Dealing With Loss In Life Series

When Life Gets Rough

Loss

And then there was the very sad story coming out of West Virginia this week. At first, it seemed to indicate that the 12 trapped miners were alive. But then, three hours later, hopes were dashed when all but one of the trapped miners were found dead.

TALLMANSVILLE, W. Va. (AP) — With their escape routes blocked by heavy smoke, most of the 13 miners caught in an explosion did what they were trained to do: They retreated deeper into the mine and hung a curtain-like barrier to keep out toxic gases while they waited for rescuers to find them, officials said Wednesday. All but one were found dead more than a day and half after the blast. The miners’ families learned of the 12 deaths during a torturous night in which they were mistakenly told at first that 12 of the men were alive. It took three hours before the families were told the truth, and their joy turned instantly to fury, with one man lunging at coal company officials.

At the end of the hour-long service, Marsh and the other mourners raised their candles above their heads and shouted three times in unison, "Praise the Lord!"

Jim Bennett. Donald Marsh never understood how his half-brother, Jim Bennett, could stand to make a living underground. "He wouldn’t quit," Marsh said of Bennett, 61, of Philippi. "Hell, he loves the mines." Bennett, a coal miner for several decades, also was a religious man, relatives said. "Everyday he would come home and pray for who was going in (the mines)," said his son-in-law Daniel Merideth. Bennett didn’t talk about work much but had planned to retire this year. "Right now he is probably in there witnessing to people," Merideth said earlier. "He would be organizing and praying."

‘Tell all I’ll see them on the other side," family members say one scrawled note, found with the body of 51-year-old mine foreman Martin Toler Jr, read. "It wasn’t bad. I just went to sleep. I love you Jr."

The Bible deals with the loss of life in many passages. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. David grieved over the death of Saul and Jonathan, his son Absolom, his baby. David also penned the words of the 23rd Psalm. “Though I walk though the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou are with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

I Kidnaping of Wives and Children 1 Samuel 30

1 Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and had burned Ziklag to the ground. 2 They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. 3 When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, 4 they wept until they could weep no more. 5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel, were among those captured. 6 David was now in serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their wives and children, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the ephod!" So Abiathar brought it. 8 Then David asked the LORD, "Should I chase them? Will I catch them?"And the LORD told him, "Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you.”

A. A Shared Grief

B. Grief without God

-blames others

-strikes out at those nearest

-has no where to find help

C. Grief With God - v6

Missionary Sufferings

In 1858 Scottish missionary John G. Paton and his wife sailed for the New Hebrides (now called Vanuatu) Three months after arriving on the island of Tanna, his wife died. One week later his infant son also died.

Paton was plunged into sorrow. Feeling terribly alone, and surrounded by savage people who showed him no sympathy, he wrote, “Let those who have ever passed through any similar darkness as of midnight feel for me. As for all other, it would be more than vain to try to paint my sorrows.…But for Jesus, and [His} fellowship, I [would] have gone mad and died.”

Our Daily Bread, August 6, 1992

II Loss of Best Friend & Enemy 2 Samuel 1

2 On the third day after David’s return, a man arrived from the Israelite battlefront. He had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head to show that he was in mourning. He fell to the ground before David in deep respect. 3 "Where have you come from?" David asked."I escaped from the Israelite camp," the man replied. 4 "What happened?" David demanded. "Tell me how the battle went."The man replied, "Our entire army fled. Many men are dead and wounded on the battlefield, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed."