Aquainted With Grief
‘He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.’
Isaiah 53:3
One of the things Jesus had to go through to get you that free salvation was grief. Remember John 11:35, when He wept because His friend Lazarus had died. And yes, the death of Lazarus led to a resurrection, but the Savior still cried. Acquainted means to be familiar with something. Familiarity is not a word you use for a one-time experience. Jesus probably dealt with grief on and off the record
We hear of Joseph and Mary at the beginning of the journey of Jesus’ journey. At His circumcision, naming and dedication, he was there. When His life was threatened by Herod, Joseph was there. Daddy was also there when He was taken to the temple and got lost as a twelve-year-old boy. Then we hear nothing of Jesus again until He showed up on the scene at thirty, turning water into wine. From then on, I do not think we read of Joseph again. Somehow, His Father was no longer mentioned. We are not told what happened, but scholars believe that he died before Jesus’ ministry began.
He Gets It
He also had to deal with the loss of His cousin and forerunner John. His cousin was beheaded at the request of a little girl, and although John didn’t think Jesus cared, He actually did.
'So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. ' - Matthew 14:10-13
Beloved, Jesus understands grief, just as He understands rejection. If you lost somebody recently, it’s okay to go through the process of grief. His loving hands help us through pain when we go through the deepest and darkest losses that we cannot figure out how to overcome. We can count on His loving hands. We can count on the comfort of His Spirit. His Spirit is called the Comforter, because in this world, we’ll go through so much pain and grief.
Prayer
So, say this prayer: “Sweet Holy Spirit, I thank You for being my Comforter. Jesus, I understand that You are acquainted with grief, You’re acquainted with sickness, You’re acquainted with pain. So, I trust You with my grief, and I believe You for healing, in Jesus’ name.”
Shalom
