Acquainted with Grief

Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He told His disciples this on the night of His last Passover. He knew full well what He would soon endure. Nevertheless, He encouraged them. He wanted them to continue in the faith, no matter the difficulties they would face.

There is a profound lesson for us in Christ’s words. The Bible says He was “A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He knew the heavy burdens of this life, yet clearly, He did not choose to despair in the face of death. On the contrary, He chose to hope.

This is a tremendous example because we experience much trouble throughout our lives. Life can wear us down, and we can feel despair. Sometimes, we will wonder why God is putting us through a particular trial. But neither Christ nor any Bible hero was exempt from knowing the sorrows of this life. King David was “acquainted with grief” like Christ but believed in God to bring him through all of it. That is why he wrote, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

Paul endured epic troubles for the gospel’s sake. Despite this, he wrote to the Romans, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). The apostle Peter likewise knew the sorrows of life. He tells us to cast “all our care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

If we endure all things patiently, we will know the presence of God in our lives, even in our deepest trials. Christ and all the Bible’s heroes knew this, too.