Then Job arose, and rent his mantle and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, Job 1:20.
Job chapters 1 and 2 survey the heartrending account of Job’s loss. First, he loses his material wealth and possessions, and then he receives the devastating news that all of his children have died in a desert windstorm.
There are still limitations in our language when it comes to grief. For instance, there is a word to describe a child who loses their parents: an orphan. There is a word to describe someone who loses a spouse: a widow. Yet there is no word in the English language to describe a parent who suffers the loss of a child.
Some experiences go against the very grain of normality. I cannot begin to fully comprehend the depth of Job’s anguish. When Job learns that his sons and daughters have been killed, he falls to the ground, places ashes upon his head, and cries out in lament.
Job 1:20 states, “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped.”
JOB TOOK HIS GRIEF TO THE LORD.
Yet just because Job brought his pain to God did not mean his grief instantly vanished. These scriptures testify that Job knew where to turn when everything in his life had been stripped away.
Later, the Bible declares in Job 2:10 that “in all this did not Job sin with his lips,” even while sitting in deep despair. Grieving is not a sin; it is part of the healing process. Psalm 34:18 reminds us, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.” When your life feels shattered into pieces, God draws near.
WE SERVE A GOD WHO IS TOUCHED WITH THE FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITIES (HEBREWS 4:15).
Every loss, every heartbreak, every betrayal you have endured—God is moved by your pain. Every tear you have cried and every desperate prayer you have whispered, the Lord has been near to you in those moments of darkness.
We were never created to carry grief alone. Today, cast every care upon the Lord, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
