Believer's grief

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. [14] For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died. [15] We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. [16] For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. [17] Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. [18] So encourage each other with these words.

Grief is a horrible twisting dagger in the soul. It is a tsunami wave hitting when you least expect it. It devastates and robs the soul of joy and peace.

It can overwhelm and suck hope away.

Try to suppress grief and it will spring up in a hundred different ways - through anger, depression and frustration.

Those Thessalonian believers - so young in the faith - were dealing with grief and Paul gives them hope to cling on to.

It wasn't a "pie in the sky when you die" kind of hope, but one straight from Jesus' Mouth - "we tell you this directly from the Lord" v15.

Imagine yourself sitting in front of the Lord Jesus and He looks you in the eye and promises that you will see your loved one again.

That's the kind of Hope we believers have - so we grieve in a different way from those who have no hope.

Grief is real and tangible - something we all must deal with.

Jesus Himself is called a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief - Isaiah 53:3.

Grieving heart, He knows, He cares, He shares - He's walked that dark path for you.

Isaiah 53:3-5 NLT

He was despised and rejected- a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. [4] Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! [5] But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

Grieve yes, but with that blessed hope in your heart.