Drawing Close to God in Times of Grief

By Carol Wollaston

Recently we put down our dog, Wally.  It was a terrible grief, and one that is sometimes not understood by those who have never owned a loving pet over a long period.  Even harder to deal with is a death in the family.  It is difficult to describe the pain of separation and sense of aloneness.  You feel as if your heart is being torn from your body – no wonder it is sometimes referred to as ‘gut-wrenching’.  How can we feel the presence and the comfort of the Holy Spirit during these sad times?

In the simplicity of faith we can cry out, ‘Father, help me!’  When grief and trauma drain our energy from us, it is time to fall on the mercy of God and, in humility, seek to draw closer to Him.  The scripture tells us to ‘draw near to God and He will draw near to us’.  James 4:8.  This is the answer to so many of our dilemmas in life.  Are you looking for answers to life’s difficult questions?  Are you in need of guidance through the maze of circumstances and questions - where to work or live?  Before seeking a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ from God, it is best to wait patiently and draw close to Him, so that we can come to rest in His presence.  He will provide the answers in His good time, though perhaps only after He has taught us a lesson or two during the waiting process.  Drawing close to God brings peace, enabling us to lay aside anxieties that distract our focus from God Himself.  We can then discover what is His will for us in our particular circumstances.

I have discovered that there is a vast difference between entreating God for His help and demanding He provide answers.  Sometimes we may be tempted to feel that, despite the fact that we have been faithful Christians over many years, God seems to have disappeared in our hour of need.  We may feel He is ‘absent without our leave’, as if He owes us an explanation.  The writer of Hebrews explains that our heart attitude should be humble and penitent as we wait on God.  He says, ‘Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith’.  Hebrews 10:22.  By falling on God’s mercy, in full faith, we are assured that He has sent us His Holy Spirit as our Comforter. 

When we draw near to God our desire will also be to draw near to His people, for it is through them that He expresses Himself in a multitude of ways.  Here our feet are founded firmly on the Rock and we can hear His word confirmed to us.  We will not stumble and fall even though we may feel unsteady at times because life’s difficulties and challenges make the surface of the path ahead uneven.

Drawing closer to God secures us in the knowledge that we are children of God.  We may never know the specific answers to the griefs and trials we face, but as Paul the apostle said to the Philippians, ‘I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things … that I may gain Christ and be found in Him … that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings’.  Philippians 3:10