Sunday 9 June 2024

When I Feel...Filled With Grief And Brokenhearted



Nothing in life can really prepare us for the death of a loved one, whether it came suddenly or was expected through illness for a while. The stark reality of the loss we’re now experiencing naturally leads to grief and we all deal with grief in a different way. The important thing is to allow ourselves time to process and not try to run from it or bottle it up.

We can also grieve the loss of our health, a career, a relationship or friendship. We may find ourselves in a season of grieving the death of a dream or hope we had for our lives. We may feel certain kinds of grief more keenly than others but grief in any form is a heartbreaking thing to feel.

I pray this little meditation and poem can help us today if we're struggling to deal with grief. May we take the space and time we need to be honest with our emotions and with the help of the Holy Spirit, process them in a biblical way. Love Lucy x

"When I’m feeling brokenhearted, when my soul is torn by grief,
When no solace can be found and words can offer no relief,
When I’m truly devastated, when I feel I’m torn in two,
Come to me I beg, O’ Lord and help me find a rest in You.

When it seems I’ll weep forever and my sorrow cannot cease,
May I feel Your Spirit near. Overrule and bring me peace.
Though my mind can barely fathom, barely comprehend this loss,
You can understand the pain I cannot seem to get across.

Help me cling to You, my Saviour, my Redeemer, faithful Friend.
Knowing that with every wave, You will pick me up again.
Though for now I’m lost in anguish, bind my wounds, I humbly pray.
Meet me in this time of mourning, blanket me in love each day.

Help me not to rush the process, may I take the time I need.
Though this grief is overwhelming, oh Lord Jesus, intercede.
Minister to me, my Father, comfort me and lift my view.
Calm my heart with every breath as I surrender all to You.

Grief does not submit to order, nor conform to frames of time.
Lord, I trust that step by step, You’ll soothe this broken heart of mine.
Help me, Lord to face the future, guide me through my days and years.
Finding quiet joy to know there comes a day with no more tears."


Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”

Psalm 147:3
“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

John 16:22
“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Revelation 21:4
“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.”


Heart Check

Grieving over the death of a loved one has to be one of the hardest emotions to process as a human being. We’re not built to deal with it as death was never part of God’s original creation. When God created life, the cosmos, Earth and everything in it, Genesis 1:31 tells us that He looked at all He had made and declared that it was very good. Death wasn’t a part of this and only came into the equation after the fall of mankind. Death is the consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin and rebellion in the Garden of Eden and so we’re not equipped to deal with the sorrow of separation as this was never intended to be.
As Romans 6:23 says,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing in life can really prepare us for the death of a loved one, whether it came suddenly or was expected through illness for a while. The stark reality of the loss we’re now experiencing naturally leads to grief and we all deal with grief in a different way.
The important thing is to allow ourselves time to process and not try to run from it or bottle it up.
I remember reading a book by Nancy Missler and she was talking about how non-believers only have two options when it comes to dealing with any negative emotion, not just grief. She explained that the non-Christian can either vent their negative emotions or brush them under the carpet. Neither one is beneficial and both will lead to damage for ourselves and potentially those around us.
The Christian however, has a third option. We can bring every emotion before the Throne of God and give Him permission to remove and replace it with His perfect peace.

This doesn’t mean we’ll instantly be free of the emotion or the situation causing it per se, (although there are times in my life when God has done that with feelings such as anger and frustration) but it does mean we have the incredible gift of divine help when it comes to working through our situations in life.
God understands grief better than anyone else. We learn from Scripture that Jesus wept and grieved the loss of loved ones in His own life, here on Earth. We can’t begin to imagine the grief it must have caused God the Father to turn away from His Son as Christ died upon the Cross. We can be confident that when we bring our broken heart before the Throne of Jesus, we know that He understands the complexities of everything we’re feeling and thinking without us even placing a word on our lips. He truly is a compassionate Saviour and is the only One who can really offer any peace in the situation and hope for the future.

Death is of course one thing that may cause us to grieve in this life but as I mentioned earlier, loss is what causes grief and there are many things in life we may lose. We can grieve the loss of our health, a career, a relationship or friendship. We may find ourselves in a season of grieving the death of a dream or hope we had for our lives. We may feel certain kinds of grief more keenly than others but grief in any form is a heartbreaking thing to feel.

Now might be a good time to ask ourselves some questions.

Am I grieving the loss of someone or something just now?
Have I brought my grief before God or am I trying to handle it on my own?
Do I think God understands what I’m going through and is able to help me?
Have I been running from my emotions or trying to pretend they’re not there?
Is this something I need to talk to a trusted person about and seek practical help with?
Is there someone in my life who seems to be struggling with grief who I can reach out to?

May we take the space and time we need to be honest with our emotions and process them in a biblical way. As part of the Body of Christ, we need never grieve alone. For the child of God, there is always help and there is always hope.