By Grace Fox
Nothing could have readied my heart for the email I received from a reader with whom I’d developed an online friendship.
Her son, a police officer, had suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
While her husband and other children had flown across the country to attend the funeral and support his widow and young children, a serious respiratory infection kept the grief-stricken mother at home.
My friend wrote of watching her son’s service online and of crying until she had no more tears. I could empathize with her pain to a degree.
A Grief I Knew Firsthand
Nineteen years earlier, my father died the day after I flew to Hungary to begin a two-week speaking tour at women’s events across Eastern Europe. If I had chosen to return to Canada for Dad’s service, the event planners would have suffered significant inconvenience and financial consequences.
They had rented venues, arranged for food services, translated my handouts, and more. Registrants from far and wide had made their travel plans to come, expecting to hear teaching on a specific theme based upon a book I’d written.
For all those reasons, I felt compelled to fulfill my commitment. God affirmed my decision twice, but still, I cried until no tears remained.
Carried By Others In The Weeping
Members of my friend’s church family came alongside her to provide comfort and care just as my missionary coworkers came alongside me. They prayed with me, lent listening ears so I could process grief aloud and gave me space to process in silence.
Their presence and compassion strengthened me in my suffering.
When Weeping Meets Betrayal
Maybe you’ve experienced a situation over which you cried countless tears.
David felt that way when he and his men found Ziklag destroyed and their wives and children kidnapped by the Amalekites: “So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep” (1 Samuel 30:4 NIV).
In David’s case, however, his friends did not offer support. Instead, they blamed him for their pain and threatened to stone him. Despite grief and betrayal, David “found strength in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6 NIV).
Those words—“found strength in the LORD his God“—shower us with hope and courage. If David found strength in the Lord amid desperate circumstances, then we can do the same.
How so? By discovering who God is as manifest through His names and then choosing to live from that truth. Here are three names of God that describe His character and strengthen us to persevere:
Three Names That Hold Us Steady
1. Yahweh Ropheka—”the LORD your healer”
When hard situations break our hearts, let’s find strength in the psalmist’s words, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 NIV).
His presence is real, and He will repurpose our pain when we entrust it to Him.
2. El Emunah—”Faithful God”
When life hurts, we might doubt God’s presence and intent toward us. Let’s battle those doubts with the truth—God is faithful. Let’s trust His heart even when we don’t understand His ways.
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23 NIV).
3. Ruach Elohim—”Spirit of God”
This name tells us that God gives comfort, brings order from our chaos, and covers us in prayer. Imagine! At times, the only prayer we can utter is “Help!” but we can rest assured that, in our weakness, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26–27).
No one signs up to suffer, but everyone walks that road sooner or later. Living from the truth of who God is holds us steady and strengthens our soul during those desperate times.
Grace Fox has authored 16 books including NAMES OF GOD: GROWING STRONG. She is a missionary, popular Bible teacher, and a member of the “First 5” writing team (P31 Ministries).
