When Grieving

“Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord. You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” (Psalm 30:10-12 NLT).

Grief. We all face it eventually. Death is total in every generation,* and this fact assures us of grief. Jacob grieved over the (supposed) loss of Joseph for over 20 years. From the time Joseph was sold into slavery until he got word of him being alive and well in Egypt (Genesis 45:27). Even Jesus wept at the tomb of a friend (John 11:35). And Paul reminds us that Christians can grieve, but in our grief we should always recall the blessed hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

David was grieving. 70,000 men had died because of his sin. I am sure this tender-hearted king grieved not only over their loss but also for the plight of the 70,000 families that were left without husbands and fathers. In his grief he cried to the Lord for mercy and help. From our text, it is obvious that help came. “11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.”

Perhaps you are struggling with grief today. No human can help you. There are those who might be able to offer words of comfort, insights which may bring encouragement, but when all is said and done, the only one who can turn “mourning into joyful dancing” is God Himself. He is the God who can do the impossible! I link that “impossible” with the exchange of mourning for joy because that exchange is humanly impossible. We are not talking keeping a “stiff upper lip” here, we are talking about a real change, from grieving to gladness; from sorrow to real joy. Only Christ can produce such a change and He will if you will let Him.

*There is one exception to this statement. The generation of believers that experiences Christ’s glorious return will have the privilege of being transformed by God’s power without passing through the shadow of death. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-52).