Precious in the Sight of the Lord

God recorded every one of the days of our life in His book prior to our birth. He laid out each moment of time before even one day passed. In fact, He watched as we were formed in our mother's womb. He made all of our delicate, complex internal organs by His creative workmanship (Psalm 139:13-16). God has a perfect plan for every life (Ephesians 2:10).

In our times of trouble on this earth, our Heavenly Daddy is a refuge for the oppressed. We learn to trust in Him, because He never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 9:9). In fact, God does not even leave us to rot in the grave. When we die, He sends angels to carry us to Heaven (Luke 16:22). Then, He raises us up in new life as His sons, and we never die again (Luke 20:36).

Solomon, in all of His wisdom, realized that the day of our death is better than the day of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1). To be out of this earthly body means that we are face-to-face with our Creator and King (2 Corinthians 5:8). We experience all the joys of knowing God in this life, and then He provides us with the wondrous pleasure of His own unending presence throughout eternity (Psalm 16:9-11).

The death of His Saints is precious in the sight of the Lord (Psalm 116:15). We are never parted from our Lord and Savior, not even by death. We leave this old sin-cursed world behind and enter the glories of Heaven with our Daddy God. He is our guide throughout life, and He also walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 48:14; Psalm 23:4).

Prayer:

Father God, when we put our trust in Your name and live by faith in Your faithfulness, You never let us down. You even give us Your peace and joy as we leave this world behind (Psalm 9:10-11). We sing praises to You now in this life, and we will continue to sing Your praises when we enter Your heavenly city. Remind us to tell everyone we know about Your goodness to us during this lifetime, so they will know You too.

Thought for the Day:

God gives His righteous bride a refuge in death. - Proverbs 14:32

Healing During Holidays

Read: Habakkuk 3:17-18

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4

The death of a loved one is the most devastating blow that life can ever inflicts upon us. Special days such a birthday, anniversary and the holidays such as: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are emotional triggers. The pain and loss we feel on these days is often more acute than during the original pain of loss, because initially, we are usually numb from shock. Anger, bitterness, resentment, abandonment and despair are just a few of the emotions accompanying grief during these special days and holidays.

We may think there is something wrong with us for feeling these emotions all over again. However, they are normal, necessary and healing as we continue to process our grief. Preparing in advance for these milestones will help us to traverse them more successfully. At times like these, our soul – our mind, will and emotions – gets downcast. We feel disturbed, forsaken and alone. We can put our hope in God, and praise Him even in the midst of our pain, because He is our Savior and God (Psalm 42:5-6).

There are a few concepts, which will facilitate your healing. The first is to be honest with yourself and others. Face your emotions and struggles, rather than avoid them. Spend time alone with God. Read His Word and keep a notebook of Bible verses that speak to your heart. Do not allow your loss to consume you and do not become preoccupied with your grief. Facing the truth about our grief actually sets us free from it (John 8:31-32, 36).   

The second concept is to express your feelings. Admit how you feel to others who are grieving or to a confidant or counselor. Tears are healing and they cleanse our soul. Fully feeling your grief allows you to heal more quickly. Tears release pent up emotions and stress as well. Sometimes tears are internal, rather than external. This is perfectly normal. It is also very healing to squarely face the pain of grief and to allow yourself to mourn loudly and to weep bitterly (Acts 8:2).

The third concept is to socialize. You cannot face your grief alone. Ask God to show you or to bring to you a person with whom you can share your most intimate feelings about your loss. Finding someone who also experienced loss will bring you the most comfort. Call or write this person and arrange for times to get together to talk. Grief Share and similar support groups are also available for people to vent, chat and find support from others with whom you can relate (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Planning a celebration with family and friends in honor of our loved one gives us the opportunity to create new memories and also puts a positive slant on our loss. We can look forward to being able to comfort others who are also experiencing affliction with the comfort, which we receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am depending upon You to see me through this time of loss. I will praise You, because I am assured that You have a future and a hope for me that is for my good (Jeremiah 29:11). We are beaten down on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; deprived, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Thank You for setting us free from the grief of our loss and bringing a semblance of order back into our life. Help us to freely express our emotions and loss with a trusted friend or counselor. Direct us to people who are also grieving and allow us to be a friend and confidant to them during their time of grief and loss.

Thought for the Day:

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” - Psalm 73:26

 

 

 

 

Read these wonderful articles about grief during the holidays:

http://www.griefshare.org/holidays#articles