Stay Present to the Truth Even in Your Grief

Flipping open the pages of my Bible, I turned to the book of Matthew, my scheduled reading for the day, and my entry into the New Testament after months of reading in the Old. This is where I should have picked up my phone and texted my reading partner, Peg, to say, “Hey! We made it! We finished the OT!” But I couldn’t do that because my friend had been with the Lord for two weeks already.

She’s no longer looking at him through scripture’s “dim mirror” but is now “face to face.” Unlike me, she’s not reading fitfully, so she can “know in part.” She now knows “fully, even as [she has] been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV). She is radiant and restored.

And I miss her.

This is the tension every grieving Christian encounters: Good theology is a comfort to the mind, but the heart still grieves. I’m fully plugged into the truth of all that Peg has escaped and all that she can enjoy now. But I’m not ready to experience the world without her in it.

I’m grateful that scripture provides lyrics for the sad heart. Rather than stuffing my grief into a "Feelings to Deal with Later File," I can be present to my grief while, at the same time, remaining present to the truth about death. There’s an infinite well of comfort in the Bible, but I’ll share just a few verses here to get us started:

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 ESV).

"I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill” (Psalm 3:4 ESV).

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4 ESV).

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3 ESV).

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8 ESV).

YES, death is the enemy. We resent its intrusion and long for the day when death’s defeat is full and final. Until that day, we find comfort in the truth that we do not “grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 ESV). Christ was my friend’s greatest treasure and was, therefore, her hope of eternal life, a hope I share because He is a LIVING Savior!