Words to encourage someone through bereavement
Romans 8: 38: A love that death cannot separate. In the story of Sodom, Abraham asks God ( Genesis 18:25) - will not the judge of all creation be just? In the story we see that God promised Abraham that even if there were 10 people in a tiny city who loved God, because God was and is a just God, he would not destroy the city. The thief on the cross was saved at the last moment and he was crucified for the right reasons, yet like Paul says, there is a love of God that cannot separate us even in death. It is not that there is a purgatory of sorts, but rather there is a God who can and does speak to the soul of a man. We were once dead in our sins with our hearts bent away from God but God in his sovereignty took mercy on us and rescued us. This is the God we believe in.
Thessalonians 4:13-14
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.
Let us hold on to our confession of faith and know and thank God that his mercies have prevailed and that God indeed was Good to us. This is indeed the mercy that God has shown us even in the times of our weakness, the times we did not know how to ask God for help, yet he chose to help us, this is the God we believe in. All powerful and All merciful.
Corinthians 15:54-56
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
The portion ends with an exhortation to keep working, we have in this case, and we kept praying. We know that our Lord hears our prayers and we must believe that he has heard it and rejoice in it. The doubts we have now have no place in our heart as our prayers must for this person cease and our hope to see this person again must increase. The Lord is just, and we can rest our head on his promise.
Comments