This week as I engaged in lament I was surprised by the help of an old Bible memory verse standby, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).
This past Sunday as we studied the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead it was amazing to watch Jesus. He arrived 4 days after the death and proclaimed that he would raise Lazarus, yet when he sees Mary weeping (vs. 32-35), he is deeply moved and weeps.
While there is great comfort in knowing Jesus weeps with us for the deaths we experience in our lives, it is challenging to see that following him means that we walk to the tomb with him and weep alongside those who are hurting (Romans 12:15).
In prayer this week we sought to lean into mourning alongside Jesus but it does not come easily. Fortunately, with the brokenness we see, experience, and perpetrate, we have many opportunities to join him at the tomb.