Finding Comfort in the Word of God When a Loved One Dies

When Grief Overwhelms

Recently my friend Sharon lost her 32-year-old daughter, who was a medical doctor, to a brain tumor. It was very swift and sudden. Sharon had been diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and had gone to live with her only daughter in another state while she was undergoing treatment. In 2023, having completed chemo and radiation treatment Sharon was recovering well and was thinking of returning home soon. Her daughter started to have severe headaches and it was later discovered that she had a brain tumor. She opted to have surgery and died shortly after.

 

My friend was devastated as you can imagine. Her daughter was her best friend and meant the world to her. She was her pillow of support in the turbulent times she had gone through, and now she was gone. She died less than 4 months after finding out that she had cancer. Imagine being all alone in your daughter’s house in another state, having to plan her funeral and deal with her estate. Have you ever been in a situation where you need to support and comfort a friend and it seems that there were no appropriate words to say? That was how I felt.

 

The passing of a loved one is traumatic, and each person reacts differently. A pastor spoke about the reactions of two sisters to their mother’s death. He said one sister was angry and wanted to know why God took her mother. The other asked the pastor to pray that God would give her the strength to deal with her mother’s death. Two different people, two different reactions. One was giving up on God while the other was drawing closer to Him.

 

As Christians, we are all faced with the prospect of death, but we have comfort and hope in God. Job was very sick and faced the fact that he could die. In Job 14:14, he analyzed his situation and asked, “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” As Christians, we believe that if we die, we will live again, this is our hope and belief. Job got that revelation and said in Job 19:25 “ For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

 

Emboldened and encouraged by this reality, I prayed for my friend and sent her messages with comforting thoughts and bible verses.  Psalm 61:1-3 was a great comfort to her. Her daughter had been the most attentive child to her and had been her best friend. She had been trying to stay stress-free because of her situation and it just seemed as if cancer was determined to get her one way or the other.  She used this Psalm to cry out to God for help. These verses express the anguish a person feels in situations where something bad happens or they lose a loved one and they have no words of their own. The words of Psalm 61:1-3 (KJV) sums it up well, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

 

You Can Find Comfort in The Word of God

 

If you are reading this, you may be going through one of the most difficult and painful experiences of your life. You may have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, you may have lost a loved one, or it may be some other situation. You may feel alone, hopeless, angry, or afraid. You may wonder why God has allowed this to happen to you and your family. You may question if He even cares or listens to your prayers.

 

I want to tell you that you are not alone. God is with you, even when you can't see or feel Him. Even when you cannot utter a word, He hears your cry, and He cares about your pain. He loves you more than you can imagine, and He has a plan for your life, even in your suffering. David faced many trials and enemies and prayed to God. His suffering caused him to write some of the most comforting verses in the Bible, Psalm 61:1-3.

 

David knew that God was his only hope and his only source of strength. He knew that God was his rock, his refuge, and his tower. He knew that God could lift him above his circumstances and give him peace and security. You can have the same confidence in God as David did. You can call on Him from wherever you are regardless of what you are feeling. You can ask Him to lead you to the rock that is higher than you, to the place where He will protect you and comfort you. He is that rock. You can trust Him to be your refuge and your tower, to be your shelter and your defense.

 

God is not only your rock, He is also your healer. He can heal your body, your mind, and your soul. He can heal your wounds, your memories, and your relationships. He can heal your grief, your anger, and your fear. He can heal you in ways that you may not understand or expect, but in ways that are best for you. Like my friend Sharon, you should continue to trust Him and hold firm to His promises.

 

God is also your redeemer. He can redeem your life from the pit and crown you with love and compassion. He can redeem your pain and turn it into purpose. He can redeem your loss and give you hope. He can redeem your death and give you eternal life.

 

God has already done all this for you through His Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for your sins and rose again from the dead for your salvation. Jesus is the ultimate rock, the ultimate refuge, and the ultimate tower. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the one who can save you from sin, from death, and from hell.

 

If you have not yet received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do so today. He is waiting for you with open arms and a loving heart. He wants to forgive you, heal you, redeem you, and give you a new life in Him.

 

If you have already received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to cling to Him more than ever. He is faithful and true. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you always, even until the end of the age.

 

No matter what you are going through, remember that God loves you and He has a plan for you. His plan is good, pleasing, and perfect. His plan is to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.

 

You may not understand why God has allowed this to happen to you and your family, but one day you will see His purpose. One day you will see His face and hear His voice. One day you will be reunited with your loved ones in heaven where there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more death.

 

Until then, keep trusting in God's promises and keep praying to Him with all your heart. He will hear and answer you in His time and in His way.

 

May God bless you and keep you.

May God make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May God turn His face toward you and give you peace.