Jacob's Grief

Gen.37:33-35~ "Then he {Jacob} examined it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!"  34 So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.  35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him."
    When people grieve it is raw, this describes well how they feel. Jacob had:
       - recognition of death, but no body to bury,  no way to finalize this with a good bye
       - tore his clothes
       - put on sackcloth, both are outward signs of grief or mourning. Deep grief is not private, it spills out
       - mourned many days, grief is not over with quickly or easily, it takes time
       - everyone tried to comfort him, they may have even tried to get his mind on something else
       - but he refused, often there is no comfort in our grief, no matter how hard others try to give some
       - I will mourn him until I die. That is the case when people lose one they love deeply, the grief is always there; not always as intense, but always with us. We will always miss the one who has died before us; but most especially when we expected them to live beyond us.
       - "his father wept for him", crying when we grieve or mourn is allowed, even necessary.
 There are no words for this grief, it is only expressed in sorrow and weeping.
May God minister to each of you who may be grieving, or a support for someone who is. May His gentle touch be with you today and may you feel His love and care for you in the midst of your incredible pain. May the rest of us be more sensitive in how to respond as hurting people walk through our lives.