After my wife of 60 years died in October 2016, I began reading several books about how to handle grief.  One story from a medical centre indicated that shedding tears is a way of cleansing the body of toxic substances.  Thus, our tears in times of grief are actually a natural and healthy response to the death of a beloved member of the family.

Reading the Bible, I discovered an encouraging verse, Psalm 56:8, that reflects a period when King David had fallen on hard times.  He was in hiding from his enemies and wrote about his fear.  He used the image of a small bottle of tears to capture the extent of his grief.  But for David this referred not just to a custom of an ancient funeral: for him it was an expression of trust in the God of Israel — who would uphold him throughout any and all of the trials of life.

On our kitchen wall, my wife had placed a plaque with these words from Paul: “I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me”.  When life seems to be more than we can handle, these words of faith can help us trust in the sustaining love of God

Prayer:  God of comfort, surround us with the love you have revealed in our Saviour, and enable us to live as your faithful and loving servants.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.