Linda Evans Shepherd    Home | About Linda | Books | Speaking | News | Women | Authors | ? | Contact

Week Seven

Chapter Eight: Relief of Grief

Read Chapter 8 of Encouraging Hands, Encouraging Hearts prior to study.

1. When Carol learned that her mother had died, she immediately called her friend MaryJo. Why? Could MaryJo fix Carol’s problem or pain? What did MaryJo do to help Carol? Why did it help?

2. Has God called us to explain the "why" of tragedies? What happened when Job’s friends tried to explain Job’s tragedy? Open up your Bibles and read Job 42:8-10 together. Did Job’s friends mean to harm him? What did God ask Job to do for his friends? Why? Should we pray for our friends who have offended us?

3. Read Second Corinthians 1:3-5 aloud, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." (NIV)

According to this scripture, we are to ______________________ others.

4. Why do we sometimes avoid grieving friends?

1. Their grief makes us feel ____________________.

2. Their tragedy revives our resolved ____________________.

3. Their profound struggles shake our ______________________.

4. Their pain tries our _________________________.

Yet, when we share their pain, we share their eventual healing and comfort. Can you think of a grieving friend to whom you need to reach out?

5. Make a list of things you can do to help a grieving friend. Borrow from Linda’s list, but also add ideas of your own:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

 

6. Where is God in tragedy? Why is it hard to feel his presence when we are in pain? When tragedy happens to a person, does that mean God does not care for or love her anymore?

Together, read Psalms 59:16, "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." (NIV)

7. When tragedy happens to you, the author recommends following the GRIEF RELIEF Principle:

G______________________

R______________________

I_______________________

E_______________________

F_______________________

Relief:___________________________________________________

8. Why is it important to forgive God? Why is it important to forgive yourself? Why is it important to forgive others? How is this possible? How often can we pray for strength?

9. What benefits do we gain from suffering?

10. If you’d like, please tell your group what you have learned in a time of suffering. Afterwards, share prayer requests and pray for one another.

 

Back to Study Guide's Table of Contents

© 1999 Linda Evans Shepherd

Home | About Linda | Books | Speaking | News | Women | Authors | ? | Contact

Linda Evans Shepherd Author and Speaker
Phone: 1-303-772-2035; Fax: 1-303-678-0260 ...  PO Box 6421, Longmont, CO 80501