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When grief strikes a man, he alone must walk through that lonely valley. At a time like that, his closest friends can do little more than Job's companions to make him feel better. The simple truth is that no one understands what he is going through except the man that is going through it.

Paul tells us that it is true that we that are saved know sorrow and grief, but praise God, "we sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13). In the case of our dear loved ones that have gone on before us to their heavenly home, we are more than confident that we will see them again soon. As one man recently said about the death of his wife, "I've parted with my better half for a little while."

All of us go through periods when we feel all alone and think nobody seems to care. The problems seem so heavy and we wish that we just had somebody who could help us through the fog that we face.

But we have another assurance, and that is that our Saviour understands exactly what we are going through for He is a "man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). Even more, David wrote: “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways” (Psalms 139:1-3 KJV).

The following is related of D. L. Moody:

“We were holding a cottage prayer-meeting in a lodging house,” says a minister of Nottinghamshire, England, “when a young man lodging there came in to the meeting in a funseeking manner. We sang, prayed and read a chapter out of God’s Word, and then the young man asked if we would sing a hymn for him. He chose ‘I’ve found a Friend, oh, such a Friend.’

“When we had sung one verse he began to shed tears, and I am glad to say that he gave his heart to God through the singing of that beautiful hymn. The next morning, he left the place, but before leaving he wrote me a letter, of which I give these extracts: ‘I asked you to sing that hymn because it was a favorite of my darling sister, who is waiting for me in heaven. I have now promised to meet her there. By God’s help, if we do not meet again on earth, I promise to meet you in heaven. You will always think of me when you sing, “I’ve Found a Friend.” Show this letter to my two other friends.’”