DCLM Daily Manna 1 April 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Dealing With Grief
TOPIC: Dealing With Grief (DCLM Daily Manna 1 April 2023)
KEY VERSE: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy” (John 16:20).
TEXT: John 16:16-24 (KJV)
16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
MESSAGE:
In 1858, Scottish missionary John G. Paton and his wife sailed to the New Hebrides (now called Vanuatu). Three months after arriving on the island of Tanna, his wife died. One week later, his infant son also died. Paton was plunged into sorrow. Feeling terribly alone, and surrounded by savage people who showed him no sympathy, he wrote: “Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as of midnight feel for me. As for all others, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows…But for Jesus, and His fellowship…I would have gone mad and died”.
Jesus addressed His disciples, as He prepared for His imminent suffering. As the crucifixion approached, He spent more time with His close disciples than before. He knew His absence would create a vacuum, and the disciples would be lonely and dejected. He predicted correctly that in their grief, the world of sinners and religious persecutors would rejoice; but thankfully, their sorrow shall be turned into Joy on the resurrection morning. The ugliness of the cross shall make way for the beauty of resurrection. He likened their pains to that of a woman with a child whose sorrow is turned into joy as soon as she is delivered her baby.
Grief is inevitable in life. The world in which we live is characterized by crises, troubles, and problems that affect everybody. It becomes worse when in the midst of our sorrows, we have no comforter to speak comfortably unto us.
God has a shoulder big enough for us all to lean on and find comfort. Those who look for an occasion to blaspheme the name of the Lord will ask where our God is, during our times of need.
Unbelievers and atheists, who are in denial of the existence of God have often capitalized on calamities and natural disasters to fuel their ‘there is no God’ doctrine. They argue that if God exists, He will not allow calamities and death. But they fail to understand that everything works together for good in the believer’s life. The God of all comforts will comfort you through difficult moments and unpleasant life experiences.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
If God is on the steering, don’t fear the road bumps.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
John 4-5
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
