"Weep With Those Who Weep" - "COMFORT FROM THE SCRIPTURES"

The account about Jesus' intense grief at the time of Lazarus' death is just one of the many comforting scriptures found in God's Word.  This does not surprise us because of "all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope."  (Romans 15:4)  If you are grieving, you too can find soothing comfort from such scriptures as the following:

* "Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 34:18, 19. 

* "When anxieties overwhelmed me, you [Jehovah] comforted and soothed me." -Psalm 94:19. 

* "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave everlasting comfort and good hope by means of undeserved kindness, comfort your hearts and make you firm." - 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17. 

THE CONGREGATION IS A SOURCE OF GREAT COMFORT

Grieving ones can also find comfort in the Christian congregation.  (Read 1 Thessalonians  5:11)  How can you strengthen and comfort those who have "a crushed spirit"?  (Proverbs 1 7:22)  Remember that there is "a time to be silent and a time to speak."  (Ecclesiastes 3:7)  A widow named Dalene explains that those who are grieving need to express their thoughts and feelings.  Therefore, the most important thing you can do  is to listen without interrupting. Junia, whose brother committed suicide, says,  "Even though you may not be able  to grasp their grief completely, what counts is that you want to understand how they feel."  

We need to remember that not all of us feel and express grief in the same way.   Sometimes it is impossible to explain exactly how much pain we are feeling.  God's Word says:  "The heart knows its own bitterness, and no outsider can share in its joy."  (Proverbs 14:10)   Even when someone does express how he feels, it is not always for others to understand what he is trying to say.  

Next time: "Weep With Those Who Weep" -Conclusion of THE CONGREGATION IS A GREAT SOURCE OF COMFORT

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