The holidays are a wonderful time of year, filled with joy, gladness, excitement, get-togethers, and most of the time, family and friends. With Thanksgiving now a few weeks behind us, and Christmas only a few days away, there is much anticipation and planning going on in many households around the country and world. While this time seems as though it should be filled with joy, glittering lights, smiling faces, and laughter around the table, this season is often the hardest and most painful when grieving over the loss of a loved one. When the holiday season comes, we must often face it while living with grief, and the painful ache can feel overwhelming and debilitating at times. The reminders of sorrow and the sense of emptiness that the holiday season can bring is real, and yet not outside our heavenly Father’s sovereign control. This grief can seem unspeakable at times, but this is precisely when we as believers (weak and broken though we may be) must turn to the Lord and His word for true and abiding hope and comfort. His promises are sure, and the hope they bring can lead us to rise from our severely cast down state and see light and true joy in the midst of darkness.
I think it safe to say that most everyone has had to deal with the loss of a friend or family member at some point in life, and this pain can often be most acutely felt during the holidays when family and friends are gathering together, and memories are being relived. It can be frustrating and confusing to feel the desire to enjoy the holiday season, while at the same time feeling real pain and sorrow over loss. What should be sweet and happy occasions can easily become depressing moments of remembering what used to be, or thinking of how a situation would feel if that loved one were still present. This grief can seem to lead us to endless feelings of sadness, emptiness, fear, depression, or even hopelessness. The pain is real. The loss is real. Our sadness and grief can be completely overwhelming. So where does this leave us and how do we continue during these times? As believers, these times should take us back to our compassionate and unchanging Father whose promises are equally unchangeable and incredibly comforting. With Him there is real, lasting hope.
Hope and Comfort from God’s Word
Psalm 100:5 says, “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”[i] We must constantly come back to the truth that our heavenly Father is indeed good, and His true love will never fade or change with time and circumstances. He is our stronghold, our steadfast anchor to rest securely in, in all circumstances of life, including the most painful and sorrowful ones (Psalm 18:2, 30). Knowing that the Lord is good and faithful is a beautiful truth, but He also gives us further hope to which we can cling. In the section describing the new heavens and new earth in Revelation 21, verses 3b and 4 gives us some of the most amazing hope:
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
This promise is so beautifully encouraging. Just as the Lord truly promises to use all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), so He also promises to one day wipe away the tears from His children’s faces, and pain and sorrow shall be no more. During the times in our life when grief overtakes us, we must hold on to the steadfast assurance of God’s goodness, His unchanging faithfulness, and the absence of pain and sorrow that awaits us in the new creation.
While this hope indeed brings encouragement, the pain of the present life is still real and incredibly difficult to navigate. The promises and encouragement from our heavenly Father do not merely pertain to the life to come, however; He gives us hope and comfort to cling to in this very moment. Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Our God is not far away and detached, but rather near us in our heartache and sorrow. He will not abandon us amidst the pain and loss of this life. As believers, we need not fear abandonment since Christ has already paid for our sin. We are now able to freely live in the assurance of God’s sovereign care, salvation, and eternal life. Christ’s resurrection supplies us with steadfast assurance of His power and authority. Our savior has already overcome this sin and pain-filled world, and His promises are given to us to place our trust in and be eternally encouraged by (John 16:33b). Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” He can heal us! Where else can we turn to but to our heavenly Father who heals those who are brokenhearted? His power is limitless, and He is yet gentle, gracious, and sympathetic (Mark 14:36, Matthew 11:29, Psalm 103:8, Hebrews 4:15-16).
Our God is wholly good and untainted by darkness (1 John 1:5b), and we must rest in His goodness even when our world is filled with evil and sorrow. Our savior Himself suffered the full wrath of God in our place, and yet endured for the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). He is acquainted with suffering and grief, and offers us rest when our burdens are heavy and weigh us down (Matthew 11:28-30). He promises to be near us in our brokenness and sorrow, and He Himself is the Lord of comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Our Father supplies us with the comfort and encouragement we need through His own power in numerous ways. He is the one who heals us, the one who promises to wipe away our pain and tears, the one who comforts our aching hearts, the one who encourages us with eternal love, and the one who will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5b). He is indeed our “stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9).
The Meaning of Christmas and Hope of the Gospel
In the midst of our pain, we must cling to the hope and promises of God all the more. No truth is more important and impactful than the Gospel of Christ; that He came to earth in the form of a man to live as we do, suffer the punishment we deserved, and rise victorious from the dead through the power of God (Acts 2:24, 3:15). The hope of the Gospel is wrapped in the message of Christmas. Christmas heralds the coming of our savior Jesus Christ, who came as the incarnate God to save us from our sins and offer eternal life and peace to our lost world. Without this hope-filled truth, our Christmas would indeed be a sad time, but in light of Christ’s coming and victory over death, we have eternal hope to hold on to in every circumstance of life, even when tragic and painful. He has already overcome this world; we need not live in fear, doubt, or despair, for our salvation and hope are safe in Him. This salvation does not rest on our own work or strength, but in the grace and power of our Lord (Ephesians 2:1-10). God’s love for us is showcased in the coming of Christ in a profound and beautiful way. He did not condemn us to receive the judgement we deserved, but lavished His mercy on us through Christ’s atoning work on the cross. When sorrow overcomes us, we must lift our eyes to His limitless power (Luke 1:37), and when tempted to despair because of emptiness and grief, we must remind ourselves that He is with us always and will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5b).
Conclusion: Resting in Our Heavenly Father
Our heavenly Father’s promises are real and everlasting. This time of year can be especially painful and difficult to live through, but with the strength and comfort of the Lord, we can make it through, and do so with faith and hope. We can rest in His promises in the hardest of times knowing that we are secure through His power and strength. With the holiday season upon us, we must turn to His compassion, His grace, His love, and His comfort. He does not offer us empty promises, but provides lasting comfort through His own power and redeeming work. The same Spirit that rose Christ from the dead now lives in those who believe in the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:10-11), and it is His power at work in us (Philippians 2:13). We can cast our burdens and anxieties on to Him, for He truly loves and cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). His love is eternal and gracious, and perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). We must rest in His loving care, taking it one step at a time, not borrowing anxiety, fear, or sadness from the days ahead, but abiding in our all-powerful and compassionate savior in the present moment. Our heavenly Father holds the keys to eternal life, hope, and joy, and it is in Him that we will find steadfast comfort and love. Psalm 16:11b says, “in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Our God is the God of joy and light, and He offers us safety and rest in the midst of pain. Go to Him! Rest in His enduring promises and everlasting love and strength. Do not be overcome by this world, but “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). Romans 15:13 also encouragingly says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Though our loss and grief are real, so too are the promises and power of God. During this time, may our God grant you faith to trust Him, so that:
according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).
Rest in the peaceful comfort that the work of Christ supplies, knowing that the Lord works all things for the good of those who love Him. Our hope of eternal life and joy with the Father are secure in Christ and His finished work. Abide in the Lord’s love and grace, for He is merciful and faithful, at all times.
References
[i] All Scripture references are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).