For my friends who are mourning this season.

I have a several friends who have lost loved ones this Christmas season. I don't profess to identify with you at all. Somehow, I have been shielded from this level of grief. I am awake tonight and have been since about 3am thinking very sincerely about you, my dear friends. I have been praying for you my darlings.

I have a friend who has just lost a granddaughter who was only a few weeks old. I only saw pictures, but she was the tiniest, most precious angel you ever saw. She had a genetic disorder and her little body just couldn't hold up. Now the loss of this darling girl is immense for her parents, grandparents and all who loved her.

I have another friend who has just lost a brother. A brother who was very close to her. My friends heart aches with unspeakable sadness over her loss.

I know I have other friends who have lost this season too and who may have lost in the past during this season and the holidays always bring with them sadness.

I am not writing this to try to talk anyone out of their mourning. There are no words that can or should do this. I know people mean well when they try to tell you how your loved one is in a better place, or any number of other well meaning words. I just wanted to share my prayers for you tonight.

As I was praying for you tonight during my nightly 3am- 5am prayer time, I had some scripture I was praying and I wanted to get up now, at 4:30am and share this with you before I went back to sleep. The first thing I would like to share is literally the shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus wept. All who know the Bible know this verse. As I was praying for your comfort and praying the scriptures that tell us about how when we die we are like the angels and praying, "Blessed are those who mourn for they WILL be comforted", and praying that your grief will turn to joy as Jesus promises in John 16, and trying so hard to remember God's Word on this, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the time when His friends had suffered the loss of a dear brother. It was his friend Lazarus who died, and Martha and Mary his sisters were suffering from his death.

Now when Jesus arrived on the scene of Lazarus tomb, He knew what He was going to do. He did not try to comfort these women with words of encouragement of about how He was going to give him new life, or how He can fix the problem by raising him back to life, nor did He try to talk them out of their mourning... no, you know what He did. He cried with them. Their loss and grief was enough to make Him cry because He loved them so deeply.

Now, tonight I am crying with you my friends. I want you to know that the Holy Spirit is crying with you as well. Nothing can stop the pain your are feeling for you loved deeply. It only shows how badly we need Jesus. It reminds us why we long for the place where we will mourn no more. A place called heaven. Until we get there we have an advocate here who has been in our shoes and has suffered the pain of a lost loved one. He is here to cry with us until He literally is able to wipe every tear from our eyes. Tonight be comforted by the fact you are not grieving alone. He is with you and crying beside you. You loved deeply, but don't forget you are loved deeply as well!