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). 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.
This is the tension every grieving Christian encounters: Good theology is a comfort to the mind, but the heart still grieves.
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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).
I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill” (Psalm 3:4).
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
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).
Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8).
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). Christ was my friend’s greatest treasure and was, therefore, her hope of eternal life.
Let’s fill the comments section with words of encouragement for those who may stumble upon this post, looking for comfort for their grieving hearts.
In 2026, I want to be more present— wherever I am. When I am with the people I love, I want to be all there. I need to inhabit fully the time and space God has ordained for me to inhabit, to stay present to the emotions that come and the season I’m living through.
I’ll be writing one post every month on the theme. To find them all, CLICK HERE.
I’m grateful that scripture provides lyrics for the sad heart and reassurance that 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.
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Holding You in the Light,
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This is timely, Michele. Our niece’s husband passed away Monday after a brutal battle with cancer. He was only in his early fifties. It’s a strange but true mix that we can be glad for a person to be with the Lord they love and yet still feel the sadness of our loss of them.
One verse someone sent me when my mother died that helped was Psalm 94:19 in the KJV: “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.”
And several years ago when a beloved pastor died, this prayer of Jesus helped: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” John 17:24, ESV).
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