Notes of Faith January 25, 2024
God’s Peace for When You are Missing a Loved one
Missing a loved one is a very lonely feeling.
The only thing to really resolve the ache of loneliness is to actually see the person you’re missing. But many times, it’s not that easy. You may miss your mother who passed away last year, your daughter studying abroad, or your husband on a long business trip. Even though it may not be an easily fixable situation, there is a longing in your heart that cannot be denied.
It’s a mixture of sadness, grief, discontentment, loneliness, and maybe even a bit of anxiety when you’re missing someone you love. When you miss someone, that void can’t truly be filled unless they are in your arms, hugging you. But that doesn’t answer the question of how you can get to sleep tonight, when you’re feeling their absence so tangibly.
The answer is simple, but it’s not simplistic. Call to God to fill your void.
He hears you, and He will come to your aid. It may not be in the way you want or expect. It won’t mean a certain loved one will come jetting back to you in the next twenty-four hours. It doesn’t mean that you won’t feel a palpable absence. But when you cry out to the Lord, He is quick to bring compassion and comfort. He will be your refuge, dear friend. He will console you in His perfect, timely, all-knowing way.
We can find comfort in the presence of our God — especially when we are troubled or missing a loved one.
In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NKJV) says that the God of all comfort “comforts us in all our tribulation.” Cling to that truth, dear sister or brother. Look for the Lord’s presence this evening. He can fill that empty, cavernous hole that feels so desperate. Pour out your heart to the Lord; He will sustain you in your most pain-filled moments. He will provide a light in the darkness; He is a reprieve in the pain, a provider to the weary, and a strength to the weak.
Trust in him at all times, O people; before him pour out your heart; God is a refuge for us. — Psalm 62:8 ESV
He will answer the prayers of the needy; he will not reject their prayers.
— Psalm 102:17 NCV
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. — Revelation 7:17 ESV
Dear Father, I miss ___________________________ so much right now. The ache I feel is almost unbearable and the void is so palpable. I know You will sustain me, and I ask You to come quickly to my aid, Lord Jesus. ease the pain I feel in my heart and wipe away my tears with Your loving hand.
Excerpted from God’s Peace for When You Can’t Sleep, copyright Thomas Nelson.
We have many in our church family who have a loved one who has gone before them to heaven and are facing this separation. All of us likely have someone in our mind that has been away from us causing anxiety and loneliness. May we trust the God of love and care to draw us close to Himself and meet our every need.
Pastor Dale