It hurts, we miss the people we love. It can be traumatic, violent. Jesus snorted with indignation at the presence of death as He stood by the tomb of Lazarus. He sobbed and mourned. That's good. We need to mourn. We need to remember that death is the final enemy.
But we Christians believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and of course, He raised Lazarus. Jesus has defeated death. He swallowed it up in His own death.
I'm reminded of E.V Hill's *incredible* sermon that he preached at his wife's funeral (the last 5 minutes never fail to bring the tears). In his address, Pastor Hill mentions how beautiful his wife was and describes a beauty which is more than skin deep. She did sound like a top lass. But in his epic crescendo, it is if Hill was lifted from his own perspective of grief and loss and was stood in the very throne room of God, seeing "Baby's" death now from God's perspective.
He speaks of a moment in the hospital chapel where he was in prayer and conveys a kind of conversation between himself and the Holy Spirit.
"You think she was pretty, but ahhhh Hilll, you just wait until you see her again. Just wait till I get her out of this earthen vessel and put her in her heavenly garment. Just wait till you see her as she is. No more sickness, no more sorrow, no more pain."
Psalm 116:15 says "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints".
This is the plan. To take us in Christ through suffering and into glory. Not to patch us up, not to heal, but to resurrect. To remake. To beautify. And it's a delight to the Living God to see that moment when His beloved child is released from the curse.
It's such a comfort to think of the death of a Christian from the perspective of heaven.
"Welcome my child, I've longed for this precious day".
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