Coping with Grief ⁽⁸⁾

Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul? "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God." — Psalm 43:5 (NIV) Despair is not always defeat. Sometimes it…

God Commands His Church to Honour Widows "Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." — 1 Timothy 5:3 (NIV) God does not ignore widows. He commands His church to honour them. That word "honour" means more than respect; it means practical…

Above Reproach "Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see…

A Wife of Noble Character "A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." —…

God Sets the Lonely in Families "God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." — Psalm 68:6 (NIV) Loneliness in grief is not a sign of abandonment. It is a sign that…

Can a Christian Experience Despair? Yes. The answer is yes, and the church needs to stop pretending otherwise. Despair is not a sign of failed faith or evidence that you have strayed too far from God. It is not proof that your prayers lack power…

When bad choices have led to isolation and exclusion There is a loneliness that arrives uninvited, born of circumstances beyond your control: the death of a spouse, an illness that isolates, a move that uproots. That loneliness is real, and it deserves compassion. However, there…

No Magic Bullets There are no magic bullets. No quick fixes for grief, no secret formulas that banish anxiety. If only there were, I'd buy them in bulk. The truth is, even though I practise what I preach, I still struggle. I still find myself…