THE POWER OF PRECIOUS PROMISES

•    God’s given us EVERYTHING we need for life & godliness
•    Grief a burden of intense SORROW often associated with death / loss

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW

•    helpful resource: Getting to the Other Side of Grief: Overcoming the Loss of a Spouse (S.Zonnebelt-Smeenge / R.DeVries)
•    grief of being DIVORCED / widowhood (76 or 62/200 married, respectively)
•    HALF of those widowed are under the age of 45
•    struggles of spouse’s brain tumour: “WHY, God?” / so down that wanted to kill oneself / huge hole

ACCOMPANIED THROUGH PAIN VALLEY

•    through darkest valley: the LIGHTS go out
•    SHEPHERD is there to comfort; pummel chest out of frustration
•    Jesus’ experience of SEPARATION at the cross: forsaken due to our sin

THE DEFINITE DIFFERENCE: NOT GRIEVING LIKE THE REST

•    first funeral ever where he didn’t want it to STOP
•    precious promises that Jesus died for our sins & was raised, is preparing a place for us (1Cor 15:3f; Jn 14:1ff)
•    death guarantees the veracity of the resurrection: people don’t DIE for what they know to be a LIE
•    most to be PITIED if Christ not raised; but He has been! (1Cor 15:17ff)
•    because Jesus LIVES we also live; eternal life starts now (Jn 14:19; Jn 5:24f)
•    believing Jesus died/rose gives ASSURANCE our Christian loved ones will too (1Thess 4:13f)
•    Holy Spirit-inspired euphemisms: ‘fallen ASLEEP’, ‘far BETTER’ to depart & be with Christ

DEBUNK THE MULTIPLE MYTHS

•    death is not God’s FAULT (Jn 3:16f; 1Jn 4:14; Jn 1:29; 2Cor 5:19)
•    death cannot SEPARATE us from God’s love in Christ (Rom 8:38f)
•    God does understand: Spirit GROANS with us, Jesus humbled self to death (Rom 8:26; Php 2:8)
•    multiple myths: grief orderly phases, keep very busy, don’t talk about it, will always feel pain, act happy if feeling awful

CLIMBING OUT OF THE HOLE

•    DeVries resolved to make CHANGES: unpack emotions, eat differently, revisit places, move on
•    Heidelberg Catechism: comfort in life/death knowing we BELONG to our faithful Saviour