# NEW MERCIES DAILY!
MESSAGE TITLE:
You Can Mourn Absalom… But Don’t Lose Joab
SCRIPTURE TEXT:
“Then Joab went to the king’s room and said to him, ‘We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed… Now get up! Go out and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight.’”
–2 Samuel 19:5–7 (NLT)
DATE: May 15, 2025
BY: EFFIONG ETOK
Carrier of God’s Word
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“Grief may visit your heart, but don’t let it change the locks on those sent to help you heal.”
INTRODUCTION
Child of God,
Have you ever lost something so dear that even breathing felt like betrayal?
Have you ever woken up and realized that what hurt the most wasn’t just the loss…
…but the silence it left behind?
David wasn’t weeping over a stranger-he was broken over a son.
But in his weeping, he forgot his warriors-his Loyalists.
In mourning one soul, he nearly pushed away the many who stood by him.
And isn’t that how many of us live?
MAIN MESSAGE
“Now get up! Go out and encourage your men…” – 2 Samuel 19:7 (NLT)
David built emotional wall-so do we.
And they don’t always look like bitterness.
Sometimes they look like isolation.
Sometimes they sound like silence.
Sometimes they feel like “I just need to be alone.”
But truly-they’re graves dressed like comfort zones.
You lost a job… and you shut down your confidence.
You lost the relationship… and you stopped trusting everyone.
You buried a loved one… and with them, you buried your laughter.
The opportunity you waited for passed you by… and so did your desire to try again.
You told the world, “I’m fine,”
But deep down-you haven’t smiled with your heart in years.
You say you’re protecting yourself…
…but what if you’re punishing the ones still loving you?
You can mourn Absalom… but don’t lose Joab- your loyalists.
You can grieve what was… but don’t ignore who still is.
There’s a friend still calling.
There’s a spouse still hoping.
There’s a child still watching.
There’s a God still knocking.
Let the wall fall.
Let the voice rise.
Let the healing begin.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Have I unknowingly punished today’s blessings for yesterday’s losses?
2. Who is standing at the door of my heart-but being shut out by my silence?
3. What wall of pain have I made my permanent address?
TAKEAWAY STATEMENT
You can cry for what’s gone, but don’t crucify what stayed. Healing often enters through the same doors grief taught you to close.
PRAYER POINTS
1. O Lord, tear down every invisible wall I’ve built around my pain. Don’t let me become unreachable to the people You’ve sent for my healing.
2. Abba Father, breathe upon what’s left-my marriage, my dreams, my friendships, my calling-and restore the pieces that are still beating, in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen!
