Grief ➝ Hope ➝ Praise

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This week has been a real wringer, emotionally speaking.

As a creative ministries director, I’m the guy who fills in for special events that my church holds for the community, and this week, we had a couple of funerals.

One was for a long-time member who had lived a full life and knew the Lord. You could describe her as “one of the saints.”

The other service was held for a 12-year-old girl who took her own life the week prior, and the aftermath has been one of immense devastation, tension, and an overwhelming emotional toll for our community.

I was drawn back to the topic of lament—it’s something that we, as believers, know to be biblical, appropriate, and necessary as a particular expression of worship.

But do we really know the meaning of lament and how it ultimately points to hope?

Today, we’ll dive into the tension of feeling grief and yet, stubbornly holding onto hope despite the devastation.

One of the best things we can do in times of grief is return to the Lord through the reading of and meditation upon His Word. We find comfort in the Scriptures, and there’s even a sort of cathartic affirmation in reading words of lament. They articulate how we feel—the visceral weight of the vocabulary and phrases capture our thoughts and feelings, bringing clarity to help us process more thoroughly.

But consider this: Going beyond just reading the translated words on the page of Scripture and digging into the original language can help you sharpen that focus even more clearly.

Let’s look at what biblical Hebrew shows us, examining three keywords: tikvah, yachal, and qavah.

Tikvah: Holding Onto Hope

This word is rooted in the concept of a “cord,” “thread,” or “line.” The idea is that hope is this strand, somewhat fragile given the circumstances of grief and devastation, but in fact, so strong and sure that we can place faith and trust that it won’t break.

It’s not blind optimism; this kind of hope is fully aware of how bleak the current situation is, and yet, hope persists.

We see this in verses like Jeremiah 29:11 (a well-known verse that is often used out of context):

The context of this verse is speaking directly to the Jewish people in exile from their homeland Israel, being forcibly removed to Babylon. The prophet is speaking to their direct circumstances, offering assurance and counseling patience, that they will return, and ultimately, there is a better fulfillment coming (which we see in Jesus Christ).

So the nation of Israel (and ultimately, God’s people, including the grafting of Gentiles through Jesus) is to hold onto the thread of hope and the promise of a final, complete restoration.

Yachal: Waiting in Hope

The second key theme of “hope” in original biblical language is this idea of the tension between grief co-existing with hope. Yachal captures this, where the speaker doesn’t avoid grief—they meet it head on, but knowing that hope dwells within.

There is an understanding that hope isn’t an absence of grief. Instead, it recognizes that grief is real and often, it can be overwhelming and perhaps without full resolution in earthly circumstances. Still, there is a patient waiting and a faithful call unto the Lord that, despite the circumstances, His people will remain rooted in their hope that comes from Him.

We see this clearly in Scriptures like Psalm 130:5, below:

A great arrangement of this psalm that you can sing, either in personal or corporate worship, comes from Shane and Shane:

Qavah: Enduring Hope

Thirdly, there’s a type of hope that endures despite the load it bears. Summed up in the word qavah, it’s a type of hope that strengthens when under the weight of grief.

Think of it this way: Muscle fibers are strengthened when stretched, contracted, and slightly torn as the load placed upon them increases. Eventually, this process allows the person to perform more impressive feats of strength, lifting heavier weights or increasing the number of reps for a particular exercise.

In another sense, this hope is like the twisting together of multiple fibers; the more torque placed on the wound cords increases the overall strength of the combined whole

Serving Well with Renewed Understanding

To sum up how biblical hope is understood in light of grief:

• Hope isn’t blind optimism; it recognizes the magnitude and weight of grief.

• Hope isn’t borne out out of grief; it’s actually present through the process, and is strengthened as a result.

• Hope must be focused on the hope-bringer: God Himself.

Hopefully (no pun intended), this refreshes how you minister in times of grief, where you can meet hurt, devastation, and confusion with compassion, wisdom, and care.

Be blessed 👊✌️