Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Missing a loved one is one of the most difficult things, in my opinion, we go through as Christians. Because normally when we miss a loved one, it is a situation we have no control over. For whatever reason that person is out of our life and there is nothing we can do about it. We can be missing a loved one due to death. In that case if we feel certain our loved one is in heaven; we can have hopes of seeing them again.
We can also be missing a loved one due to a severed relationship. This seems more difficult because when someone dies, they can’t help leaving you. When someone separates from your relationship it’s because they no longer want anything to do with you. They make a choice to leave.
Whether it is divorce, the loss of a friendship, or a family quarrel it is still a pain that we can do nothing about. Only God can repair what is broken in these cases. Only God can work things out. And of course, we must trust in His will. If it’s not in His will to work it out, we must trust that He will look over those we love. We must trust that He will comfort us in our times of loss.
The Bible has a lot to say about having a broken heart. Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” I know we may not feel blessed when we are mourning the loss of a loved one, but here we are assured of God’s comfort.
Psalm 147:3 tells us that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. And Psalm 34:18 says the Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast our burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you for He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
Whenever we are suffering, we can count on these things. He is there for us. He will be there to walk us through these trying times. Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
With God by our side, we have nothing to fear. We have no guarantee that we will be reunited with our loved one here on earth, but God does guarantee a restoration of joy, if not here then with Him in heaven.
Revelation 21:4 says for those who are saved He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” But while we are on earth, we can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
We must have faith and trust in His plan. We must trust in Him to take good care of our loved ones even during times of our separation. When Jacob departed from his uncle Laban in Genesis 31:49, he said, “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight.” This should be our prayer for our loved ones.
And we must not forget to rejoice. Even in times of trouble, we have things we can be thankful for. We can be thankful for the times we got to spend with our loved ones. We can be thankful that we serve a loving God whom we can trust. During this time, we should remember Proverbs 3:5-6 which tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will guide you on the right paths.”
And of course, there is another verse that brings me comfort in hard times, Romans 8:28, which tells us that the Lord works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
When your heart is broken, trust in God and His will. Surrender to Him and be comforted in His power and His strength.
Have a great day!