Do not grieve as those without hope

My father died when I was 21, and I was devastated. My father’s death was not the first death in the family, both my maternal grandparents had died sometime earlier. But it wasn’t the same. Part of what made it different, was that I knew that my father loved me, and his passing left a hole in my life as big as all outdoors.

There were two things I think, that made my father’s death much more difficult than previous deaths. In particular, the the depth of my grief was not only proportional to the depth of my loss, but it also seemed to be proportional how much I loved him. I mean if I had loved him less, then the loss would have been less, and I think I would’ve experienced less grief.

But the biggest component to my grief, had to do with my thought that I would never see him again, never see his smile, and never again know his affection impacting my life. I was in effect, grieving without hope!

In the context of this partial quote from 1 Thessalonians 4: 13, Paul says that he does not want his hearers to be ignorant concerning those who had died. He did not want them to grieve as those without hope. But what is this hope of which Paul speaks?

For me, there are at least two components to this, and I was ignorant of them both the time of my father’s death. The first component of my hope, is the sure Hope that I will see again those who die in Christ. In particular, I know that we will be reunited in heaven, and I know this because I know the One who has promised me and them eternal life (John 3:16). So my hope of heaven, it is not that I am good, it’s based on His forgiveness, and my willingness to commit my life to Him.

But there is another component to my hope, and for me it’s summed up in a promise He underlined for me from the Scripture many years ago. The promise is “I will restore the years that the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2: 25). The original promise was to Israel, who at that time had suffered greatly because the plagues of locusts that had eaten just about everything. The application to us, is that starting now in the here and now, and coming fully in the hereafter, God is in the business of restoring all things.

Father, the Scripture does not say we do not grieve, and it’s just as well because we do! But Lord though I grieve, it is not without hope, and the hope that you give is an anchor to my soul. It stabilizes, settles me, gives me peace in the midst of it all, and gives me the grace to share the comfort that You give me with others. Please be with me Lord, as I seek to share this hope and comfort at my dear friends memorial celebration on Sunday. In Jesus name Amen