2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
I lost my closest grandfather a little over a week ago. It was good for him, as he knew the Lord and was suffering. That doesn’t really make it any easier to not miss him, though. My thought was to wait until the funeral service to stop pushing the grief aside (which happens tomorrow). However, I struggled at the beginning of this week with going to work. In fact, I took Monday off. The grief hit me harder and earlier than I had expected. I was a little unsure of what to do, and sought the counsel of a biblical counselor at our church.
She reminded me our hope is in the Lord. Yes it hurts, and we need to take some time to heal, but we look to the Lord to be our Healer. He is the God of all comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3) I realized I had let the grief take over, and was not living in the joy of the Lord.
I don’t mean I should be happy as I grieve. Happiness is different from joy. Joy is the peace and thankfulness born of faith that God is always in control and knows what He’s doing - no matter what - for your good and His glory.
In this case, I could extend the "good" to knowing He was also taking care of my grandfather. Living in the joy of the Lord is living in the constant knowledge of His presence, His sovereignty, and His love. This made it so much easier to grieve. I am so thankful for the One who is our hope.
How can you live in the joy of the Lord through a trial you may be going through?
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