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“The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”
Psalm 118:14 (NKJV)

The evening is such a hard time of the day.

We face it, and endure it because we must. If we give ourselves checkmarks for our accomplishments or ‘job well done’ we will mark it as one – only to have to face it again tomorrow – at the same time.

Just this evening, while sitting here praying about what I might share with you, grief hit me again. The sun was setting. The evening had come once again. And once again I was hit by the most intense wave of grief. The sky was ablaze with the most beautiful colors, a blend of fiery oranges and swaths of pink as if the artist has taken His brush and whipped it to release the amazing color. Indescribable beauty.

I started to call out, “Oh, Steve, come and see this sky.” Silence, so loud that I can barely stand it, and all that came back to me was the violent push of grief — its goal, to make me fall.

Grief has shown me many curves and unexpected sharp turns.

I look for those straight stretches where I might catch my breath. Thankfully, I have learned to push back against grief’s control, though it has been a very hard lesson learned from those early days. They say grief is the price you pay for loving but sometimes grief feels different. Sometimes grief just feels like my worst enemy.

When did Grief become my Enemy?

At times, the FEAR and LONELINESS parts of grief become enemies that can push us violently. Have you felt that?

There is a process in grief, a road that must be traveled for healing. Thankfully, grief does not stay in that gut-wrenching, debilitating place of the early days. It has different ‘legs’ of the trip. And often we seek Scripture that will carry us, working like a painkiller after an injury.

King David

Though Psalm 118 does not name an author in its title, there is reason to believe it was King David, the Psalmist of Israel (according to enduringword.com). Many times in battle, King David found himself surrounded by his enemies and cried out to the Lord for help.

Things we know about David.

David had many brothers. Even as a young man, he was brave and courageous, killing both a lion and a bear to protect his sheep.

Taking food to his brothers one day, he came upon them, cowering in fear as they were challenged by the Philistine giant Goliath. Empowered by God, David was confident he could stand against and slay the giant. King Saul’s armor was placed on him, but its weight kept him from moving freely. Throwing it aside, he searched and found five smooth stones and prepared for war. You can read the account here.

Standing before Goliath

We know the story. David took a stone, placed it in the sling, swung the sling above his head several times, and released the stone. His aim was true, and Goliath fell to the ground dead.

What was the key to David’s success?

He trusted God to protect him.

David was a mighty warrior who fought many battles — seeking and trusting God to lead him.

Facing his enemy, David proclaimed…

“You pushed me violently, that I might fall,
But the Lord helped me.”
Psalm 118:13 (NKJV)

“YOU pushed me violently.”

Could we replace that ‘YOU’ with ‘GRIEF’?

‘GRIEF’, you pushed me violently that I might fall – BUT THE LORD HELPED ME!

Just as David recognized the enemy coming against him, we must recognize ours.

Our Enemy wants to defeat us – paralyze us in our grief. He will speak lies over us; lies we will begin to believe if not careful.

What is my purpose?

Where do I belong?

Will sadness be my forever song?

There is an enemy who wants to silence us.

Our renewed purpose for this leg of the journey – A Witness for Christ

The greatest tool you and I have to be a witness for Christ is to share our stories. Goliath laughed when he saw David standing before him. Empowered by the God he believed in, David was victorious, and the enemy was slain.

Not only is there a new widow who needs to see how we have survived grief and will continue to, but there is also a world that needs to know the God of our story.

We must stand before the giant facing us — grief — allowing God to use our journey to become the greatest witnesses for Him.

That will be our victory over grief.

“I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of the LORD.”
Psalm 118:17 (NKJV)

Our Father, we praise You in this journey asking You to empower us over the giants in our lives. We thank You, Father, that we never walk this path alone. Divinely lead us to those who need to hear our stories of Victory in You. Amen