by Desiree Bustamante

God has a purpose for our sadness.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Sorrow is better than laughter,
    for sadness has a refining influence on us.
A wise person thinks a lot about death,
    while a fool thinks only about having a good time.”
Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 New Living Translation

Every person knows what it is like to feel sad, to grieve over a loss or mourn someone’s absence. All throughout scripture there are stories of godly men and women who shed numerous tears over their dire circumstances, yet when they cried out to God, He always comforted them. Psalm 56 reveals that God even collects all our tears in His bottle and records each of them in His book. How comforting it is to know that Jesus truly relates to our sadness and pain and cares about all our sorrows because He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with deepest grief.

Dearest Heavenly Father,
Sadness consumes me when I look around and see the suffering in this world—endless wars, fires, cancer, illnesses, violence, poverty and so many other tragic circumstances. Yet I ask that You use sadness to refine me, so I may be better at lifting up and encouraging others in their time of sorrow. Please do not let my sadness overwhelm my gratitude for the goodness of the Lord that is given to me every single day. Your mercy and grace have been poured out on me in abundance, and I know that You are powerful and holy. You have everything under control, even when it seems like nothing is.

And I pray that You will focus my faith on your promises and your sovereignty, because your character is perfect and true hope will never let me down. Help me to remember that nothing will ever separate me from You or Your great love and, because I am Your beloved child, Your grace, mercy and favor will always overflow in my life.
In Your holy, precious name I pray,
Amen.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado