What does the Bible teach about sadness?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Sadness is especially apparent in the book of Job; although he was a righteous man, he endured incredible loss that caused him much anguish. The Psalms also explore sadness and sorrow. In Psalm 31:10, King David expresses sadness as a result of his sin. In Psalm 13:2 he is sorrowful over others doing evil against him, and in Psalm 34:18 he reminds us that God is near to those who are brokenhearted. Jesus Christ experienced tremendous loss and expressed sadness and sorrow (Matthew 14:12-13; John 11:35; Matthew 26:37-38; Luke 22:44; Matthew 27:46). Although experiencing sorrow is often painful, at times it precedes taking action, such as Nehemiah weeping, fasting, and praying for his city (Nehemiah 1–2). It is also true that there is a “godly grief” which “produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Ultimately, we can take comfort in our times of sorrow knowing that God is a “shield for all those who take refuge in him" (Psalm 18:30) and that all the pain, tears, and sadness we endure on this earth will soon be no more when we experience eternity with our Heavenly Father (Revelation 21:4).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Our fallen, sin-cursed world is the reason for sadness (Genesis 3).
• Sadness can lead to taking action. Nehemiah was filled with great sadness when he learned that his city was in ruins, and this sadness caused him to pray and seek the Lord. This ultimately led to God opening the door for him to rebuild his city with the king's blessing (Nehemiah 1-2).
• Sadness may stem from others’ mistreatment of us. David writes about that throughout the book of Psalm: "How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?" (Psalm 13:2).
• David also wept as a result of his own sin: "For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away" (Psalm 31:10).
• Like David, even in the midst of our sadness, we can trust that God's ways are perfect: "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him" (Psalm 18:30).
• Job experienced more loss than perhaps any other person besides Christ, losing his children and all of his wealth and possessions (Job 1—2). Perhaps the hardest part of this situation was that God allowed this to happen without giving Job a specific reason for it (Job 38—42). Satan wreaked havoc on Job's life, but in the end God blessed him abundantly.
• Like Job, we may not understand the "why" behind events that make us sad, but God promises to be with us as we walk through it: "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus knew pain and endured immeasurable sadness. During His earthly ministry, Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, was brutally beheaded; His reaction was to withdraw to “a boat to a desolate place by himself” (Matthew 14:13). Jesus wept after He heard of the loss of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35). Near the time of His own death, Jesus was anguished, even to the point of sweating blood (Matthew 26:38-46; Luke 22:44). On the cross, after experiencing the worst pain imaginable, He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). When we feel sad, we can take heart in remembering that Jesus was no stranger to sadness.
• Sin should lead to godly conviction, the kind of sorrow which compels one to repent: "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).
• Revelation 21:4 assures us that our earthly pain is temporary: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Sadness is ultimately a result of sin on the earth, which makes it an inevitable and normal part of life. The sin that causes sorrow can be our personal sin or the sin of others, such as Jeremiah crying over the sins of Israel. He cried so much that he was known as "The Weeping Prophet." Likewise, Jesus was known as "a man of sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3), and He understands our pain better than anyone. It should be a comfort to know that God has promised to replace our "sorrow and sighing" with "gladness and joy" (Isaiah 35:10). In the meantime, it is our responsibility to glorify God in the midst of our sorrows so that Jesus may be revealed (1 Peter 1:6-7). We have the hope that even though "[w]eeping may tarry for the night…joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

UNDERSTAND

• Sadness has been an inevitable part of the human experience since the Fall.
• Scripture records that Jesus felt sorrowful at times.
• Believers should glorify God even when sad and look forward to God’s promise of a world to come without sorrow.

REFLECT

• How does knowing that Jesus was sad at times impact you when you are sad?
• What do you do to glorify God even while experiencing sadness?
• How have God’s promises to “wipe away every tear” (Revelation 21:4) helped you as you go through sad times in your life?

ENGAGE

• How can believers support each other through sad experiences?
• How can believers’ reactions to sadness in their lives be a testimony to their faith?
• Sadness may be part of the “problem of evil” unbelievers raise to refute God’s existence/character. How can teaching others about the Fall and the restoration God has in store address this argument?