I recently introduced my boyfriend to the movie Titanic, and the simplest way to describe his reaction is to say that I broke him. Apparently, he was expecting more cheesy romance and less historically-inspired scenes of death, and he was completely unprepared emotionally for the heart-wrenching reality. Who can blame him? Whether you’re team “Two People CAN Fit on a Door” or not, there is no denying that in spite of its amazing story line, Titanic is one heck of a sad movie.
It isn’t just about the tragically short-lived romance, either. The movie is full of some of humanity’s saddest characteristics: relationship abuse, depression, suicide, dishonor of the poor, greed, and the disastrous consequences of pride. At its core, Titanic should make us sad; after all, it’s a raw picture of everything about the sin-ridden world that goes against the original plans of Father God.
The Bible is full of sadness that God never intended to taint His creation. David grieved over his murderous affair with Bathsheba. Jeremiah wept for the rebellious nation of Israel. Peter was devastated over his betrayal of Christ. Joseph’s brothers mourned their decision to sell their brother into slavery. Adam and Eve were heart-broken when they severed their relationship with the Father. The weight of such stories can be hard to grapple with, much less carry alone in our own lives. Yet, the Word does not leave believers without a way to bear the inevitable sadness of life.
1 Samuel opens with the story of Hannah, a woman who dreams of having a family but has not yet conceived and is regularly mocked by her husband’s other child-bearing wife. Scripture indicates that Hannah must have asked the Lord hundreds of times for a child, but only one prayer—the one that is so passionate it convinces a priest that she is drunk—is recorded in part.
All that is preserved of Hannah’s prayer is a vow to dedicate her child to the Lord, but it’s difficult to believe that the totality of her plea. Hannah must have poured her whole heart out to the Lord. How could she not communicate every ounce of her sadness and frustration to God? After all, He already knew the state of her emotions, and before there was sin in the world, the Father had better, more beautiful plans for His children than infertility and discouragement.
God lifts Hannah out of her depression, but contrary to what we are initially inclined to conclude, her sadness does not fade when she discovers she is pregnant, nor does it leave when her son is born. Sadness disappears at the conclusion of her prayer. 1 Samuel 1:18 says that Hannah “went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” It was not the answer to the prayer that satisfied Hannah, it was the comforting peace and presence of her Heavenly Father. Hannah’s tears were wiped away when she openly shared her burden of sadness with an all-knowing and all-loving God. He does not always change the circumstances that causes sadness, as He did for Hannah, but God is always faithful to comfort His Children in the midst of unavoidable sadness.
The cure for sadness does not lie in receiving happiness; it comes through sharing grief with the One who is strong enough to bare it with us and for us. As Jesus promised in Matthew 11, we are invited to lay our heavy burdens of sadness at His feet and take up his yolk which is easy and light.
-Savanna
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