Grief for Grace

“Here are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran was the father of Lot. Haran preceded his father, Terah, in death in the land of his birth, in the Chaldean city of Ur. The brothers, Abram and Nahor, were both married. Abram’s wife was Sarai. Nahor married the daughter of his deceased brother Haran; her name was Milcah, and her sister was Iscah. Now Sarai was barren and childless. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they all departed together from the Chaldean city of Ur to go into the land of Canaan. But when they journeyed as far as Haran, they settled there. Terah lived two hundred and five years and died in Haran.” Genesis 11:27-32

Let’s highlight a couple of points in this passage. Terah is the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. His son Haran died in their homeland of Ur, so Terah took his two sons, their wives and his grandchildren to depart for Canaan. As they traveled, they came to the city of Haran. Terah could go no further. It says they settled there, and he lived two hundred and five years. He died in Haran.

Terah had a tragic experience when his son passed away. He never surrendered the pain of this loss to Yahweh for healing; therefore, his life came to a stop when he encountered the reminder of his loss. He just could not go on.

Today’s walk is a difficult one because when we experience loss in such a painful way, we often just push down the pain and continue to live out each day with this lingering dullness and ache inside. Loss isn’t just about the death of someone. Maybe it is the loss of a marriage, family relationship or friendship, maybe it is a job or career. Grief is a journey that touches everyone at some point in life. It can show up in a lot of different emotions, from deep sadness to anger, confusion, and questions. Understanding that grief is a natural response to loss is crucial. It is important to know Abba’s heart in helping you walk through the pain.

I remember when my dad passed away I had so many questions and just really couldn’t understand why Abba allowed it. We prayed so much for his healing. I realized Abba’s grace was so present leading up to the moment my dad’s heart slowly stopped beating. He allowed us to be in the room, holding his hand, and worshipping Jesus as He came into the room to escort my daddy beyond the veil. Afterwards for weeks, I asked Abba hard questions. I sometimes was silent before Him because I was angry, but I also knew the importance to surrender to His presence. Every time I felt grief show up, I could feel His grace is such a tangible way. I chose to make the exchange every time. My grief for His grace.

I ask you to sit quietly for a few moments and allow the Holy Spirit to examine your heart for pain you still carry.

Jesus gave His body, blood and life so we could walk free of all pain, but we must choose to make the exchange with Him. It is not easy, but His grace will abound in those moments. Jesus wants you to know it is ok to move on in this life to live out His purpose and plan for you. This does not mean you forget those who have passed but honor them as you live. If it is a relationship you’ve lost, allow Jesus to restore the innocence of your soul so you are able to see the future clearly as He sees it for you.

Abba, we invite you to examine our hearts for pain we still carry that is causing us to settle for less than the promise land you have for us. We know comforting pain we have buried is hard, but your grace is greater than the difficulty of facing our pain. We trust you. We thank you for the healing testimonies that will come from our intimate healing encounters.