1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” NKJV

It is likely that each of us has lost a loved one and has known the unpleasantness of grief.  I have experienced the pain of having people I cared for deeply pass on to the other side. In some of those cases, I had a measure of uncertainty about the condition of their souls.  I had talked to them about the Lord, and some of them had assured me that Jesus was their Lord, but their lives seemed to contradict that assertion.  I made and make no attempt to judge them, for that is God’s business, and I will continue to hope that they were sheltered beneath His wings as they departed this life and entered that eternal state. 

I know the emptiness of having a loved one or a family member depart from this life and the realization that I will never, in this life, get to hear them speak or tell them the things that are in my heart concerning them again.  The pain can be excruciating and of long duration. Yet, I know that God intends for us to live, and I believe that those in heaven would desire that as well.

I know the pain of loneliness and, at the same time, the joy of knowing that they passed from a troubled world into one that knows no trouble.  They passed from a world filled with sorrow to one that knows no sorrow.  I know that they are in a far better world than those of us left behind, but missing them and grieving that loss is still natural and even healthy when done biblically.

I have been at memorial services where there was such a spirit or morbidity that one could hardly stand.  Yet in others, there was such a spirit of peace and joy that one could hardly keep from leaping to one’s feet and shouting “Hallelujah.” In one case, there was Hope, and in the other, only Grief. 

I like how Paul concluded his statement concerning this eventuality and the reality of death.  In verse 18, he said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  What words? 

• That we do not sorrow as those who have no hope.
• That our loved ones who have died in the Lord are with the Lord. 
• That those of us who remain will one day also be with the Lord.
• That Jesus is coming back for us all.
• That we will one day leave this world behind, giving it a permanent wave and entering into the eternal presence of the Lord.

Those words!  Losing a loved one when there is Hope is a type of Grieving that can be endured and even be a source of rejoicing, as well as giving us a purpose and determination to live in such a way as to see them again.

I ask that the LORD God will be with you as you go through this day!  May He turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy in all things and at all times!  Blessings!