Comfort in times of suffering

The news for our friends has not been good. Further scans have shown their little baby has severe abnormalities and may or may not survive birth.

Today I found this post on Cathy's blog on Psalm 77.

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to yJeduthun. A Psalm of zAsaph.

77 I acry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and he will hear me.

2 bIn the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in cthe night my dhand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul erefuses to be comforted.

3 When I remember God, I fmoan;

when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;

I am so gtroubled that I cannot speak.

5 I consider hthe days of old,

the years long ago.

6 I said,1 “Let me remember my isong in the night;

let me jmeditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

7 “Will the Lord kspurn forever,

and never again lbe favorable?

8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

Are his mpromises at an end for all time?

9 nHas God forgotten to be gracious?

oHas he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to the years of the pright hand of the Most High.”

2

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will qremember your wonders of old.

12 I will ponder all your rwork,

and meditate on your smighty deeds.

13 Your way, O God, is tholy.

uWhat god is great like our God?

14 You are the God who vworks wonders;

you have wmade known your might among the peoples.

15 You xwith your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When ythe waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water;

the skies zgave forth thunder;

your aarrows flashed on every side.

18 bThe crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

cyour lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth dtrembled and shook.

19 Your eway was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints fwere unseen.3

20 You gled your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

This is what grieving in a Godly way should look like. The time to cry and to mourn, while remembering that God is holy and strong and in control of all things. We need to keep reminding ourselves of this. Until we meet Jesus face to face in heaven, we will not know why these things happen. All we can do is cling to him and trust that he is there for us always.

Praying for our friends as they face this time of uncertainty ahead and that we will be able to support them well.