When Sorrow Clouds Belief - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 14

When Sorrow Clouds Belief
By Sarah Frazer

Bible Reading:
“But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.” Mark 16:11 (ESV)

My heart dropped at the news. Again!? That word echoed in my head as I read through the social media post. In just two years, two young men who attended the same church had passed away. Again, a family grieved the sudden loss of a son and brother. Again, a church mourned the pain of a life cut too short. 

Sorrow seemed to follow them, and my heart ached to help in some way. It seemed all I could do was pray, but I knew that prayers were also powerful. At first, I prayed that the people would be comforted. But then I began to pray that the people would believe. Yes, I prayed for the comfort of these families who were suffering and for the church’s belief to remain strong. 

Over the years, I’ve faced many sorrowful events in my life: death, illness, broken dreams, and struggles not fit for social media. In the midst of the hardest days, belief is hard to come by. During one hard season, I read this verse in Mark 16 about the disciples.

“But when they [the disciples] heard that he [Jesus] was alive and had been seen by her [Mary Magdalene], they would not believe it.” Mark 16:11

On the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion, the women came to Jesus’ tomb and found it empty. At first, the disciples and the women didn’t know what this meant. They were still grieving. When I read that verse in Mark 16:11, I realized that maybe the disciples couldn’t believe the truth about Jesus’ resurrection because they were still grieving. 

Have you ever experienced such sorrow, so deep and wide, that you doubted the faith you’ve held for so long? I know that the enemy likes to prowl and pounce on us when we are at our weakest, and during times of sorrow, we are often clouded by grief, and we struggle to believe. 

Maybe you are in a season right now that feels too overwhelming, too hard, and filled with too much grief. I pray that you will not be like the disciples and harden your heart to unbelief. Jesus’ death was fresh on their hearts and minds. I think we can all identify with the followers of Jesus in those first few days. They struggled to believe and understand, and sometimes grief can’t be explained. 

The women had seen Jesus’ tomb, Mary Magdalene had seen Jesus alive, but the disciples, hiding in a room, struggled to make sense of the death of Jesus. In our grief, we try so hard to make sense of it. We want to know why. But often, in the middle of my grief, it is less about why, and more about Who. Who is with me? 

It says in Mark 16:12-13, “After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.” Again, eyewitnesses told the disciples that Jesus was alive! How many times do people come to us, in the middle of our grief, and try to comfort us with the truth?

Sometimes the truth is hard to believe when we are sorrowing, and that is ok. What changed for the disciples? Jesus appeared to them. It was His presence that they believed. How I wish we could all experience the physical presence of Jesus here on earth, but we live in a different time. 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus referred to this time as a time of something better. We do not have Jesus’ physical presence today, but we have God’s spiritual presence available to us always! The Holy Spirit lives in each believer. Once we give our lives to Jesus and become children of God, God’s spirit resides in us—God’s very presence. 

It might feel like we are all alone, but we are not. We can choose to believe, even in the middle of our sorrow, that God has not left us. What fuels our belief is choosing to trust God’s presence is with us in the Holy Spirit. The disciples had Jesus’ physical presence, and that was when their belief rose up. 

The presence of the Spirit of God is always with us, and it has the power to give us all the comfort and belief we need today. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Thomas is known as the doubting disciple. It wasn't until he physically saw Jesus that he believed. Listen to Jesus’ words: “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” That is you and me! Use one of the verses below to read and meditate on today, choosing to believe that God is with you, even in the midst of sorrow. 

Further Reading:
John 16:22
Psalm 30
2 Corinthians 4:17

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/kaipong 

Sarah E. Frazer is a writer, Bible study mentor, wife of Jason, and mother of five. With a background in missionary work, Sarah encourages the weary woman to find peace in Jesus. She is a regular contributor to the Proverbs 31 First 5 app writing team as well as a featured writer for Crosswalk.com. Her favorite place to hang out is Instagram at @sarah_e_frazer.

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com! 

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