Revealed
When I think about sorrow, I initially squirm a little. I kind of don’t want to go there because it can be scary. It can be dark. It can feel like something we, in the modern world, would call “depression,” or at least… a form of it. I like to break things down, so let’s do that.
The definition of sorrow is this: A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others. Distress means extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain. So now, we’re getting into words defining one another. Tricky! Also, "Sorrow" is more intense than sadness. It implies a long-term state.
So essentially, to be full of sorrow, one would need to feel a long-term, deep sense of looming anxiety and sadness that is caused by some sort of disappointment or misfortune suffered by oneself or others. Did you know that Jesus was once called a “man of sorrows” by the prophet Isaiah?
Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”
That’s really sad and a great reason to be sorrowful. As I mentioned earlier, I almost squirm thinking about sorrow. The reason is that I, being very vulnerable here, feel like I tend to have a deep sense of sorrow myself. And honestly, I don’t know what to do with it. In the past, I would’ve called it depression, but my feelings don’t line up with depression. I usually never lose an overall interest in activities or life. I don’t have a lack of energy, and I don’t feel emptiness or hopelessness. But I do feel sorrowful, a long-term, deep sense of looming anxiety and sadness that is caused by some sort of disappointment or misfortune suffered by oneself or others. Yeah… I can relate to that. Where are all these feelings coming from? I’m not exactly sure. But I know that The Holy Spirit will uncover those things when the time is right.
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, I ask you to reveal to me the deep, uncovered areas of my soul that only You can help me access.
And like I mentioned earlier, Jesus felt that as well, and His reasons were a lot more understandable than mine. I hope this devotional was as beneficial for you as it was for me. I know it is said time and time again, but I think the takeaway is this: Jesus understands your pain. He was fully God and, at the same time, He was fully man. He experienced real, human emotions. He experienced joy, happiness, pain, grief; and He experienced sorrow. God would never ask you to walk through anything that He doesn’t understand, and just taking a wild guess here, it’s safe to say that God understands everything. He will carry you through whatever you many face.
JOURNAL: Have you ever felt sorrowful? Can you relate to the feelings I've shared? What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you about these feelings?
The definition of sorrow is this: A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others. Distress means extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain. So now, we’re getting into words defining one another. Tricky! Also, "Sorrow" is more intense than sadness. It implies a long-term state.
So essentially, to be full of sorrow, one would need to feel a long-term, deep sense of looming anxiety and sadness that is caused by some sort of disappointment or misfortune suffered by oneself or others. Did you know that Jesus was once called a “man of sorrows” by the prophet Isaiah?
Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”
That’s really sad and a great reason to be sorrowful. As I mentioned earlier, I almost squirm thinking about sorrow. The reason is that I, being very vulnerable here, feel like I tend to have a deep sense of sorrow myself. And honestly, I don’t know what to do with it. In the past, I would’ve called it depression, but my feelings don’t line up with depression. I usually never lose an overall interest in activities or life. I don’t have a lack of energy, and I don’t feel emptiness or hopelessness. But I do feel sorrowful, a long-term, deep sense of looming anxiety and sadness that is caused by some sort of disappointment or misfortune suffered by oneself or others. Yeah… I can relate to that. Where are all these feelings coming from? I’m not exactly sure. But I know that The Holy Spirit will uncover those things when the time is right.
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, I ask you to reveal to me the deep, uncovered areas of my soul that only You can help me access.
And like I mentioned earlier, Jesus felt that as well, and His reasons were a lot more understandable than mine. I hope this devotional was as beneficial for you as it was for me. I know it is said time and time again, but I think the takeaway is this: Jesus understands your pain. He was fully God and, at the same time, He was fully man. He experienced real, human emotions. He experienced joy, happiness, pain, grief; and He experienced sorrow. God would never ask you to walk through anything that He doesn’t understand, and just taking a wild guess here, it’s safe to say that God understands everything. He will carry you through whatever you many face.
JOURNAL: Have you ever felt sorrowful? Can you relate to the feelings I've shared? What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you about these feelings?
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1 Comment
This resonated with me, such a great perspective! It's hard to put into words why at times I feel sorrowful, that it's not depression or sadness, but the dark and heavy world around me, and being a person who feels things so deeply, I am more apt to take on the heaviness. This is why Jesus is our light and hope!