Beloved in Christ,
I greet you all in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, overwhelmed with a lot of problems, man lives oppressed and depressed. He mourns. The sorrows of his circumstances make his life bitter and agonizing. In the midst of inexpressible sufferings, he is like a dead corpse walking about. Some, in an effort to have happiness through sinful means, increase their agonies.
Dear brother/ sister, dear reader, the Lord of lords Who is living even today Who can give you a new life. Seeing you living in abject sorrows, He tells you, “. . . the days of your mourning shall be ended.” The Lord of love is still living; He will put an end to your days of mourning. You may fret and foam, “Why does He do this for me? Is it not like pinching the child and rocking the cradle.” The Lord Jesus Christ who promised to turn our sorrows into joy, will not give you suffering. He never does anything wrong. Let us examine the reasons for our mourning and the way for them to end.
1. Because of the Enemy Satan
“...Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Psalm 43:2
Today many families and many individuals are put to untold sufferings by the acts of the enemy, Satan. He hinders our blessings. The delay makes us depressed. Our sorrows and mourning increase.
Once I had been to pray for a young brother. Whenever he went to write the examination, Satan would work against him ferociously. He had stood first in the class, but on the day of the examination he would run away from the house itself. His parents could not bear it. The father was a doctor and expected that his son would also become a doctor. His hopes were dashed. He shed tears. As a result, he was afflicted by a terrible disease and eventually died of it. The mother was then terribly shaken. On the one hand her son had run away and, on the other hand, her husband had died. Now the exams were all over. After a few days he came back home. But he did not understand anything that had happened. When we prayed for him, the evil spirit left him. Then he came to himself and wrote the exams. He had victory and continued his studies.
Dear brother / sister, in this way Satan works in children, wife, husband or parents and plunges the family into disaster and grief.
2. Because of the Worldly Riches
“...the sorrow of the world produces death.”
2 Corinthians 7:10
Worldly desires create mourning in man. Once one leader asked Jesus, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him that he should obey the commandments of the Lord. He replied that he had observed all of them from his youth. Then Jesus told him about one thing that he lacked. He asked him to sell whatever he had and to give it to the poor, and assured that He would have his treasures in heaven. He advised him to take up the cross and follow Him. As he was a rich man, he went away grieved.
Yes, today man is drawn towards the greed of possession of land and wealth. He drifts away from seeking God to seeking worldly riches. He devises various ways to possess them. This desire makes him involve in nefarious activities. He works ceaselessly. The greed of wealth makes him resort to evil practices. This greed drives brothers and sisters to court settlement, and love diminishes among siblings. We see quarrels and strife ripe. When one happens to lose his wealth or faces difficulties in his designs, he is upset and is in grief.
3. Because of Illness
“So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spo ke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.”
Job 2:13
In the life of Job there came several unexpected losses cascading one upon the other. There the problem did not end. He was afflicted with painful boils all over his body. He took a potsherd and started scraping it. The disease in his body increased his grief. Today we are afflicted by several diseases. As we know about the nature of the disease, we begin to grieve more.
A man, whom I knew, was afflicted by cancer. For a few years he faced a lot of suffering in the body. His bones fractured. In his bed he spent his days in mourning. Dear child of God, Jesus Christ bore all our afflictions on the cross. This faith will not let us down, but would comfort us.
4. Because of Loss
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”
I Thessalonians 4:13
When our beloved ones pass away, we are in grief and mourning. This affects our health, our activities and our business.
The father of one brother was affected by cancer and he died of it. The news very much disturbed the family. He had committed his life to the Lord, and so when he died, he faced it peacefully. He advised his family members not to weep as he was entering rest for inheriting eternal life, and to praise God. Even then the grief was unbearable for the son. A portion of his body became paralyzed. The grief of death certainly affects us.
The wife of one brother, who took part in our ministry enthusiastically, went to be with the Lord. At the time of delivery, she died quiet unexpectedly as a result of complication. This left the entire family and all those who moved closely with them in grief. Her speech, laughter, and her acts remain green in our hearts. The children also seek their mother and this makes the pain unbearable.
When my brother died, there were several currents of thoughts which seemed to shatter my heart. Every day the count of days after his death made me sad. One day the Spirit of the Lord intervened to say, “I died for you. But you do not grieve over that.” I was comforted. The grief was there in my brother’s younger son. He asked his mother, “Why should we bury father’s body? We could have kept it in a room.” She told him that it would let out a bad odour. But he said that he could have a look at him whenever he desired if the body is preserved in one of the rooms, of course tolerating the stench.
