Prepared for grief?.....
One of the questions the Griefshare workbook asks is; "Pretend you are writing a letter to a friend to help him or her prepare for grief...what would you tell your friend to expect?"
Prepared for grief??? How do you prepare for grief? I looked at this question over and over...no one could have "prepared" me except whether or not I was part of God's family....that is the basic, bottom line preparation...then i at least knew I had Someone beside me, with me, in me no matter what...but prepared? No way...no matter how many times I have watched others go through grief, given out books, held their hands, given them hugs, encouraged them...it is still an individual experience that tests us to our very inmost depth, souls and beyond....
It is good and but, sometimes overwhelming, to go through a grief class, but one has to be ready to start to assimilate life again after the death of a loved one...ready to move forward, ready to accept all the emotions that come tumbling out, the lost expectations, the anger, the holidays, the new normals, the "life goes on", The decisions, the torrent of tears, even the joy and laughter, the "why Lord questions", even the "thank you", or whatever comes forth from that place of grief...
Like Lazarus coming forth out of the grave when Jesus called him...he was clothed in death wrappings, newly aware of life, probably treated differently, asked "what was it like?", but probably a new perspective on life around him....we, who have grieved or are grieving are newly aware of changes in our lives, are shedding our death wrappings, are working through a different level of life, are still answering "what is it like" questions and may be treated differently.....what will be our new normal....what will define us....who will we comfort, encourage...who will be our Guide....
Thank YOU that You are always there...even sometimes when we don't "feel " it...help us to come forth, alive in You...
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Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:51-52),
We cannot understand this last miracle unless we see it as a kind of examination period given to these disciples after the feeding of the five thousand. Our Lord had sent them out, had given them power. They had seen their ministry confirmed and authenticated by the hand of God working through them. They had come back excited and turned on by all they had seen and done. They had now been taught that Jesus was the one who was coming to fulfill the expectation of a Messiah to be given to Israel, promised throughout all the prophetic centuries. But somehow they seemed to miss it all.
So He gives them an examination, a test, to see how they are doing. He sends them out into a storm, but this time it is different. He is not with them in the boat. He sends them out alone, deliberately, and He goes up into the hills to pray. How many of the storms of our life are made up of these two elements--trouble that comes to us and seems to be overwhelming us, and the seeming absence of the Lord? Nevertheless, there is One up on the hillside praying for us.
After the storm has blown for several hours and the disciples are in deep distress, Jesus comes to them, walking upon the water. When they see Him they are scared out of their wits because they think He is a ghost. He has to reassure them: It--that thing you see that scares you to death--it is I; don't be afraid. How many times does He have to say that to us? That thing that scares us, frightens us--It is I; be not afraid. He got into the boat, and they were absolutely flabbergasted! This indicates the grade they got on this exam. It was F. It was a total failure, but it astonished them. For the second time, now, their eyes are opened to begin to question: Who then is this? And they begin to listen. This opens the door for some of our Lord's greatest teaching to His disciples regarding why He came.
And this is our Lord's question to us: Who is this? Who sends the storms into our lives? Who tests us? Who makes provision for our needs and then tests us on it? Who gives us a promise and then sends us out to see if we believe what we teach or what we say? It is the Lord Himself. This is what He is doing with us, as he did with His disciples. He is training us, teaching us, preparing us, building into our lives, as He built into their lives, so that we might be men and women of faith, confident and calm and able to cope with life.
Thank You, Father, for what You are doing with me. Though I live in the midst of perilous times and travel among troubled seas, I know who You are--the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Life Application: When our lives are outwardly commendable but our faith and spiritual perception is weak, what things may God use to strengthen us, train us, and make us teachable?
Related Message: This daily devotional was inspired by one of Ray's messages. Please read "Who is This?" or listen to Ray for more on this portion of scripture.
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Copyright © 2007 by Elaine Stedman — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to www.RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.
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