Healing From Grief With the PsalmsPrøve

Do you want to feel closer to God? Do you want to know God better?

If you answered those questions with YES, you are not alone. Many of the people using the Bible app today feel the same way.

Contrary to popular opinion, the times when I have felt closest to God have not been the moments of joy but my deepest pain. Grief, not happiness, is where I most often encounter God.

What if we can feel closest to God in our darkest hour? Before you brush aside this thought, read the passages attached to today’s reading. In Psalm 34 and Matthew 5, we see Jesus and David stating that grief leads to an encounter with God. In those moments, God does not despise nor hide from us. He hears us and draws near us amidst our deepest pain.

In Psalm 22:1, David does not call for God to fix his situation. He calls for God to be near and not far off.

What David writes in Psalm 23 shows that he discovered God’s presence in the middle of adversity. There is no indication that Psalms 22 and 23 were written simultaneously or one after the other. But, their inclusion in this order in Scripture offers a plan for how we respond to grief.

First, take your grief and anger to God. Before you vent to a friend or post something raw and unfiltered on social media, lament and grieve with Him.

As I write this paragraph, I am grieving a hard call I made as a pastor. The loss this decision represents broke my heart.

Here's what I discovered from that experience. Ultimately, what makes the difference in our life with God as we navigate grief and anger is not our circumstances changing or God stepping in using miraculous means. The big difference comes through surrender.

We hate and avoid letting go, but when we take our grief and anger to God, we surrender those things to Him that we tried to control. When we come to the end of ourselves, though, we often find the beginning of our life with God.

Second, after taking out your grief and anger to God, leave it there.

We often find ourselves continually angry because we take something to God and pick it back up later. We tell others to take it or leave it. Here, I say - take it AND leave it. In Psalm 23, David embodies a surrendered posture where he trusts God and allows God to lead him through dark and dangerous places. This posture of surrender is essential to experiencing God in grief.

Third, be patient and embrace God’s grace.

As you read passages like Psalms 22 and 23, remember two things. One, they were written over some time and not one sitting. Two, they reflect a rather significant journey. The writers did not arrive at these conclusions immediately.

While you can read these two chapters in a few minutes, David's emotional and spiritual journey was slow and messy. God meets us with His grace in those messy moments. He walks with us as we wrestle with Him until we finally surrender.

Through my grieving, I have learned encouraging truths - God is more patient with us than we realize. He is more patient with me than I am with myself. He is never in a hurry. His grace will not run out as my struggle takes longer than anticipated. These same truths apply to you and your healing process through grief.

I pray that you open your heart to God amidst your grief and find His comforting presence nearer to you than you could ever imagine. I have been an honor to serve you over the last few days.

If you enjoyed this reading plan, I would love to help you continue healing. Click here for complimentary access to the three tools I use whenever I grieve or express intense emotions to God.