Today's Devotion: A prayer for when you mourn a loved one in Heaven

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death will be no more, no more mourning, no crying, no pain, because the former things have passed away ”. - Revelation 21: 4

I bent down to hug my 7 year old and pray with him. She had made a bed on the carpet in my bedroom, which she often did after the death of Dan, my husband.

By day he sounded like all the other kids in the neighborhood. You would never know he was carrying a heavy blanket of pain.

That night, I listened as Matt prayed. She thanked God for a good day and prayed for the children around the world who needed help. And then he finished with this:

Tell my dad I said hi.

A thousand knives went through my heart.

Those words contained pain but also contained a connection.

Dan on that side of heaven, we on this side. Him in the presence of God, we still walk in faith. Him face to face with God, we still veiled in full glory.

Heaven had always seemed distant in time and space. It was a sure thing, but one day, so far removed from the hectic days of our lives, raising children and paying the bills.

Besides, it wasn't.

Death brought pain but also connection. I wish I could say I've felt that connection to heaven before, but Dan's death made it immediate and tangible. As if we had a deposit waiting for us right after we met Jesus.

Because when you love someone in heaven, you carry part of heaven in your heart.

It was in church that I could easily imagine Dan in heaven. Captivated by the words and music of the cult, I only imagined him on the other side of eternity.

We at our bench, he in the true tabernacle. All eyes on Christ. We all love it. All of us are part of a body.

The body of Christ is more than my congregation. It is more than the believers in the next city and the next continent. The body of Christ includes believers right now in the presence of God.

As we worship God here, we join the choir of believers who worship in heaven.
As we serve God here, we join the group of believers who serve in heaven.
As we praise God here, we join the multitude of believers who praise in heaven.

The visa and the invisible. The groans and the liberated. Those whose life is Christ and those whose death is gain.

Yes, Lord Jesus. Tell him we said goodbye.

A prayer for when you mourn a loved one in heaven

Sir,

My heart feels like a thousand knives have passed through it. I am tired, exhausted and just so sad. Can you help me please! Hear my prayers. Take care of me and my family. Give us strength. To be present. Be persistent in your love. Take us through this pain. Support us. Bring us joy and hope.

In your name I pray, Amen.