hurting. Despite the anguish of Lent, underlying it there still remains truth and joy.

    “…God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great with which he us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive with Christ…”

    We must disregard the mourning, grieving, and lamenting of Lent, for when we do, we undermine the truth of Good Friday.

    1) Do you find it difficult to be joyful while grieving, mourning, or while in pain?

    2) At what point, do you think, our lamenting (grieving, mourning or pain) turns into something that dishonors God?

  • The Grace God Gives

    The Grace God Gives

    2 Chronicles 30:13-27, Nehemiah 8:7-12, Jeremiah 15:16

    The passage in Nehemiah has some depth. First, the people (the Jewish people) were so ignorant of their own history and scriptures, that both had to be explained to them. As they learned what their God had instructed them on how to live, many began to weep (mourn) as they understood that because of their failures, they were separated from God. However, the Levites comforted the people, leading them to understand that this was not a time to , but a time for . God’s forbearing grace at work.

    We see same that same grace in 2 Chronicles. The people were celebrating Passover wrongly (they were ritually unclean). Yet, instead of condemnation, there was grace. In this case, the grace was after some affliction, but one can infer that the affliction was a result of not doing things as required. Yet, instead of being cast out, they celebrate with , praising God. So much joy poured out into doubling the celebration!

    The experience of this kind of joy can only come through the awareness of just how much grace God gives. No matter how much grace God may pour out, the passages makes it clear, their hearts turned toward God first before they received grace and/or were healed. God called them first, yet, God’s , grace, and doesn’t show up until they turn to God with repentant hearts.

    Note also that while the people’s hearts may have been turned to God, there was still a need for intercession by others. This is important to grasp. We all need others to intercede for us.

    From our , the Jewish people were just minding their own business, where they were. They were trying within their contest to fit into the world around them. In fact, much of their problem was indeed that they were successful in fitting into the world around them, so much so, that they wandered away from God.

    1) Do you struggle with fitting into the world around you? Do you struggle fitting into what you think is the or world?

    2) Why is understanding one’s starting point essential to feeling joy?

    3) What is the similarity between joy and happiness? What’s the difference?

    KD) What makes you the most joy-filled? How does that make you think about God?