By Nathan D. Pietsch
On March 3, 2015 at 11:11 p.m. Dawn's mother Judith Anne Squire passed from this life to her new life in Heaven. The loss of a loved one is a very difficult situation for people to endure. Our culture in the United States does not really put enough emphasis on the mourning process. Being in the ministry, we have seen numerous people still deeply grieving years following the death of a loved one. I believe this is the case, because people stuff their grief and get involved in work, projects, or activities before taking the time to mourn.
The Biblical prescription for mourning was to be seven to thirty days (Genesis 50:10 and Deuteronomy 34:8). In Genesis 50:10, the Bible says that the people mourned with a great and very solemn lamentation for seven days. Then they were to put their grief behind and move on. God knows that excessive and lasting grief will only open one's soul to heaviness, gloom, and despair. Perhaps you have heard stories of a heartbroken parent following their child's death, keeping his room exactly the same for years following. This sort of action can actually permit a spirit of death to remain over an entire household.
In the Bible, when David sorrowed he prayed Psalm 56:8. You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? God sees our grief and does not disdain it. If you are suffering with losing a loved one, spend time with God and let the Lord heal your hurting heart.
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