Grieve With Hope

Grieve With Hope

How in the world do people endure unspeakable, tragic loss without totally giving up and losing their ability to function? Have you experienced or witnessed such heartbreaks? If you or your loved ones have made it through the grieving period to where you feel you could move forward, what was your secret?

Perhaps you have found solace in the wisdom of Paul who sent comforting words to the Thessalonian believers, when he said in I Thessalonians 4:13-18, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

May the promise that believers in Christ will see their believing loved ones again for all eternity quell the heartbreak that their absence on Earth brings, because this time apart from them on earth is but a grain of sand, when compared to the eternity we will rejoice in, when we share forever with them on that day!

Let Us Walk in His Way.

Dear Heavenly Father, may we be deeply encouraged by the promises held in this scripture, knowing that we will one day be reunited with all our believing loved ones when Jesus returns to bring us all home. Until then, may we all be diligent to pray that all of those we love will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In His all-sufficient name we pray, Amen.

by Corinne “Kinney” deHamel

author of “Walk in His Way” for

Carry the Light Ministries