Loss – Revelation 21:22-23
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
How can we endure the loss of a Christian spouse, child, parent, sibling, or beloved friend? Why should we continue in faith when death has crushed our hope for a much-anticipated miracle? Where can we find peace when our loved one has passed from this life because the Lord, rather than answering our persistent and passionate prayers for healing and protection in the way we had wanted, had another plan, one that is leading us through the valley of the shadow of death?[1]
In our anguish and loss, can we find comfort? Blessedly, yes, for the Lord God Almighty Himself ministers to us when we place our trust in Him and believe that He is faithful to His beloved. He holds us close to His heart, whispering that His love goes deeper and wider than we can perceive. He tenderly soothes our minds and restores our souls.[2] He shows us that while we cannot understand His ways, they are higher than our ways,[3] and He promises that He will use our loss for our ultimate good as part of His perfect design for our lives.[4]
God alone can help us with a grief that would scorch the roots of our souls and shrivel our hearts were if not for the flow of life sustaining water that He pours over us from the river of His loving-kindness. We can look to none other, for He alone can give us the strength to endure, the resolve to persevere, and the faith to stand when we are experiencing the piercing pain of separation from one whom we dearly love. Only in Him can we find a joy that defies circumstances and a peace that surpasses all understanding[5] though our mourning is deep and our sadness acute. His avowal that He so loved “the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life,” [6] ministers to us in our brokenness as could no other promise. For it shows us that the death of a Christian is merely a crossing from the partial into the complete, from this broken world into a city of pure gold, where the walls are like clear glass.
If your hope is in the Lord, you are blessed. For He will uphold you and cause your heart
to rejoice in knowing that your beloved dwells in the light of His presence.[7]
My love, how I hated to let you go
My heart pleads to see you, speak to you, to hold you
I know you had to answer the Father’s call
And I find rest from my grief in the assurance that you are with Him
That you have flown from my arms to His
That you know a greater love, a purer love than any on this earth could offer you
My weeping is not for you; you are in Paradise
I weep because I miss you and want you beside me
I long for your smile, your touch, to hear the sound of your voice
Yet, in my weeping, the One who holds you closer now comforts me
He covers the ashes of my grief with fragrant petals of hope and trust
He washes away my mourning with the oil of gladness
He gives my fainting heart a spirit of praise
He plants me in righteousness, so that I may bring Him glory
This day and each day until He calls me to that far better place where you reside with Him
[1] Psalm 23:4
[2] Psalm 23:3
[3] Isaiah 55:8-9
[4] Romans 8:28
[5] Philippians 4:7
[6] John 3:16
[7] Psalm 140:12-13
