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HOPE AND SORROW
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

2 Corinthians 5:1-8

 

“…that ye sorrow not, even as

others which have no hope.”

 

HOPE AND SORROW
 
It is never easy to go through the death of a loved one. We will cherish memories of them but know that no more new ones can be made with them. Naturally responding with deep grief and sorrow, we go through a period of mourning. The sadness may fade but will never entirely go away.
 
However, when it comes to the death of a believer, in the midst of our sorrow, we can have hope. Paul understood that, which is why the exhortation here is not that we are not allowed to sorrow, but that in the midst of our sorrow, we are not to do so as if there is no hope.
 
Continuing with the gist of the letter, Paul then entered into a rather doctrinal section concerning the second coming of the Lord. He addressed the concern of some in the church who had recently lost their loved ones and were unsure of what their fate would be. This was probably one aspect of the faith that Paul did not have an opportunity to instruct them fully on. Therefore he then wrote about the return of Christ and the promise of the resurrection of the saints.
 
Paul exhorted them not to be ignorant concerning those who were “asleep” (1 Thess 4:13). This was because they were Christians who would be resurrected one day. Like someone who sleeps, they will soon awake and be alive again. While there is a cause for grief, it should not spiral into hopeless despair. Instead, while we mourn, there should also be the confidence that their souls are presently in heaven with God and at the coming of Christ, they will be resurrected with a glorified body and we shall all be reunited for eternity.
 
This is the glorious hope that all Christians have. We are certain that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We have the wonderful hope to know that death separates us only temporarily. We will meet again one day, and it will be a meeting that has no end.
 
THOUGHT: Sorrow and hope are not contrasting, but complementary responses to death.
PRAYER: Father, I thank Thee for the blessed hope and wonderful assurance that I can have in Christ.

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