~Old Testament Scenarios~
2 Samuel
“They mourned and wept and fasted till evening
for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD
and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”
2 Samuel 1:12 (NIV)
"The God That Sees Me"
Without a hint of embarrassment David showed his real emotions by weeping over the death of his king and his beloved friend. As was the custom in Old Testament times, to exhibit your affliction one would strip and tear their clothes then throw dirt over their head as they wailed out loud about the loss of someone they loved. David allowed himself this freedom to express the pain out of a pure heart.
Those of us living in a cosmopolitan city may not be used to the custom of tearing our clothes or throwing dust upon our heads to give an outward expression of the inward ache of grieving, but I'll bet many times in our life we have fallen on our beds or floor with the groaning of unspeakable words and feeling consumed by overwhelming misery. Have you tasted pain, grief, or loss like that? Have you wondered if you would ever be clothed in such an all-consuming grief? It can feel like a heavy cloak of shadow grief. Do you wonder if God can lift this dark cloud from your life? Have you lost your way, your hope, and can’t even think of what tomorrow might bring? Don’t you love reading scripture that tells us that Jesus wept? And Jesus has given us a Comforter, His Holy Spirit, and He dwells with us and speaks lovingly with comforting words.
The real amazing revelation here, is that David's integrity allowed him to lay down his past hurts that his king - who was like a father to him - tried to kill him on many occasions out of pure jealousy. David is not found celebrating the news over Saul's death after the battle with the Philistines. Nor is he found rejoicing because now David will fulfill the anointing on his life from 20 years ago to be king of Israel. David, out of respect, honestly feels sad at this great lost and exemplifies to the people, and us today, how to truly forgive by letting go of past hurts.
In your sorrow, whether it be from a death of a loved one, divorce, rebellious child, abuse, loss of that perfect dream (you name your heartache)...grieve it honestly. Trust me, God can handle it! Don't pretend it doesn't matter by sweeping it under a rug that only allows a root of bitterness to take hold. Give every thought and feeling to the Lord and He will help you deal with each of those emotions in the timing that He knows you will need, not the timing others think it should be. It’s not anyone else’s grief. It’s yours and you should take the time you need to work through it! This grief, this problem, this pain is between you and the Lord. Trust in His care for you, and that hope will rise back up from out of the dark oppressive clouds. One of God’s Hebrew names is El Roi, which means The God That Sees Me. He does hear and He does see and He has your answer. God is that good; full of compassion and His goodness dwells in us to be victorious.
This is your day. What will you do with it? Let's be a people who are real with our emotions. Let's face them head on with the support and truth we have from the Lord. Then we give a wonderful gift to others by allowing them to get real and have the privilege of walking in freedom.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)