I may not see in front of me, But I can see for miles around when I look over my shoulder, and Lord, it`s clear. You`ve brought me here, So faithful every step of the way. What can I do but follow you, For You are the Way, the Truth, the Life, And You`ve promised never to leave me, My Savior, my friend, From beginning to end.
I Am Found In You
by
Steven Curtis Chapman
She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. Genesis 23:2 NIV
Does it surprise you that Abraham would mourn for his wife Sarah? Of course not. If you have read the Bible very often, you know that Abraham and Sarah are one of the great Biblical couples who had a deep love for each other. Abraham and Sarah had experienced a lot of life together, so when Sarah died, Abraham naturally grieved.
Today I am beginning a somewhat unusual series on mourning. I hope it is not considered morbid, but it is birthed out of the many emails I have received over the years from readers in pain over the loss of a loved one, or similar trials. It seems that we have forgotten the act of mourning. We certainly grieve, but I’m not sure we know how to properly mourn these days; at least not in the Biblical sense. Perhaps, as always, the Bible has something for us to learn in this area. You may be thinking that this series doesn’t apply to you. Bear this in mind; it may not today, but some day it might meet you exactly at your point of need. (Yes, I know the Scripture says we don’t “mourn” or grieve like the rest of the world. I’m mindful of that, but it doesn’t say not to mourn.)
Mourning is defined by Dictionary.com as: To feel or express grief or sorrow; To show grief for a death by conventional signs; To feel or express deep regret for; or To grieve over. I think most of us understand that this is what the word means, but carrying this out in action is what we may be missing.
The ancient Hebrews placed a much greater emphasis on mourning than we seem to do today. Ceremonies for expressing grief at the death of a relative or on any unhappy occasion are referred to frequently in the Bible; such expressions were a natural valid manifestation of grief in that culture. In fact, professional mourners were often called in for a funeral, which helped set a solemn, mournful occasion. Mourning was actually required in the law.
In my family I’m not always known as the compassionate one. For this kind of attention, the boys go to my wife. I know that’s hard to believe, since my occupation is helping people, but when the boys are sick, I’m more inclined to say “get over it”. But, mourning is a normal, even needed response to situations of life sometimes. We’ll talk about some of those situations in this series.
Today, if you are really stressed over circumstances in your life, don't be ashamed to mourn. Use it as a time where God can fill your emptiness with His gracious and powerful love!
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All materials © 2008 Richard G. Schlief.
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