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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
In recent times, I have read a great deal about death in the news; it leaves me both forlorn and pensive, soberly giving thought to this topic. Many in our congregation are bereaving the passing of loved ones and sharing in this pain. What does God say of death and how we ought to live? May His promises, found in His Word, give you peace, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
It is in our human nature to mourn the passing of loved ones, being reduced to tears, and scripture tells us to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). You are not alone in your grief because not only do we have the Lord, but we have one another to take solace in as 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” He is not silent to your tears, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Heaven is our aim, because as our beloved brother Dee Bowman affirms, “If you miss heaven, you’ve just missed all there is.” Bearing those words in mind, how should we live? “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). Is your time being spent well, or are your efforts futile? King Solomon, the wisest man in the Bible, affirms that everything is meaningless in the book of Ecclesiastes. He admonishes, “The conclusion of the matter, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person” (Eccl. 12:13).
The Lord made you and I from the dust of the earth—He deserves the utmost respect. Every day is a gift from God. It should behoove us to live for Him; we do not know the day or the hour since “no one has power over the time of their death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). In our lives we often make plans to enjoy the summer vacation, or the trip abroad in the coming weeks, but how often are we mindful of God in our plans? We are told that our life is a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes. “Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,” we will live and do this or that” (James 4:14-15).
The parable of the rich fool tells us of a man who builds great barns to store his crops, and he tells himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up for themselves and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:18-21).
While this day is ours, may we make the most of every opportunity to live in service to Him. Tomorrow is not promised. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isa. 55:6). In heaven we are comforted, not having to be burdened by the cares of the world; it is the place in which we can see Jesus Christ firsthand and embrace our loved ones, a place in which, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
To borrow the words of the renowned hymn, “Some glad morning, I’ll fly away, oh, glory!”
