God’s Grief

Do you ever think about the fact that God experiences grief?

There are numerous references to God experiencing grief starting in Genesis. Here are just a few.

The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Gen 6:6

How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert! Psa 78:40

In the New Testament, we find Jesus was grieved over men’s actions many times.

After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. Mark 3:5

Grief is defined as “pain inflicted because of loss.” We all know what grief feels like. If you can feel grief, God can feel grief. After all, you are created in His image.

Stop to think what it was like for God. He created the heaven and the earth and planted a lush garden for Adam and Eve to live in. The climate was perfect. There was an unlimited food supply. All their needs were met. And, to top it off, God Himself came down to talk with them in the cool of the evening.

We don’t know how long they were in the garden before they sinned, but when they did, just imagine the grief that God must have felt.

And today, when we despise the gift of His Son, how much must that grieve him?