Death of a Loved One Can Overwhelm Believers

Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-23 - Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your Faithfulness.

As parents age, their children begin to come face to face with the real thought of losing a parent, which can be scary. And, although, this adult child has a lifetime of memories, the thought of being without a parent is frightening. As adult children age, our heroes, our parents, age. The daddy that seemed bigger than life and the mommy that was more than every woman begin to look normal, as they age. Although, the adult child may have been given all the tools to be successful, to survive, to even lead and guide others with the knowledge that has been imparted, the thought of not having their anchor is daunting. Many adult children watch their parents go into their winter season and try to keep the thought out of their mind that winter is the last season; because the thought is terrifying. As believers we have heard or read: to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that we accept it for our parents. And if we are honest the thought of death can cause panic; not just for adult children, but for those persons who are getting old. Selfishly we want our parents/loved ones to live forever; to never leave us. Although, the Lord has assured us that He will never leave us or forsake us, we are devastated when we lose a loved one. So, how do we deal with it? How do we get through it? While the person is here, we are strong, leaning on the promises of God. We put on the good face and we push through depending on the Lord the entire time. We rest on scriptures that tell us that when we are weak, the Lord is our strength; and that when we can’t go on, the Lord carries us. However, once that person is gone it seems we stop leaning on those promises, we forget that the God that has kept us, strengthened us, and loved us during that trying time will do the same during this one. Death of a loved one breaks us, but the love God has for us restores us. The Bible tells us that God is a comforter in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. The Bible tells us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). And for those who die in Christ, we know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Nevertheless, at the time our loved one dies we seem to forget these things. During that time, it is the Lord’s grace, mercy, and unwavering love that comforts us, keeps us, and ultimately restores us when the darkness of sorrow overtakes us.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive us for forgetting Your promises in our grief. Lord, forgive us for giving into human fragility instead of leaning on You for strength in times of sorrow. Thank You for reminding us that You understand what we are going through because You are in control. Thank You for comforting us when we are full of despair, for holding us up when we are weak, and for being our refuge and our fortress when we are afraid. Your grace and mercy are ever present while we recover from loss, and without You, we would fall. Thank you, Lord, for Your Word, for Your constant presence in our life, and for Your Son, Jesus Christ our intercessor. We love You, we appreciate You, and we adore You. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

(by Patricia Towns)