Yes, when our dear ones enter eternal life, we have indefinable grief.
5. Because of Godly Concerns
“...Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Nehemiah 2:3
In Nehemiah, there was the grief of the city of God being in ruins and its doors burnt down. We too are grieved of the things of the church, as many blessings of the spirit proceed from the Lord.
1. Come to the Lord Jesus
“Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, streaming to the goodness of the LORD for wheat and new wine and oil, for the young of the flock and the herd; their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, and they shall sorrow no more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together, for I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow.”
Jeremiah 31:12,13
For our mourning to end, we should come to the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not change and is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will turn all our mourning into joy and make it abound. The Lord has concern for us all. He gives the call, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Dear brother/ sister, you may have resorted several means to get things done, but might have miserably failed. Once commit your life into the hands of the Lord. He is the healer who will turn your sorrows into joy and make your life blossom.
Once one sister asked me to pray for her as she was barren. But a few days later she came with the news that the doctors had diagnosed her with a cyst in her womb and, therefore, there was no possibility of her getting conceived. We prayed again. We asked her to humble herself before the Lord and yield her life to Him. She also did likewise. Jesus who quenched the thirst of those who came to Him, did a miracle in her life. On the day she was to be operated upon, she was in for a surprise. The cyst that appeared in the X-ray had disappeared and instead there was a child in the womb. Dear brother/sister, Jesus lives even today. He does not want you to live in grief. He asks you to be happy always. He said that He would turn your mourning into joy. He gives joy to those who come to Him. He will make you rejoice, delivering you from all your problems, diseases in your body and spiritual struggles.
In my life when I was in grief as a result of a disease, I began to seek Him. He gave me a miraculous healing and made me rejoice. The same Jesus is still living.
2. Pray
“...and her face was no longer sad.” I Samuel 1:18
Hannah had no child and was despised. She had bitterness in her soul but was loved by her husband. She came to church, and made her offerings. But she had grief in her heart. She poured her heart in the presence of the Lord. Then she had a great relief in her heart and peace filled her heart. God blessed her with children.
Whenever we are confronted by difficulties, problems, grief and disappointments, we would like to share them with someone who really loves us and we want to be consoled by sharing. Dear child of God, sharing them with people, who speak one thing before you and do another behind you, does not help us to have relief from those griefs. God has concern for us and loves us. He is all powerful. He calmed the ocean. He would bring all derision and failure to end. He would give us success in what we do. He would heal us. He listens to our prayers and wipes out our tears. He would turn all your mourning into joy.
One family was worried about the fault in the eyes of their son. They prayed for healing in the presence of the Lord. God of miracles opened a wonderful door. He gave a chance for them to go to a foreign country and to do the operation there. His eyes regained sight and their grief came to an end.
3. Meditate on the Word of God
“Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.” Psalm 119:92
In my life I got three of my left rib bones fractured in an accident. I was with grief and I thought my life would come to an end soon and so I thanked the Lord for all the good things He had done in my life. The Lord, who sends His word and heals us, sent His word, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). These words strengthened and comforted me. My grief came to an end. I had new strength and enthusiasm. I gained hope. The way was opened for me to go to a nearby hospital. Even today the words of the Lord are being sent to us. When we accept them, we become sensible, and are relieved from grief.
4. Meditate on the Sufferings of Jesus on the Cross
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows ...” Isaiah 53:4
Jesus Christ bore many things on the cross. One of them is our grief. Man’s life is full of sufferings, grief, disappointments and ever so many troubles. All these, Jesus bore for our sake and has paved the way of deliverance in our lives.
Once as I was supervising the construction work on the terrace of my house, a four-inch nail pierced my footwear and entered quite deep into my sole. I tried to remove it but I couldn’t, and therefore I got the help of my eldest son. Blood gushed out. The next day I had to address one meeting at Madurai and so I bandaged my foot and wore my shoes. Then I left for the meeting. I had a lot of pain. Then I thought of the pain Jesus would have endured when His hands and legs were pierced with nails. I began to think of His sufferings on the cross. The pain began to diminish and my grief stopped.
Dear brother/sister, meditate on the sufferings of Jesus on the cross, having been despised and insulted. He was spit on the face. Jesus accepted everything without any complaint. All your grief will vanish, when we think of those sufferings on the cross. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. So, you would have the peace that the world cannot give and you would rejoice.
May the Lord bless you!
(Late) Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.
(This message was originally published in March, 1998)