God uses our pain to help others. God never wastes a hurt. Every time we face pain, God has a purpose in it. There's no greater use of your pain than to help others with it. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
Next, Jesus instructs us to process our grief so we can be comforted. Sorrow is an every day occurrence in this world, requiring a comfort that originates in Christ and is lived out by His Body—fellow followers of Jesus. The comfort of Christ through other Christians gives us permission to freely process our grief.
Isaiah 61:3, ESV
This scripture describes mourning and those who experience the heaviness of its pain. It promises you that there will be beauty when you think there is nothing but sorrow. There will come a joy from this pain that will be exchanged with mourning.
Suffering causes our focus to turn inward, to face those parts of ourselves we might otherwise ignore. God can use suffering then to develop us into better people: the people who can love and enjoy Him forever (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4).
Revelation 21:4 gives you an eternal perspective, helping you find purpose in the pain. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
When we are suffering, God is right beside us. Nothing can separate us from His love. He wants to show us His love through His church, and give us a purpose through His Word!
O Lord, we call upon You in our time of sorrow, that You give us the strength and will to bear our heavy burdens, until we can again feel the warmth and love of Your divine compassion. Be mindful of us and have mercy on us while we struggle to comprehend life's hardships.
Lamentations 3:20-25
God is faithful, even when we are feeling broken by our losses. His love for us is greater than any human love possibly could ever be, and when we remember this, we find strength in his faithfulness. Grieving will not last forever, and there is hope.
Ecclesiastes 3:4-5 New Living Translation (NLT)
A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). The Lord will wrap His arms of love and comfort around those who trust in Him. 3. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
He tells us in Isaiah 41:10 that He will never forsake those who are suffering, "Do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God." And in Psalm 147:3 He gives comfort by saying, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." These passages show us that even though life might seem too hard ...
The Bible says that in our eternal home, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). The apostle Paul told us not to “sorrow as others who have no hope.
What does the Bible say about cremation? According to most Biblical study websites, there is no explicit scriptural command for or against cremation. There are no passages that forbid cremation, according to most Biblical scholars.
Luke 23:28-31 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me. You should be weeping for yourselves and your children.
This is the sorrow of self-pity, the sorrow of getting caught, the sorrow over the consequences sin brings. People who have worldly sorrow are often defensive about their sin and attempt to justify it or explain it away; whereas godly sorrow causes you to own your sin and make no excuses.
As Psalm 34:18 promises: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." This is the essence of When God & Grief Meet: a book that will give comfort for your present and courage for your future.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “Do not grieve as those who have no hope.” Last week a child in our church tragically died. This is the second sermon I preached to encourage the family. Here is Part I: Let the Little Children Come to Me and Do not Hinder Them.
The heartbreak of grief can increase blood pressure and the risk of blood clots. Intense grief can alter the heart muscle so much that it causes "broken heart syndrome," a form of heart disease with the same symptoms as a heart attack. Stress links the emotional and physical aspects of grief.
We may believe that because “God is love” (1 John 4:16), He feels the anguish, pain, and grief of human beings. He cannot contemplate human suffering as an uninterested, unaffected bystander. He suffers with all of the suffering of the world. He suffers in deepest sympathy with the sufferings of every human being.
God respects agency.
Other trials come from people making bad decisions. God respects the agency of each of His children. He (and we) can encourage, plead, warn, and teach—rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. But in the end, it would go against His nature and plan to force anyone to do anything.
He is able to help us when we are tempted to doubt God's existence or goodness in our suffering because He was tempted, yet without sin (Hebrews 2:18). He meets us in our suffering and walks with us through it. We do not need to face any suffering alone.
For Christians, it traditionally takes between one week and 40 days after the date of death to fully mourn the deceased. However, note that the mourning period can vary greatly in length, depending on the denomination.
“Lord, the Bible says You are “close to the brokenhearted and [You rescue] those whose spirits are crushed,” (Psalm 34:18). Draw close to me and rescue me. Help me not to grieve like those who haven't discovered Your kindness and mercy, who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13)—lift me up and give me hope once more.