O Lord of Sorrow and Suffering, uphold me and comfort me in my time of loss and pain. As a human, You experienced sorrow … having wept over the city of Jerusalem and upon the death of Your dear friend Lazarus … so I know You understand the pain, feelings of loss and emptiness that I am feeling. My only hope rests in the fact that I know You have the ability to restore things beyond my understanding. If my tears are seeds of sorrow, I am comforted in the belief that if I plant them in You, they will grow into a harvest of joy and praise. Because I am burdened with sorrow, I must put my trust in You that it will only last for a season and will ultimately turn to happiness and contentment. To recover from my feelings of loss and emptiness, I must remain patient and keep my focus on You. As I am infused with Your love and compassion, I will gain the strength to reclaim my life and start moving forward again.
If I weep for that which I have lost and refuse to be comforted, how can joy ever fill my life again? The answer to that question is the reason why I must cling to Your promise that all things work out for good if I keep faith in You. Your Word tells me that blessed are those who weep, for they will laugh. Laughing seems so far from me … as the stars in the sky. However, Your concern for my pain convinces me that You want to make me whole again and return normalcy to my life. If I knew today what would bring me peace, I would surely turn in that direction; but it is hidden from my eyes by the tears that fill them. Surely, if I do not find Your peace, calamity will fill my life for the rest of my days. Therefore, when I accept the hand You offer to lead me out of darkness, I know that Your light will show me the way to a new life filled with peace and happiness.
I cannot lose sight of the fact that when You visited the grave of Your friend Lazarus, You felt the personal loss that I feel right now … and You empathize with my grief. You showed You cared when You wept for Your loss and so do I. You’ve said that it was by Your stripes that I am made whole. Take my pain, sadness and suffering into Your wounds and bind up my broken heart. Fill the void left in my life with Your love. Fill the time I now have on my hands with meaningful work for Your Kingdom. Bring me the compassion and friendship of those who will stand by me and be there when I need them. Take away the struggle that goes on within me and replace it with hope for a better future that I cannot see right now. How I look forward to the fulfillment of Your promise to wipe away the tears of sorrow from my eyes. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.