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“Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
The morning after my mother suddenly passed away, I settled down for my morning devotions and picked up my Bible, longing for comfort. As I opened it, a card featuring a poem entitled “Safely Home” fell onto my lap. The words jumped out at me: “All the pain and grief are over, Every restless tossing past; I am now at peace forever, Safely home in Heaven at last.” As I read verse after verse, the pain in my heart slowly eased.
Weeks earlier, the card had caught my attention when I was shopping at a Christian bookstore. I had purchased it on impulse, thinking that someday I would need to send someone just such a message. Then I had slipped it into my Bible and forgotten about it. Although I had opened that same Bible every morning for weeks, the morning when my own heart was sorrowing was the morning when the card fell out! As I read those words, there came a sure knowledge that God had known this day of grief was coming and had led me to buy the card which would minister to my own aching heart. What a comfort!
The next weekend, when I knew no one would be there to see my tears, I slipped into our church office and began to clear out my mother’s desk. Mom had always saved little notes and articles that touched her heart, so I was not surprised when I came across a bundle of clippings in a drawer. As I slipped off the rubber band that held them together, I once again felt the comforting presence of God in an almost tangible way. There, right on top of the pile of clippings, was another copy of the poem!
In the midst of the pain of losing Mom, I learned a valuable and intensely personal lesson—God cares. He cares about me!
When Jesus lived on this earth, His compassion was unfailing. We read that He wept with His friends at the grave of Lazarus, He reached out to the bereaved mother at Nain, He ministered to the diseased, the disabled, and the tormented. And He offers the same compassion to us as we face situations that cause distress.
Today, are you facing the giant of grief? God knows the pain you feel at this moment, and He cares deeply. You cannot avoid the pain, but His Word tells of a place where you can find support: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). Look to Him, and be alert to the comfort that He is waiting to extend. It will be there!
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