Thursday, December 14, 2006
God knows our grief
Psalm 31:7 - For you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
When you've walked through the valley of the shadow of death
When you thought the worst was over and the worst was all that was left
Some things can't be explained now, but one day He surely will
Look up through the pain now, you will find Him Deeper Still
Deeper still you will find him, deeper than you sought before
Deeper than the anchor goes, deeper than the ocean floor
Deeper still your faith has taught you, deeper still there is to go
Deeper still we find the Savior, deeper still than we know.
God knows about grief, He understands our pain, our sorrow, our loss. The night Jesus was arrested he spent a good deal of time in prayer at that rock in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked His father (Math 26:39)‘…My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.’ Jesus knew what He was facing and what He would have to endure and He also was keenly aware of what was at stake…and yet He still asked. Jesus didn’t want to drink of the cup of suffering, but He submitted to His father’s will. What an incredible picture of what it must have been like to be God become man. Even Jesus Christ didn’t want to face the grief that awaited him. Who does? Who hasn’t faced an anguished, pleading moment and found ourselves saying, ‘God, get me out of this! Perform a miracle in me! Don’t make me go through this sickness, this hardship, this struggle. Don’t take my wife’s life! Take this from me! Take IT!’
Christ’s grief was very real at Gethsemane. In fact, it was so intense, Luke 22:44 says ‘his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.’ But it didn’t end there; Jesus had Golgotha to face yet. Beaten and bleeding, He carried His own cross to the very spot where they pounded spikes through His hands and feet and raised that cross until it slid into the hole with a ‘thump!’ I can imagine that through the jeering, laughter and people spitting on Him, Jesus felt utterly alone…forsaken…abandoned. He even said, ‘My GOD! My GOD!...why have you forsaken me?!’ He knows grief; Jesus is quite acquainted with grief…with pain…with sorrow. When we face our own Golgotha, the crucible of suffering. A place so terrible, so alone, so dark, that one feels forsaken, Jesus is there with you. He knows each step…He knows the way, but He doesn’t want to help you carry your cross…He’s already carried your cross…He’s already paid the price and as we come to Him, weeping in our grief, He envelops us in His open arms and says, ‘I know my child…I know.’ And He really does!
For the love of Amy - V
When you've walked through the valley of the shadow of death
When you thought the worst was over and the worst was all that was left
Some things can't be explained now, but one day He surely will
Look up through the pain now, you will find Him Deeper Still
Deeper still you will find him, deeper than you sought before
Deeper than the anchor goes, deeper than the ocean floor
Deeper still your faith has taught you, deeper still there is to go
Deeper still we find the Savior, deeper still than we know.
God knows about grief, He understands our pain, our sorrow, our loss. The night Jesus was arrested he spent a good deal of time in prayer at that rock in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked His father (Math 26:39)‘…My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.’ Jesus knew what He was facing and what He would have to endure and He also was keenly aware of what was at stake…and yet He still asked. Jesus didn’t want to drink of the cup of suffering, but He submitted to His father’s will. What an incredible picture of what it must have been like to be God become man. Even Jesus Christ didn’t want to face the grief that awaited him. Who does? Who hasn’t faced an anguished, pleading moment and found ourselves saying, ‘God, get me out of this! Perform a miracle in me! Don’t make me go through this sickness, this hardship, this struggle. Don’t take my wife’s life! Take this from me! Take IT!’
Christ’s grief was very real at Gethsemane. In fact, it was so intense, Luke 22:44 says ‘his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.’ But it didn’t end there; Jesus had Golgotha to face yet. Beaten and bleeding, He carried His own cross to the very spot where they pounded spikes through His hands and feet and raised that cross until it slid into the hole with a ‘thump!’ I can imagine that through the jeering, laughter and people spitting on Him, Jesus felt utterly alone…forsaken…abandoned. He even said, ‘My GOD! My GOD!...why have you forsaken me?!’ He knows grief; Jesus is quite acquainted with grief…with pain…with sorrow. When we face our own Golgotha, the crucible of suffering. A place so terrible, so alone, so dark, that one feels forsaken, Jesus is there with you. He knows each step…He knows the way, but He doesn’t want to help you carry your cross…He’s already carried your cross…He’s already paid the price and as we come to Him, weeping in our grief, He envelops us in His open arms and says, ‘I know my child…I know.’ And He really does!
For the love of Amy - V
# posted by Vince @ 11:53 PM 
