Faith and Grief

A Grief Quote

Sorrow makes us all children again - destroys all differences of intellect.  The wisest know nothing.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stillness: A Grief Devotional by Elizabeth M. Thompson

  Stillness

By Elizabeth M. Thompson

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

When death takes someone we love, we are immediately swallowed up by the enormity of the loss. We are catapulted into a multitude of activities and myriad details. Decisions, plans, notifications, and legal documents sweep us into action.

We make our way down the to-do list amazed that we can function at all. The activity continues and we are told: “It is good to stay busy; it keeps your mind off things.”

True, busyness can distract us from the full force of our loss. But it can also distract us from the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to be aware of God’s presence, his comfort and love, we need to be still. We need our hands, our bodies, and most importantly, our minds to be still. If we take the time each day to meditate on the greatness of God and allow his Word to plant itself in our hearts, we will walk in the knowledge of who God is and how much he loves us.

Be still today so God can infuse all your activities with the awareness of his presence.

Lord, it is hard to be still today. There is so much to do. My mind is fragmented and over-stimulated, trying to comprehend my loss, my changed life. Lord I want to walk this path hand-in-hand with you. Help me to carve out stillness in my day. Amen

The Anchor Holds by Elizabeth M. Thompson

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus,” if you had been here, my brother would not have died...” John 11:21

I have tasted the bitterness on my tongue as I leveled this accusation at my Lord, “You could have healed him! How could you let my beloved die and cause me so much pain? Why did you not act? I know you love me, so why did you allow this catastrophic storm of grief into my life?”

When the healing doesn’t come and in its place comes death, where is the healer? He holds the one thing we yearn for more than anything else, and he withholds it. Why?

We may never be able to answer that question. But we learn that Jesus wants us to seek him, not just what he can do for us. He wants our trust to run so deep that the circumstances have no power over it.

We find the storms of life reveal to us what anchors our soul and whether or not the anchor holds. On those days when I wake to see that I have survived another heartbroken night, I know my soul is secure; my anchor holds.

Lord, you are the anchor of my soul, without you I could not survive this torrential grief. My pain would overtake me and I would be lost at sea. Who am I to question you? Your ways and your thoughts are far greater than mine. I will trust you. Amen.

 

The Anchor Holds

By Elizabeth M. Thompson

A Grief Quote

Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break.  ~William Shakespeare

Vulnerable to Grief by Elizabeth M. Thompson

Vulnerable to Grief

By Elizabeth M. Thompson

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah 53:3

I am perplexed by the thought that Jesus—God in the flesh—suffered grief. When God became a man he longed to make himself relatable, approachable to us.

Because Jesus suffered losses and experienced grief, He is able to identify with my grief. He knows how I feel and has empathy and compassion for me. Because He humbled Himself to become like us—taking on human form—He understands our pain, our suffering and all the emotional turmoil that can accompany our loss.

Jesus chose to identify Himself with us in our grief. He willingly experienced losses, because of His longing to connect with us in our pain. If He loves us enough to take on grief and suffering, we know He can lead us from the depths of grief to restored joy and purpose.

Dear Lord, thank you for making yourself vulnerable to grief and loss for our sake. Please help me though my grief and lead me to acceptance, contentment and peace. Amen.

A Grief Quote

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.  ~Jan Glidewell

Unshakeable: A Grief Devotional by Elizabeth M. Thompson

Unshakeable

By Elizabeth M. Thompson

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Few things shake our lives like bereavement, a word that literally means to tear. We feel our loved one has been torn from our lives, leaving a ragged edge that easily frays. I look out my window at the distant mountains and feel a little amazed that they stand in spite of the shaking I have endured and I am reminded of God’s faithful and unfailing love for me. More stable and more constant than the mightiest of mountains.

God’s covenant of peace has not been removed from me, though I may not be at peace with my loss, I am at peace with my God.

Lord, thank you for reminding me of your faithfulness and steadfastness today. My life has been severely altered by my loss, yet my God is unaltered. You remain the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thank you for your covenant of peace which surrounds me and strengthens me and stabilizes me in the midst of turmoil. Amen

The Steadfast Mind a Grief Devotional by Elizabeth M. Thompson

The Steadfast Mind

By Elizabeth M. Thompson

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

The griever's mind struggles for steadfastness. Many thoughts and feelings battle for control of our minds: faith, fear, sorrow, hope, hopelessness, longing to remember while trying to forget.

How do we keep a steadfast mind in times of pain and turmoil? We choose. We choose which thoughts to dwell on and which thoughts to disregard. We choose to cling to God's Word and to our Lord, Jesus Christ. We ask God for a steadfast mind and a heart that is sensitive to his leading.

As we take our thoughts captive and measure them against absolute truth, we find a peace that floods our souls.

Lord, create in me a steadfast mind. Protect me from thoughts and feelings that would shatter my serenity. Keep me in your perfect peace, I pray. Amen

I've Been on a Little Field Trip by Elizabeth M. Thompson

For those of you still faithfully checking my blog to no avail, I wanted to let you know I have been on a little field trip. You could say I was doing some intensive lab work, furthering my grief education. Yeah, isn't that fun? But here I am. I have learned some interesting things which I plan to share with you in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned....

Finding God in Our Grief

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Many grievers walk through a valley of apparent separation from God. They feel like God is absent, silent, gone. When we walk through this season of silence, we grope like a blinded child, grabbing for any evidence that God, our Father, has not abandoned us.

It is in these periods of darkness that our faith is revealed for what it is. It is the evidence of things not seen. When we trust God though we cannot see him or hear him, he is most glorified and our faith is most solidified.

Lord, as I struggle to seek you with all my heart, help me to have faith—the kind of faith that perseveres in the darkness and continues to listen in the silence. Amen

By Elizabeth M. Thompson