Sharing the Father's Grief

	The Wider Picture Part Nine

	Escaping Grief’s Gravitational Pull Never underestimate the Power of Prayer Burden bearing in the Spirit Sharing more of the Father’s Grief When Grief and Deception Engulf Nations Lest we forget Prophetic Laments and the Power of Music The Courage to keep going Cultivating an eternal Perspective

Can I see another’s woe and not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another’s grief and not seek for kind relief?
William Blake

Every experienced counsellor faces the challenge that if they give themselves wholeheartedly to someone, they risk being sucked into an emotional vortex that will leave them as weighed down as the people they are trying to help. If they remain too aloof, however, they may find themselves unable to reach the person’s heart.

It causes the Lord much heartache when His perfect Love is rejected by the people on whom He has set His heart. How can we draw closer to Him this way? By allowing our sufferings to develop in us a deeper compassion. Just as we have been at pains throughout this book to emphasise the importance of giving full expression to our grief, so we are in true biblical tradition when we cry out to the Lord from the bottom of our heart and at the top of our voice for the things we are most concerned about.

In his powerful chapter “Wrestling Match,” Philip Yancey outlines the urgent and indeed abrupt nature of the prayers of many of the saints as they struggle with perplexing griefs and sufferings. If this at times this makes them sound decidedly discourteous rather than meek and reverent, Yancey argues that God infinitely prefers people to deal with Him directly than to remain indifferent.6

May I encourage you to spend quality time in the company of the prophets? The writings of the prophets steep us in the Lord’s presence and perspective in a way we will undoubtedly need in the uncertain times that lie ahead. It is in these all too often undiscovered parts of the Bible that we hear God sharing His longings and griefs, may I urge you to find modern translations and insightful commentaries that bring these Scriptures to life, which will draw you more fully into their world?7

Reflect and Pray
Lord Jesus,
just as You mourned over the multitudes
because You saw them as sheep
without a shepherd:
let me share more of what You are feeling –
even when You are mourning;
I aspire to join in spirit with that
pantheon of heroes and heroines,
who in every time and clime,
have trod the path to glory:
from the saints of ancient Rome;
through a thousand prison cells,
where precious souls are bruised
beneath a hail of deadly accusation.

Draw me closer to Your heart
so that I can take a prophetic stance
as I pray and interact
with nations (. . . )
communities (. . .)
and professions (. . .)

morguefile.com

May I share the same love and passion for them that I feel for my own friends and family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

When Grief and Deception Engulf Nations
Our capacity for self-delusion is boundless.
John Steinbeck

Although King Henry VIII considered himself a Christian, he passed edicts that ran entirely counter to God’s law, spreading great grief and even terror in the process. By dissolving the monasteries and confiscating their assets, he left the poor with nowhere to go. Advisers who did not agree with him likewise risked being put to death. This was the fate of John Fisher, who had once been close to the king. When the time came for Fisher’s sentence to be carried out, he made his way to the scaffold in his best clothes. Read More . . .

References
6 Yancey, P. (2006) Prayer. Does it make any difference? Hodder and Stoughton.
7 For an introductory overview, see the section on the Prophets in David Pawson's Unlocking the Bible. Collins 2003