"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." – Psalm 116:15 (MEV)

Death is something many of us don't want to talk about or even think, but it's a normal part of life. All of our lives are destined to end, but if we have put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we are assured of eternal life with God.

I wrote this article to encourage those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. I don't know who you are, but I know that losing a loved one is terribly painful. And even if we know that the person we parted with was saved and is with God right now, we can't deny the fact that we sometimes long for their presence – and the fact that they're not with us anymore is something we'll have to live with.

To help you find comfort in the Lord during your time of sadness, here are some verses that speak of hope and joy in Christ. Yes, we can take refuge and find joy in Him even in the midst of our loss.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

John 11:21-26 – "Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You may ask of God, God will give You." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?""

John 3:16-17 – "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 – "But I would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and arose again, so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."

Romans 8:38-39 – "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."