Lessons on Grieving and Gazing - Job 3-4 and Acts 7:44-60
We all go through hard times in life. Sometimes the losses of life and the difficulties cause us to grieve. Grieving is the natural reaction to losing a loved one or anything that is very important to us. At other times, we are able to go through the difficult times while gazing upon the Lord. Gazing represents a close fellowship with God and an assurance that we are in the center of His will. We need to be prepared for both the grieving and the gazing, because all of us can go through both.
In Job 3 we read about Job in a state of grieving. He had lost his whole family except his wife, and she had turned away from him. He lost his possessions and his health, too. Any one of those things could have caused him to begin to grieve, but with the severity of the loss came a severe grief. He had all kinds of questions. He wondered why he had been born. These questions brought on a sense of hopelessness, which led to depression. Job felt so badly that it was hard to see God or to hear from Him, because of the hurt. Job probably thought that God had abandoned him, especially when he heard his friends talk about God punishing sin. Job knew that he had not sinned to cause his suffering, but he did not know what to think. That is what happens when a person grieves. The only solution is to go to God with our hurt and to ask Him to heal us. We will never have all of the questions answered, but God can bring us through the grief to a time of spiritual health and closeness with Him. That is why we call it the grief process. It is a series of feelings and questions which we must work through. The only way to work through them completely is with God's help. That is what the rest of the book of Job is about.
Acts 7 ends with the stoning of Stephen. He does not die in agony, but in victory. All the while that the stones are pounding him, he is gazing at the face of Jesus. The very presence of Jesus enabled him to stand the pain and even forgive his murderers. What peace and joy in the midst of such suffering. It was all possible because of his gazing upon Jesus. I am sure this was not the first time Stephen had been close to the Lord. He had been walking with the Lord, and he continued to walk with Him right through death. This is a glorious testimony of the peace that passes understanding. Jesus wants us all to gaze upon Him and to have this kind of peace.
Therefore, was Stephen more spiritual than Job? Is that why Job grieved and Stephen was gazing? I do not think that is the reason. We don't know what will cause us to grieve, or when we will be able to gaze upon the Lord all the way through suffering. Each case is unique. The key is to trust the Lord no matter what happens. We must not go by feelings. When we grieve we feel terrible. If we focus on the emotional pain, we will be tempted for forget that God is right there with us. Instead, we must turn to God and ask Him for comfort and healing. Then, He can restore us. If we are able to go forward like Stephen gazing on Jesus, we give Him all of the glory, because it is only by His grace we are able to go that way. We just keep our eyes on Him. Either way, Jesus is there as our Source and our Comforter, along with the Holy Spirit.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 5-7 and Acts 8:1-25.
In Job 3 we read about Job in a state of grieving. He had lost his whole family except his wife, and she had turned away from him. He lost his possessions and his health, too. Any one of those things could have caused him to begin to grieve, but with the severity of the loss came a severe grief. He had all kinds of questions. He wondered why he had been born. These questions brought on a sense of hopelessness, which led to depression. Job felt so badly that it was hard to see God or to hear from Him, because of the hurt. Job probably thought that God had abandoned him, especially when he heard his friends talk about God punishing sin. Job knew that he had not sinned to cause his suffering, but he did not know what to think. That is what happens when a person grieves. The only solution is to go to God with our hurt and to ask Him to heal us. We will never have all of the questions answered, but God can bring us through the grief to a time of spiritual health and closeness with Him. That is why we call it the grief process. It is a series of feelings and questions which we must work through. The only way to work through them completely is with God's help. That is what the rest of the book of Job is about.
Acts 7 ends with the stoning of Stephen. He does not die in agony, but in victory. All the while that the stones are pounding him, he is gazing at the face of Jesus. The very presence of Jesus enabled him to stand the pain and even forgive his murderers. What peace and joy in the midst of such suffering. It was all possible because of his gazing upon Jesus. I am sure this was not the first time Stephen had been close to the Lord. He had been walking with the Lord, and he continued to walk with Him right through death. This is a glorious testimony of the peace that passes understanding. Jesus wants us all to gaze upon Him and to have this kind of peace.
Therefore, was Stephen more spiritual than Job? Is that why Job grieved and Stephen was gazing? I do not think that is the reason. We don't know what will cause us to grieve, or when we will be able to gaze upon the Lord all the way through suffering. Each case is unique. The key is to trust the Lord no matter what happens. We must not go by feelings. When we grieve we feel terrible. If we focus on the emotional pain, we will be tempted for forget that God is right there with us. Instead, we must turn to God and ask Him for comfort and healing. Then, He can restore us. If we are able to go forward like Stephen gazing on Jesus, we give Him all of the glory, because it is only by His grace we are able to go that way. We just keep our eyes on Him. Either way, Jesus is there as our Source and our Comforter, along with the Holy Spirit.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Job 5-7 and Acts 8:1-25.