There is a difference between having grief and being bereaved. It is normal for someone to mourn and grieve the passing of a loved one. Most Christians know it is okay to grieve, as we don’t cry without hope of the resurrection in Christ Jesus. But bereavement goes just a little deeper. By definition, bereaved means: One who is greatly saddened at being deprived by death of a loved one. It is also defined as to deprive and make desolate, especially by death; to deprive one ruthlessly or by force; or to take away by violence.
When someone asks you to pray for the bereaved, don’t just think of and pray for the ones who have recently lost a loved one to death. The bereaved also include those who have had something tangible ripped away forcibly or by violence which is vital and important to their survival. The bereaved may include the one who may have had their home ripped away by a tornado or flood. She is the one who lost her virginity by force and has been deprived of her innocence and dignity. It is that son whose father was taken away by gang violence or the wife whose husband has been unjustly drafted into another man’s war in Africa. The bereaved are the lives of those who lost a sister, mother, brother, father, friend or loved one several years ago but are still living in desolation. They feel deprived of real love and cannot accept the death of the person or thing that was taken away so suddenly, so violently.
Bereavement is not always a temporary condition, as it can continue in a person’s life continuously, if left to fester and grow within their heart. Those who have experienced the sudden death of a loved one by murder, violence, terrorism and suicide can attest to the bereavement which can linger in the soul if left unchecked.
So when you hear, “Pray for the sick and bereaved among us”, do so with a renewed purpose and awareness of what bereavement really means. Intercede on their behalf. Denounce the assignment the enemy has against the bereaved, which brings isolation, hurt, fear, unrest, depression and overwhelming grief. Then ask God to fill hearts wounded and scarred by deprivation, desolation, violence, hurt and death with His Love and Peace which surpasses all human understanding.
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