GOD ON MUTE

How am I going to get through this?

“And he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.’ … He said, ‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.’” - Mark 14:34,36

Day 13: The Stages of Grief

Pause

“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” - Psalm 6:2-3

Reflect

  • Bible: “and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Psalm 89:46-49

  • Book: “The Five Stages of Grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) help explain why we may initially get angry with God, raging against the apparent unfairness of His will (such anger is often the initial reaction once the shock has worn off). At other stages, we may seek to bargain with God, repenting of our sin, trying to be a better person, fasting, and making all sorts of promises to try to persuade him to change his mind. One writer calls this "bribery of the infinite." Having vented our anger, and having failed to bribe God, we really only have two choices left: depression or acceptance.” (p.76)

Ask

  • Do you agree with the Five Stages of Grief? Why or why not?

  • When was the last time that someone close to you died?

  • Have you ever considered that losing a job, a friendship or a pet could be a form of grief? Why or why not?

  • How have you processed grief in the past?

  • If you are grieving right now, then what stage of grief are you experiencing?

  • What emotions does the thought of accepting your situation provoke within you?

  • Might it be helpful to share your grief with someone?

  • Where does patience in waiting upon the Lord fit in when we are grieving?

  • What does it mean to grieve well?

  • How do you understand God’s soverignty in the midst of your grief?

Yield

The hymn, “It is Well with My Soul,” by Horatio Spafford:

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come

Let this blest assurance control

That Christ (yes he has) has regarded my helpless estate

And has shed His own blood for my soul

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought (the thought)

My sin, not in part, but the whole (every bit, every bit, all of it)

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more (yes)

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend

Even so, it is well with my soul

Amen.



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