{"id":34419,"date":"2022-10-15T03:30:44","date_gmt":"2022-10-15T10:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=34419"},"modified":"2022-10-12T15:46:15","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T22:46:15","slug":"october-15-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2022\/10\/15\/october-15-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"October 15, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Sorrow\u2019s Psalm<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201c<\/em>Precious<\/em> [and of great consequence] in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them]<\/em>.\u201d<\/em> Psalm 116:15 AMP<\/p>\n

Our first-born son was called into God\u2019s presence just after his tenth birthday. Even as a believer, it feels nearly unbearable to have to give up your child, though you know by faith he goes to God\u2019s tender care. But God does give grace to believers for their trials. I recall thinking, \u201cHow can I go on? How will I survive this?\u201d But God undergirds believers and does not let us suffer defeat; instead, He refines and strengthens us through what we endure.<\/p>\n

God comforts and supports those whose hands and hearts are called to relinquish and let go. He soothes the pain incrementally. The passage of time is like a panacea that draws away the ache, the sting, the burn. There is an eventual metamorphosis of suffering into the mercy and grace of empathy. And God empowers and charges empathy to reach out to others. So it happened for me when a friend\u2019s child died suddenly due to an accident.<\/p>\n

I was drawn to the Psalms to supply the language of hope and encouragement I sought as I attempted to chronicle my own experience. Using the rich phrases of David and the other psalmists, I endeavored to record my journey, hoping it might serve as a verbal comforter for my friend\u2019s grieving heart.<\/p>\n

\n

SORROW\u2019S PSALM<\/p>\n

Sudden loss has overwhelmed me,<\/p>\n

and my heart is in anguish within.<\/p>\n

Now sadness and despair live with me.<\/p>\n

Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!<\/p>\n

I would fly away and be at rest.<\/p>\n

But I shall cast my cares on the Lord,<\/p>\n

on His promise to sustain me.<\/p>\n

For when my spirit grows faint,<\/p>\n

it is You, Lord, who will guide my way.<\/p>\n

Just now I am blinded by sorrow,<\/p>\n

pray, lead me to level ground.<\/p>\n

And if my steps should falter,<\/p>\n

could You carry me for a time?<\/p>\n

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,<\/p>\n

a sure fortress in troubled times.<\/p>\n

He is close to the broken-hearted and<\/p>\n

tender to all who are crushed.<\/p>\n

He sees the tears of the afflicted<\/p>\n

and is attentive to their cry.<\/p>\n

So I cry out to God Most High<\/p>\n

when sorrow seizes my soul.<\/p>\n

Father, Yours is the fountain of life,<\/p>\n

each life-span Your sovereign plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the clear eye of faith let me see<\/p>\n

that You are all grace and all good.\u201d1<\/sup><\/p>\n

Cause me to reach for the lamp of Your<\/p>\n

Word when great darkness seems to prevail.<\/p>\n

By its quickening flame lead this<\/p>\n

wayfaring child through the thicket<\/p>\n

of grief\u2019s thorny maze, out into the<\/p>\n

light where vision, God-given,<\/p>\n

comforts the sorrowing soul.<\/p>\n

Help me lift my arms in trust<\/p>\n

to touch Your strong, outstretched arms<\/p>\n

of love. Open my weeping eyes<\/p>\n

to perceive the hope You offer this world.<\/p>\n

Convey to my heart\u2019s understanding<\/p>\n

that this sorrow You will supplant with peace.<\/p>\n

Let me honor You through believing<\/p>\n

each promise of Your care so that<\/p>\n

my confidence reposes in Christ, my crowning hope.<\/p>\n

O High King of Heaven, confer \u2018ere long<\/p>\n

that glorious dawn I await<\/p>\n

when the sun of today is not my light<\/p>\n

by day, nor the moon my brightness<\/p>\n

at night, but You shall shine over<\/p>\n

all in my life<\/p>\n

everlasting,<\/p>\n

ever loving,<\/p>\n

ever Lord!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dear Father in heaven, in our deep sorrow when a loved one is taken from our care, help us to recognize that they were never truly ours to \u201cown\u201d, but on loan from You, and always Yours from the start. Let us be grateful that You chose us to influence their lives and that they touched ours. Let us find comfort in knowing that they are gathered into the arms of Him who is Love. In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. <\/sup>Bennett, Arthur. The Valley Of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.\u00a0<\/em>The Banner of Truth Trust. 1975.<\/h6>\n<\/div>
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