Good morning. The nations of Israel and Judah, those who were once united as the people of God, were divided. To the North there was Samaria and to the South was Judah. Joram was the king of Israel in Samaria and Elisha was the powerful prophet of God. When the king rebelled against God, the people suffered. As Joram continued in his rebellion, God allowed the enemy to lay siege to the city of Samaria. Famine in the city was the result, and it was so severe the people turned to cannibalism. When the king witnessed from two women how horrible things had become, he tore his royal robes in grief. In spite of the state of his nation the king had continued to wear his rich garments, the splendor of them amazing to the common person. But we read this in 2 Kings 6:30: When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body. Beneath the rich exterior the king was wearing a hideously uncomfortable garment made of sackcloth, which was a sign of mourning and grief.
Do you ever cover your grief with what is considered “normal”, perhaps even fine or fun? Do the people around you ever do so?
I would say that we all do such things from time to time. What are we afraid of? Do we fear that if people see our pain, they will think less of us? Do we think that if people see that we are bearing up and behaving as if all is normal that they will consider us brave and strong?
Why do we do such things, especially when we are with people who love us and care for us? It is right to grieve when we suffer a loss. It is OK to experience pain when we are going through something that is difficult and especially challenging. It is OK to let people see us as we truly are. It is OK, in fact it is essential to let the Lord see all that we are and allow Him to love us and to heal us.
Be real today. Allow those who love you to care for you in your moments of need. Allow the Lord, whose love never falters or fails to hold you close, to strengthen and comfort you. Go ahead, expose the undercover sorrow and allow the love God provides to surround you.
Vern