On May 24, 2022, a gun-related tragedy happened in the United States of America. Salvador Ramos, an 18-year old, went to Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas and fatally shot 19 students and two teachers, wounding no less than 17 other people. One of the teachers killed was Irma Garcia. Her husband Joe laid a wreath for her but died a few days after. His death was traced to grief. While guns aim for the body, grief targets the soul. As dreadful as guns can be, unmitigated grief could be more disastrous.

Several things can cause grief. As the case of Joe shows, the loss of a loved one can bring grief. Losing a loved one does not only shrink your world, it is also as if a part of you is torn away. Foolishness or indiscretion on the part of our children can cause grief. The first two women that Esau married were Hittites. The Bible records that the marriages were a grief of heart to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34-35). No wonder the Bible says that a foolish son is a grief to his father. (Proverbs 17:25). Adding to the list of possible causes of grief will be unmet expectations. The scripture makes it plain that deferred hope leads to a sickened soul. In all cases of grief, the focus must be how to stem the tide so it does not get to a disastrous dimension. What is God’s remedy for handling grief? James recommended prayer. “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray….”(James‬ 5:13‬ KJV‬). From our text, that was the way Hannah handled her grief – she prayed. She was able to rewrite the story of her life through prayer.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