In Ecclesiastes 3:4 Solomon declared, "There is a time to weep . . . a time to mourn."

Grief is a love word. We cannot grieve if we do not or did not love. God grieves over people and their lifestyles because He loves them.

Grief is like being plunged into a pit. We fight for air; we plunge the depths until we find the bottom. When we find the bottom, we realize that God is there with His everlasting arms.

David the Psalmist found God was with him as he traversed through the valley of the shadow of death in Psalm 23.

When God was allowing Job to be tested, all of Job's children were killed. Job's response was profound grief. We read that "at this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship" (Job 1:20).

Grief rips, strips, and reduces us to a crumpled heap on the ground. From his posture on the ground, Job concluded, "May the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21).

The New Testament exhorts us to let the hard times work on us for our good. James said, "The testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:3). He continues in verse 4, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature." Grief is a process that we must not cut short. Let it take us as deep as God wants to go with us.

Psalm 88 is a song of the Sons of Korah. Korah opposed Moses during the wilderness journey from Egypt to Canaan, and he was destroyed by God. The Sons of Korah grieved deeply for their loss. In verse 18, they exclaimed, "You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend."

Darkness is not something we generally seek out, but there, in the absence of light, our other senses are increased. In the silence, in the dark night, is when we sense the presence of God most strongly.

The Psalmist David was walking a low road in Psalm 139, but his conclusions lift all of us. He discovered God's power, God's presence, God's love, and God's plan. Then he implored God, "Search me, O God . . . test me . . . lead me" (Psalm 139:23-24).

There is a time to grieve. We read in Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."