Getting Through the Season of Grief

I heard about this pastor. He was raising money for a new sanctuary. He said to his congregation “Whoever gives $1000 can pick out three hymns.”

A little old lady in the back raised up her hand and said “Pastor, I’ll do it.” He was so excited. He said “Thank you very much. Go ahead and pick out three hymns.”

She looked over the congregation and said “All right. I’ll take him, him and him!!!!!”

I think it’s OK to have a little laughter in the church! Proverbs 17:22 says that “A cheerful heart is good medicine. A cheerful heart makes life more enjoyable.

But it’s hard to enjoy life when we’re going through a season of grief. Someone we love has passed. And sometimes it feels like a part of US has passed away.

That’s the way David feels. His little boy is dead. And yet somehow, he finds the strength to carry on with his life. I want to talk about how WE can do that. We’re going to look at 2 Samuel 12 and talk about getting through the season of grief.

I think we can all agree that losing a child is one of the worst things that can happen. We can sympathize with a heartbroken David as he weeps on the ground before the Lord.

But I gotta be honest: David brought this situation on himself. We learn in 2 Samuel 11 that he committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then when she gets pregnant, he sends Uriah to the front line of the battlefield so that he gets killed in combat.

And in 2 Samuel chapter 12:7-9, the prophet Nathan says to David “You are the man! You are guilty! Because you despised the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes, there will be consequences.”

So this story is really about how a lack of respect for God’s word brings grief to our lives.

And the grief begins in verse 15. The baby becomes sick. David pleads with God for 7 days. He says "I have sinned against You! What I did was wrong! So don’t take my baby! Take me! Please! I beg you, o Lord! Let this child live!"

But on the seventh day, the child dies. The guilt and the grief that David is dealing with must be terrible. How does he get through it? How does he deal with it? How does this broken man get back to having a vibrant relationship with God?

I’ll get to that. But first I want to share two things about grief. Number one: Grieving is something we all do from time to time. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says that “there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” You could be having a good day. Laughing with your co-workers. Having a cup of coffee with someone during the break.

But later that night, you’re home alone. The house is dark. You start thinking about your husband. The tears flow. And that’s all right. Because the Bible says there is a time to weep and a time to laugh.

And that leads me to the second thing I want to say: There are no rules about how long you’re allowed to grieve. There’s nothing in the Bible that says “Dude, it’s been 60 days. Put the tissues down! Put the handkerchief away! Put on a happy face! J

No!! There are no rules!!! In fact, according to Genesis 48:7, Jacob looks back with sorrow when his wife Rachel died, and he’s saying this more than 30 years after it happened! By God’s grace, you can move on and learn to love again. But you never forget.

Two years ago today, my father died. And even now, there’s hardly a day that goes by when I don’t think