In the deepest, darkest nights God throws out a handful of stars and the moon to reveal His presence and His glory. In my darkest night God threw out His stars, His moon and His Son. He began a process of absorbing me into Himself and He in me. God's Word became my anchor that I clung to passionately. In that on going process that continues even today He brought me face to face with the fact that He Himself was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. In every way, but my sin, He knew what I was going through. It is a comfort, though sad, to walk through a trial with someone who has been there before you.
One of the first things God taught me in His Word is that it is ok to grieve. Jesus told His disciples, "you will weep and lament...," "You will be sorrowful....," "So also you have sorrow now..." But He also points out that that isn't the end. He goes on to finish His statements with "your sorrow will turn into joy...," "but I (Jesus) will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." Grief is an emotion that God gave us to take us through the darkest places. As in all emotions God gives us they are good---anger, grief, disappointment, love, hate, fear. As one dear friend said, we can have all the emotions we want as long as they don't have us! Sorrow and grief are good emotions; not ones we want, but they are good in God's hands. So how do we have sorrow and grief and not let them have us. I Peter 5:7 says, "casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."
The way I found to not let sorrow and grief "have me," and consume me was to give them back to God! When the tidal waves of sorrow would wash over me and threaten to drown me I would read I Peter 5:7 and literally picture my sorrow being cast on Jesus' shoulders and Him walking away with it. I had someone who's shoulders were strong enough to bear any burden I gave Him. Then Philippians 4:7 became real to me--"And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I had grief and sorrow beyond description, but I have Jesus to keep that grief and sorrow from destroying me. I could not walk away from grief and leave it, but I had Someone strong enough to walk through it with me
