When Mourning Grabs Us



Jeremiah 31:10-17
10“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
11For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.
13Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord.”
15Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”
16Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
17There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country.

Mourning seems like an odd thing to ponder during the holiday season. Isn’t this supposed to be a time of perfect happiness and jingle bells? But we all know that isn’t reality. We have all spent a holiday missing someone who has passed during the last year or even years. Those jingle bells don’t sound quite the same when mourning has shrouded your world.

This Christmas, I will celebrate without my only sibling, my brother, Steve. In fact, I knew last Christmas that it would be his last. I even believe the Lord impressed upon me that it would be his last as I watched his grip on life slowly slipping away. That loss makes this holiday a little bitter for my family, especially for my parents. They know personally what the mothers in Bethlehem were wailing about as their children were taken from them because of Herod’s fear and hatred.

Then into our mourning come the words of the prophet Jeremiah. In his message from God is a solid acknowledgement of the sorrow that will enter every life. It cannot be avoided. We may even try to deny it for a season, but eventually it has its day. Jeremiah is honest. He doesn’t say it won’t happen, but his words resonate with hope and the strength of God.

I am particularly taken by the words of verse 11. “For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.” I hear that verse and take comfort, for my brother has been redeemed “from hands too strong for him.” Disease took his body, but his spirit belongs to the Lord, while he struggled in this life and forevermore. He held onto Jesus with both hands throughout a troubled life. The hands that were too strong for him no longer grip him and instead he rests with Jesus. Yes, we mourn, but God mitigates the pain.

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