“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because [he] has anointed me to … bestow on them … the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Isaiah 61:1, 3
Last year our 24-year-old son Nathan went missing for 29 days. When we found him, he had died by drug overdose. Our beautiful son … we thought how could this be? We were then thrust into a world of grief and sorrow like we’ve never known.
We’re learning over time that this kind of suffering has its own language. It is a wordless dialect known by those who have experienced great loss. God speaks it, too. He spoke it first. Genesis 6 says God saw how great the wickedness of man was, and He was deeply troubled. He was heartbroken. Isaiah writes prophetically about Jesus, “a man of suffering, acquainted with grief” (53:3). It comforts me to be around friends who know grief. They understand me. I don’t have to explain my tears, anger, or despair.
But there is even greater comfort for us who know that our Savior completely understands. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (53:34). He doesn’t just see and hear our suffering; He feels it. “Instead of explaining our suffering, God shares it” (Nicholas Wolterstorff, 1987).
We’re learning over time that this kind of suffering has its own language. It is a wordless dialect known by those who have experienced great loss. God speaks it, too. He spoke it first. Genesis 6 says God saw how great the wickedness of man was, and He was deeply troubled. He was heartbroken. Isaiah writes prophetically about Jesus, “a man of suffering, acquainted with grief” (53:3). It comforts me to be around friends who know grief. They understand me. I don’t have to explain my tears, anger, or despair.
But there is even greater comfort for us who know that our Savior completely understands. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (53:34). He doesn’t just see and hear our suffering; He feels it. “Instead of explaining our suffering, God shares it” (Nicholas Wolterstorff, 1987).
Scripture Focus
Isaiah 61:1-3
Insight
FAVORITE COMFORTING WORDS IN GRIEF by Lori Bound, past Anchor writer and lover of Jesus and His creation from oceans to mountains. She’s a personal friend of Anchor editor Kathy Daane and a humble student in the Lord’s school of waiting.
Bible In A Year
- Deuteronomy 3-4
- Psalm 81
- Acts 2