So you are in this pit, and you feel like you are in so deep you can never, in any way, climb back out, or perhaps you may not have enough motivation to do so. So, what can you do? The question, more importantly should be – what should you do? Do the only thing that works—surrender to God. You can’t be healed without the Great Physician; you can’t receive appropriate counsel without the Great Counselor; you can’t be comforted without the Sweet Comforter—the Holy Spirit!

Now, I know from experience that surrender may seem impossible, but is not just letting go of control, it is about resting in God. It is so amazingly wonderful, just to let go and rest right there in His big, strong, loving arms and know without a shadow of a doubt that He has you in the palm of His hand. He loved you first! When you know that: that is true freedom. Knowing that the creator of the universe loves you beyond measure, beyond what you could ever completely comprehend, and that He hurts when you hurt, is the key to healing. Knowing His love will allow you to rest in Him—the work is already done. Just let go and let God. It becomes easy to let go when you finally understand that He has already done everything for you. He has already blessed you with every spiritual blessing, including healing you from this grief, in the heavenly realms. God created the entire universe in six days. He rested on the seventh day so that we could rest in Him, because everything was already done. It is ours for the taking, and all we have to do is believe it and receive it. His abundant blessings abound because of His grace and mercy, which then enables us to be a blessing to others.

You may be thinking, okay surrender, but HOW do I do it? Let me share my story with you. When my husband was in ICU in a coma dying from leukemia, I wanted to die with him. He was my everything. I was totally lost and devastated. I went back to the hotel room and lie prostrate on the floor, which is in the shape of a cross. I asked God to take my husband home so he wouldn’t have to suffer any longer. I then asked Him to somehow take all of my grief and turn it into something positive that could be used to help others. Despite all of this grief that was inside of me, I could sense deep within that God was going to do exactly what I had asked for, that He was going to use all of my terrible experiences toward something good. It was the strangest thing. I was consumed by gut-wrenching grief, but this excitement way down deep in my spirit began to stir. Looking back now, I can see how God takes our brokenness and lets His beautiful light shine through the cracks of our soul so that we can minister to others.

I know that this one simple act of humbling myself before God and saying, “Here God, you take this and do something wonderful for your kingdom with it” opened up the windows of Heaven and began my healing process. I was telling God to take my present suffering and create a bright future for my life. I was not only healed from devastating grief, but from a life-long battle with food addiction. In two years, I lost one-hundred and seven pounds.

Surrender is your first step to healing your spirit and it is the only thing that works! Devastating grief is bigger than you and you need God to take it from you. He WILL deliver you. Deliverance, restoration, and restitution are some of God’s great promises, which are revealed in biblical patterns and principles. Jesus said that He came here to give us an abundant life. It breaks His heart to know that you are suffering. He suffers with you. It is His will to restore you. He didn’t create all of this suffering in your life. You can’t bring Him glory and pleasure, which is why He created you, if you are in agony. Whenever you are in the pit of grief, cry out to Him. Be specific. Tell Him that you know that He doesn’t want you to be tormented and He needs to pull you out of the hole that you have sunk into. Ask Him to give you great faith that He will somehow take the evil surrounding the death of your loved one and work it for good. Then focus on this truth. This is what He specializes in. I know because I am living this truth and so can you when you turn to Him consistently and whole-heartedly. When you want to cry, praise Him. You won’t feel like it, but do it anyway and see what happens. God inhabits the praises of His people. He shows up and works miracles in your life when you praise Him. He worked a miracle in mine. I am living proof of the power of His love, grace, and mercy.

I frequently remind God of His promises. He instructs us to put Him in remembrance. Remind Him of His promise to comfort you: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). He will comfort you. He continues to wrap His big loving arms around me and lift me up on a daily basis. It is as though the grief has become a faded memory with occasional momentary waves that revive the pain, which I sail right through with the help of my Heavenly Father: Jehovah Rophi, the Great Healer!