For many of us, 2020 will bring some difficult days. For some of us, 2020 will be the hardest year of our lives. And less than a week into the new year, some of us are already there. As much hope as Christmas brings, the anguish of the holidays can be suffocating. With a new year beginning, we put on a happy face and, with fingers crossed, hope for brighter days.

I want to offer an alternative invitation... Don’t. Don’t settle for cheap Bible verse band-aids. Don’t offer hollow clichés or platitudes. Don’t hide behind the right answers or a “great perspective on life.” Instead, bring your lament, your mourning, and your woe to the feet of Jesus, the Comforter.

When God brought his message to Ezekiel, it was devastating news for the Israelites as well as himself. Ezekiel lost everything. His wife. His home. His country. His place of worship.

I have long tried to wrap up Israel’s exile to Babylon with a tidy bow, waxing poetic of God’s judgment and restoration. There was nothing tidy about it.

Friends, life doesn’t offer tidy bows. And frankly, God often doesn’t offer them either. But he does offer himself. He’s inviting us to stop running and to wade into the pain. To sit with a friend in lament and just listen. To be with a family member and simply weep and mourn and grieve. He can handle our loudest lament, all our mourning, and every woe. He’s ready for us… even now.

Compassionate Father, every one of us has hurts. Some hurts are new. Others have been exiled for years or decades. Let us wade into the pain. Let us wade in and find you in the midst. Amen.

Go Deeper — Write down your hurts, woes, and laments. Read them to God in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to comfort you. Healing may not come immediately, but in stages. Be open to his responses in various forms over the next several days and weeks.

Read Further — This article, Find Healing in the Face of Overcoming Grief may speak to you, or perhaps someone you know.



Tags: Ezekiel Ezekiel 2
Photo Credit: Braden Collum