How can God?

How can God? – Grace in grief

Your God is coming! Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. – Isaiah 40:9-11

Isaiah 40:27-31

27 O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Grief is a natural and complex emotional response to loss, especially the loss of someone or something with which a person has formed a deep bond. It encompasses a range of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that can differ significantly from person to person.

Grief is a deeply personal experience, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve.
What matters most is allowing yourself to process these emotions in an authentic way to facilitate healing. Deep, painful loss requires deep recovery and healing.

When people experience grief and doubt God, they often undergo a complex emotional and spiritual journey—prompting deep, profound questions about faith and meaning. People are often left wondering and questioning: How can God let us happen? She/He was too young to die! Why? Just when I needed her/him the most, they were gone! Why?

Here are some common aspects of this experience:

1. Emotional Ups and Downs: Grief often stirs powerful emotions like sadness, anger, fear, confusion, guilt, or loneliness. These feelings can be overwhelming and may ebb and flow over time.
2. Mental Impact: Grieving can cloud the mind, making it harder to concentrate, remember things, or make decisions. This mental fog is a common part of the process.
3. Shifts in Behavior: People experiencing grief may pull back from social interactions, alter their routines, or act in ways that feel out of character as they process their emotions.
4. Questioning and Doubt: Loss can lead some to question their beliefs, their purpose, or the meaning of life itself. For some, this can evolve into a spiritual or existential crisis, prompting them to wonder about faith or the role of a loving God in times of suffering and loss.
5. Seeking Understanding: Many people, in the midst of grief, look for answers or a sense of purpose. This search can bring clarity and understanding over time.
6. Grief Is Not Linear: Though some models of grief, like the Kübler-Ross stages, identify phases such as denial, anger, bargaining, and acceptance, these steps don’t follow a set order. Every individual’s experience is unique.
7. Growth Through Grief: While difficult, moving through grief and doubt can sometimes lead to personal growth and a more resilient, confident faith.
8. Adapting and Coping: Over time, many people learn to integrate their loss into daily life in a way that feels manageable, creating a new sense of stability.
9. Acceptance and Renewal: For many, the grieving process eventually leads to acceptance. Healing follows, often bringing renewed hope, peace, and spiritual maturity.

The promises made by the Father to the demoralized and grieving children of Israel provide the way for transformation and spiritual renewal.

REFLECT & PRAY

The expression “Those who wait for the Lord,” “Implies two things: complete dependence on God and a willingness to allow him to decide the terms. They who wait on the Lord will be able to overcome natural drawbacks, endure with energy to spare, and keep on living without becoming excessively tired” (Constable).

Father, thank you for being my loving shepherd. You come to me in my need; You pick me up, dust me off, and hold me close to Your right heart. What could be better than that?

INSIGHT

Isaiah 40:27-31 speaks powerfully to moments of doubt, weariness, and hopelessness, reminding us of the Father’s unlimited strength and His profound care for His people.

In times of grief, it’s common for individuals—even those who belong to the King—to feel abandoned and unseen. They may question whether the Father acknowledges their struggles or truly cares about their challenges. Isaiah 40:27 poses this poignant question: “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my God disregards my cause.’”

Isaiah reassures us that the Father is eternal and all-knowing, with an understanding that surpasses human comprehension. “He is the Creator of all the earth, not restricted to only one locale at a time. He does not grow tired because He is omnipotent. He is inscrutable because He is omniscient. He is unlimited by time, space, power, and understanding” (Constable). He never overlooks anyone and is continuously aware of our pain and circumstances. His attention and interest are unfaltering; He does not grow tired or weary. Isaiah 40:28 affirms, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.”

God does not expect His people to bear life’s burdens alone. He is always present to provide the strength and energy needed to persevere through physical, emotional, or spiritual exhaustion. Isaiah 40:29 emphasizes, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”

Isaiah also offers insight into the realities of life, acknowledging that everyone, even the strongest among us, faces limitations. Even the most capable inevitably fall short. Such an awareness not only provides encouragement but an entirely new perspective regarding our inherent weaknesses and need for supernatural enablement and strength that exceeds our limitations. Isaiah 40:30 states, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.”

As we grow in our understanding of God’s grace, lovingkindness, and power, our faith deepens, allowing us to trust in Him more fully. By relying on Him, we discover new strength to endure, adapt, and experience renewal. His strength energizes us and transforms us. Our circumstances may remain the same, but we are able to rise above them as we are infused with the newness of life.

The Father promises renewal to those who place their hope and trust in Him. He uses the vivid imagery of soaring eagles to illustrate the freedom and strength found in His presence. Eagles, often seen as apex predators, navigate life with confidence and resilience, never succumbing to weariness. Isaiah 40:31 concludes with this powerful promise: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Why does our Heavenly Father allow His children to encounter loss, suffering, and grief? These trials, though painful, serve a deeper purpose. They reveal our human frailty and remind us of our limitations. It is in facing these moments of weakness that we see our profound need for a loving Shepherd—a God who longs for an intimate and personal relationship with His children.

Isaiah 40:9-11 Your God is coming! Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.

Through suffering, God calls us into closeness with Him. He invites us to lean fully on His strength, not our own. When we turn to Him in our need, He pours out His inexhaustible grace, offering us strength, power, and authority that surpass anything we could imagine. Our weakness becomes the very doorway through which His divine strength flows into our lives. He meets us in our brokenness and turns our hardship into an affirmation of His power.

The Apostle Paul beautifully captured this truth in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. When confronted by his own weaknesses, Paul heard the Lord declare, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Instead of resenting his struggles, Paul chose to embrace and rejoice in them. Why? Because they allowed the power of Christ to rest upon him. He learned to be content, even in difficulties—insults, persecutions, and distress—because he discovered that when he was at his weakest, Christ made him strongest.

This truth offers hope for all of us. Loss and grief are not meaningless; they create space for the Father’s grace to work in ways we may not fully understand. It isn’t just about enduring the trials but allowing them to deepen our faith and strengthen our spirit.

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© Dr. H 2024