As a 31-year-old woman who lost her husband and the father of her young child, I know a lot about loss and grief. I was only 32 years old and suddenly my life had flipped upside down as I
found myself entering a place I had never been before: the wilderness of grief. The good news was that Jesus was with me and he took my hand and led me out of that place. He completely restored my life. I am now remarried and have a beautiful three-year-old daughter and my son has the best father. My husband is my best friend and we get to minister to all kinds of people sharing the gospel. God knew exactly what I needed. Had I decided to let grief overwhelm me, I would have never allowed Jesus to be who he is in my life, the great redeemer. I believe he
wants to do the same for you.

Whether a loved one dies, a marriage fails, a friendship ends, or a business dealing goes south, as Christians, we should grieve with hope, leaning on Jesus. You may not feel like it, but if you have faith in Jesus, you are resilient. God is your Father, and he has a good plan for your future.

Do not let the enemy lie to you; you can find comfort during grief, but how much comfort you want is up to you. That may sound hard, but right now is not the time to be the guest of honor at a pity party. You are not the first person to experience loss, nor will you be the last. Pity parties get you nowhere, and they tell the enemy that you have more faith in him than in what God can do for you. Don’t let the enemy score two points by making you miserable! Use this opportunity to draw near to God and let him minister to your heart. I know firsthand what you are going through. Your life may look very different, but God is faithful and will see you through. Only God could take a widow and turn her into a minister. Just like my story, God has something special for you!

God Almighty knows the pain of watching a loved one die a death that they didn’t deserve. Just like His son, Jesus, rose from the dead after three days, I believe God can take your ashes and
give you beauty. Not only “can” He do it, but I believe that he longs to. However, how long we walk the wilderness of grief is up to us. Ecclesiastes 3:4-5 says there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. There is a time for mourning but be careful not to let mourning turn into a spirit of grief.

Before I share some things that helped me, I would love to pray for you. Please know that these aren’t just words on a page but something I have spoken out loud to the Father. I know that prayer is powerful, so pray this with me.

Grieving prayer for comfort and strength:

Father, we come to you with heavy hearts, mourning the loss of our loved one. This grief seems overwhelming, and we feel lost without them, but we know you still have a plan for us and we
can obtain wisdom from you. We will lay down our “whys” and focus on what your Word says. Right now, we trust that the Holy Spirit is with us, comforting us. We bind up depressing
thoughts in the name of Jesus. With you, we can do all things and we are choosing to look forward to the things you have prepared for us. Our loved one is not in our past, they are in our
future, and we declare that we will not live in grief. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Your confession is powerful. The Bible says life and death are in the power of the tongue, Proverbs 18:21. From now on make a point to confess words based on scripture. We do not have to grieve by the world’s standards we have hope knowing that this world is not our home.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 says, Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

Confess this: I am grieving with hope leaning on Jesus. Grief is not sticking around because Jesus bore my grief and my sorrow on the cross!

I believe you can go a step further than offering a prayer for strength during grief. The Bible says that you can put on a garment of praise. You may have all kinds of shirts in your closet, but it is up to you which shirt you want to wear for the day. Praise is just like that. If you have found this article, it is time to put on that garment of praise and trade in that spirit of heaviness. The joy of the Lord is your strength! The way you gain strength during sad times is by valuing the cross more than your loss. Whatever you magnify becomes bigger. Do you want to be dominated by grief for the rest of your life? You don’t have to be! You are a child of God and you have resurrection power abiding on the inside of you. Don’t let these feelings boss you around. Make a choice to thank God and draw on His supernatural joy!

Isaiah 61:3 says, To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Things to remember:

• Don’t attend a pity party. God is on your side and every need will be supplied!
• How long you want to walk in the wilderness of grief is up to you.
• Change your confession to “I am grieving with hope leaning on Jesus!”
• God has new clothes for you, so wear that garment of praise!
• Don’t let your feelings boss you around!
• Grieving with hope scripture – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength
  of my heart and my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:26

All of this is impossible without Jesus. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please call us at 719-227-0380. We would love to pray for you!