Anger, Anxiety, Death, Encouragement, Faith, God's Promises, Grief, Healing, Hope, Kindness, Love, Prayer, Protection, Relationship to Christ, Safety, Strength, Struggles, Submission, Trust

God is Our Refuge in Grief

Grief is not just mourning the loss of a loved one, there is also grieving over situations beyond our control, grieving a broken relationship, etc.  David was familiar with all these instances, yet he knew one important thing, and that was, he knew where to turn when he needed help.  He encourages, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8 ESV)  David knew there was only one place to go and that was to the Lord.  He knew God would not only listen to his petitions, complaints, and grieving but that God would understand.

The Enduring Word website states, “God’s strength and stability made David rightly think of Him as a rock. Yet God was not insensitive or unfeeling like a rock. God invites His people to pour out their heart – their sorrows, their joys, their trust, and their doubt, all of it – before Him.”  We serve a God who cares enough to listen and is also big enough to manage our problems.  Sometimes we feel like He isn’t listening and we scream out, “God why don’t you fix this, why don’t you help me, aren’t you paying any attention?”  He’s big enough to handle our ranting and raving.

I was curious about what Google had to say about this, and I found this, “In the Bible, “pour out your heart” is a Hebrew phrase that implies total surrender to the Lord with one’s deepest, most inner self. It implies transparency before a God who already knows our hearts better than we do.” Transparency, that’s what God desires from us. It doesn’t shock Him when we get brutally honest with Him, and in response, He offers comfort, security, and a haven. David tells us that God is our refuge.  When we are grieving, and we don’t feel we can go to anyone else, we can turn to the Lord and find safety, love, and the assurance that He understands and that He will take care of us and the situation. David knew this because time after time, he needed to pour out his heart to God and he found that God was right there. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2 ESV)

We all have times when life’s experiences can be overwhelming.  Have you ever felt like just yelling at God?  I have.  When things got so dark after my first husband passed away, I sat in my living room one day and just yelled out, “God, why does everything have to be so hard?”  I wasn’t struck by lightning for yelling at Him, and it wasn’t long before things weren’t as hard. God had heard me, and didn’t chastise me, but He gently helped me through those dark days.  I knew I could go to Him and tell Him exactly what I was feeling, and He would help me. He wrapped His arms around me and put me in a safe place while I healed.  He showed me that I wasn’t alone, that He would protect me and keep me in the palm of His hand.  He was my refuge during that time!

In my experience, I found that God is always faithful, and I can trust Him to help me through all of life’s issues and struggles. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NASB 1995)  That verse has become my life verse. God is my Abba Father, and I know I can go to Him anytime I need to feel His presence or pour out my heart through tears, difficult days, and when I am confused.  “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10 KJV) 

When you are going through a time of loss, be it the death of a loved one, a lost relationship, difficult circumstances, or just feeling like the world is coming against you, remember that God is your refuge!  Run to Him, He is waiting with open arms.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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