Canadian Bible Society

Day 1 of 7

God Comforts Those Who Mourn

Psalm 77:1-10

¹ I pray to you, Lord God, and I beg you to listen. ² In days filled with trouble, I search for you. And at night I tirelessly lift my hands in prayer, refusing comfort. ³ When I think of you, I feel restless and weak. ⁴ Because of you, Lord God, I can't sleep. I am restless and can't even talk. ⁵ I think of times gone by, of those years long ago. ⁶ Each night my mind is flooded with questions: ⁷ “Have you rejected me for ever? Won't you be kind again? ⁸ Is this the end of your love and your promises? ⁹ Have you forgotten how to have pity? Do you refuse to show mercy because of your anger?” ¹⁰ Then I said, “God Most High, what hurts me most is that you no longer help us with your mighty arm.”

One of the first reactions to the unwelcome news that a loved one has died is often shock and disbelief. Denying the reality is a normal response.

God, whose own beloved son died on a cross, understands what you are feeling. Lean on God’s ever present love.

On difficult days, others around us seek to bring comfort, and to assure us of God’s goodness, but we find it hard to believe and we sometimes refuse their kindness.

REFLECT

Are you still denying your loss? What are you doing to work through this?

RESPOND

If somebody has attempted to show you kindness and you didn't let them in, follow up with them and try to talk about what you need.

PRAYER

God, in this time of mourning, help me be open to the comfort that you offer. Amen.

TO KNOW MORE

Psalm 38:9-11

⁹ You, Lord, know every one of my deepest desires, and my noisy groans are no secret to you. ¹⁰ My heart is beating fast. I feel weak all over, and my eyes are red. ¹¹ Because of my sickness, no friends or neighbours will come near me.

Psalm 38:21-22

²¹ You are the LORD God! Stay nearby and don't desert me. ²² You are the one who saves me. Please hurry and help.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

¹ Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. ² There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, ³ for killing and healing, destroying and building, ⁴ for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing,

Psalm 90:1-10

¹ Our Lord, in all generations you have been our home. ² You have always been God— long before the birth of the mountains, even before you created the earth and the world. ³ At your command we die and turn back to dust, ⁴ but a thousand years mean nothing to you! They are merely a day gone by or a few hours in the night. ⁵ You bring our lives to an end just like a dream. We are merely tender grass ⁶ that sprouts and grows in the morning, but dries up by evening. ⁷ Your furious anger frightens and destroys us, ⁸ and you know-all our sins, even those we do in secret. ⁹ Your anger is a burden each day we live, then life ends like a sigh. ¹⁰ We can expect seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are healthy, but even our best years bring trouble and sorrow. Suddenly our time is up, and we disappear.

Psalm 143:7-8

⁷ Please hurry, LORD, and answer my prayer. I feel hopeless. Don't turn away and leave me here to die. ⁸ Each morning let me learn more about your love because I trust you. I come to you in prayer, asking for your guidance.