After our son died, the eleventh chapter of the gospel of John became a great comfort. Martha and Mary struggled with their emotions after the death of Lazarus. Both sisters said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11: 21 & 32
Jesus saw human death and the effect on the family. Jesus wept. John 11:35 The word for wept in the Greek is dakryō. The meaning of the word is to shed tears. This is the only place in the Bible that dakryō occurs.
It helped me to see Jesus’ response to the grief Mary and Martha were feeling. It helped me to see that Jesus was with me in my grief. I reviewed the journal that I had kept throughout Steven’s illness. I recognized that the Lord had been with our family. I wrote about the experience and it was included in the anthology, Illness, Resilience and Spirituality.
The most hope filled verse in John 11 is verse 25. Jesus said to her [Martha] “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
On Fridays I often participate with the Five Minute Friday writing community. Kate gives a prompt and we write what comes to mind. Today’s prompt is: HERE.
I guess it was clearer for Martha and Mary to say, ‘If you had been here, he would not have died’, than it is for us to say, ‘You ARE here Lord, so why has he/she died? Why is he/she not healed’, etc. These questions are difficult. We don’t know the ways of God, which at times are truly mysterious. But we trust Him.
Dawn, I agree with you. The why questions are difficult. I drew comfort from knowing that Jesus has seen the grief when a loved one dies. He was with Martha and Mary and he wept. When I prayed I knew that he saw my pain.
The loss of a child must be the hardest loss of all.
I’m sorry for your loss. My son passed away when he was 25 in 2003. I know that grief.
And I am sorry for your loss. The Lord knows the pain we have experienced.
May the Lord continue to send comfort! ❤️ G
It has been many years since Steven went to be with the Lord. His twin sister is now a nurse practitioner, helping children with special needs. The Lord has guided our family.
God is very present in our grief he knows it well.
Amen
🙏🏼 for your continued comfort and peace in the cycles of grief and loss! 💕
Thank you. God is good and we have experienced his grace.