A Man’s Journey Through Grief, #5

I’ve found that the best advice when I’m too teary from grief to think straight is to heed the practice of Mary Helen who has gone home where she can really experience her own advice. “Be still and know that I am God.” Be still and quiet enough to think about the presence, attributes and purposes of God.

Psalm 46, where this verse is found, begins by declaring that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (vs. 1) even when the mountains shake and fall into the roaring sea (vs. 2,3). Even though the nations rage there is a river that makes glad the people of God. A river of comfort streams from God. “For the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (vs. 7). Not the God of Abraham here or Joshua or Moses but fallible, deceitful Jacob. God is the God who forgives. He is the one who transforms the weak and sinful like you and me.

Then the Psalmist urges us to “behold the works of the Lord who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease…he burns the chariot in the fire” (vs. 8,9).  We need to remember history. He made Assyria and Babylon desolate. He destroyed the chariots of Egypt. He tore down the walls of Jericho. Thus, we should “be still know that He is God who will be exalted in the nations…in the earth! [and remember] The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (vs. 11).

When the tears fall and my grief is too great to bear, it helps me to calm myself through pondering the Lord and His purposes. In Mary Helen’s homegoing there is a purpose—for her, for me. In my loneliness I need to remember that God, not any god, but the God of Jacob is my refuge. This leads me to continue to meditate on the glories of our God. Infinite, eternal, unchangeable in His triune being, wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. No wonder I cannot understand what is happening around me. I am not infinite in wisdom. I cannot see all the myriad interconnections of His purposes. I don’t see the interaction of his mercy, grace and love not just on me but upon the whole human race. I do not see how this contributes to the extension of His kingdom so that He will be exalted in all the earth! But faith reaches out to believe.

This line of thinking directs me to a myriad of other verses that describe the comfort to be found in lifting our eyes from our own situation to meditate on the greatness of our God. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3, KJV). Jesus, Himself, promised peace to his disciples. (see John 14:27) Thank you Lord!

The comfort I find from meditating on God’s greatness does not mean that tears do not fall. For He was the one who gave her to me. And love continues. As Jamie Anderson has written:

Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love,

It’s all the love you want to give,

but cannot. All that unspent love

gathers up in the corners of your eyes,

the lump in your throat,

and in that hollow part of your chest.

Grief is just love with no place to go.”

(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. Further articles, books, and stories at: http://www.countrywindow.ca Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright –– Eric’s books are available at: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-E.-Wright/e/B00355HPKK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share)

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