Jeff Maness – May 10, 2020
Big Idea: Grief might be inevitable, but the way we grieve is intentional.
Big Question: What does godly grieving look like?
Main Scripture: Lamentations 3:17-26
Lamentations 3:17-20 17 Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!” 19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
Lamentations 3:48-49 48 Tears stream from my eyes because of the destruction of my people! 49 My tears flow endlessly; they will not stop…
1. There should be tears
Psalm 34:18 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Psalm 56:8 8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Matthew 26:38 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Lamentations 3:20-24 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
2. There should be a transition
3. There should be trust
Lamentations 3:25-26 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
John 14:27 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 16:33 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
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