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Scripture: Isaiah 53:3–5
Key Verse: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:4a)
Grief—all around us, uncontrollable, and unwelcome. It is that deep ache of the soul we feel when a parent or someone we love is no longer on the earth, when our hearts burn because of betrayal or abandonment, when the fog in our minds is too thick to see through. We all experience grief, sorrow, suffering in one way or another. Grief is part of our human experience.
How we wish it would go away, wish we could be told exactly how long the ache would last, wish we could turn back time, wish it didn’t hurt so badly. We wish we didn’t feel so alone.
Jesus, a man of suffering, is familiar with pain. Does he also know what it is like to hang out with grief? Yes. Grief was one of Jesus’s companions on earth and he helps us carry our grief as he walks with us on our earthly journey. Grief is no stranger to our Savior. He knows death and he knows loss. He can be trusted with our pain. He does not minimize our grief, and he is with us through this dark tunnel that eventually leads us somewhere he also knows: resurrection.
Consider
What words would you use to describe your grief? What words would you use to describe Jesus’s grief?
Practice
Look at Psalm 42:7–8. If you were to write a song in this “night,” what would the music be like?
Now listen. What song do you hear God singing over you?
Chat
Lord Jesus, man of sorrows and suffering Savior, I need you. I need to feel your presence in the dark night of my soul. I long to experience your peace, the music of your song, the hope of your promises, the light of your face. Lord of compassion and all comfort, have mercy on me and all those who grieve.
