Grief & Goodness must co-exist, but how?

“If I give into my grief over the state of our world, will I be able to get up?” This is the question weighing heavy on my heart.

I don’t watch much of the news. Mostly because I have little impressionable ears running around my house with hearts that are easily lead to fear and anxiety over tornados, high winds, death, and darkness. 
 
Instead morning, noon, and night, I Google for news about the coronavirus and its impact. My eyes are overwhelmed with the amount of cases, deaths, the number of people who have applied for unemployment, and the twists and turns of the stock market.
 
The grief inside my heart is growing along with fear and anxiety. And that has had a habit in the past of turning into ruts of deep discouragement and depression. Maybe you can relate.
 
Yet when I ignore all the media and just choose to focus on good things, I feel like I am loosing touch with how this is truly impacting dear friends, neighbors, and family members.
 
So how do we allow grief and goodness to co-exist? How do we let mercy and empathy in, but ensure that it doesn’t dig a pit we can’t get out of? 
 
As I wrestled with these questions before the Lord in prayer, this was the phrase laid on my heart.

 
“Don’t ignore reality but realize whose battle it is to win.”
 
Paul in the book of Romans encourages us to “rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”
 
That pretty much sums up my emotional journey on the daily. I don’t know about you, but I can find myself busting a move (stole that phrase from the 90’s I think) to the latest beats with my kids in the kitchen and the next hour, on my knees weeping over the uncertainty of our future world like the most turbulent hormonal surges known to woman.
 
It’s exhausting. 
 
We are all emotionally worn out. And we are tempted to turn off the news, stick our fingers in our ears, repeat “la-la-la-la-la”, and lose ourselves in a “happily ever after” book.

 
But what if we take to heart the words of Paul to rejoice with those who rejoice or mourn with those who mourn, knowing whose battle it is to win.
 
Whose battle is it, you might ask? 
 
I would love for you to see for yourself. Connect the dots from this story of “old” to the story of “now,” our coronavirus crisis. 
 
(Don’t worry about cities you can’t pronounce or names you don’t know. Just see the big picture and place yourself in this story, maybe in the shoes of Joe - aka Jehoshaphat.)
 
2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” 

3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 

9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’

10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance.12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel...

15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you! (2 Chronicles 20: 2-17).
 
Joe - aka Jehoshaphat - was terrified. He fasted and mourned. He grieved. In his grief, he prayed. He met with God. God spoke to him. In those encounters, he was reminded of the goodness of God. That he cares. That he is powerful and strong. And plans to rescue his people.

He was reminded that the battle belongs to the Lord. 

If we are to make it through this pandemic faith-filled and faithful, grief and goodness must co-exist, but how? 
 
We don’t have to ignore reality but we do need to realize whose battle it is to win. 
 
It is the Lord’s. Strong and mighty. A rescuer of people, both then and now.

A father who hears the cries of his kids.
A warrior who walks with his people in the face of calamity.
A king who holds the keys to victory.

 
It is our job to take our positions. To pray. To seek God for guidance. To come to him and cry out for our land. To grieve the pain we are experiencing.  Yet to realize we are not alone in it. To shift our perspective and remember the battle belongs to the Lord. 
 
Both then and now. 
 
My prayers are for all of us as we journey together and pursue God in this moment, even if one imperfect step at a time. 
 
- Erin Nicole
 
Here are some lyrics to a song helping me to allow grief and goodness to co-exist, See the Victory by Elevation Worship.