As a mother comforts her son, so will I myself comfort you.---Isaiah 66:13
The death of a loved one, whether expected or not, always comes as a shock. the sorrow and finality death brings is overwhelming. Many are so filled with loneliness and heartache, it is almost impossible to cope. Besides the sorrow, there are often difficult decisions that have to be made.
If you have ever been in such a situation, you realize the feelings of helplessness and discouragement. The pain is almost unbearable. It is during theses times that you must cling to God's promise found in Isaiah 66:13: "As a mother comforts her son, so will I myself comfort you." When God's children cry out in pain and ask why, He answers, "I am with you, I will strengthen you."
I understand that pain. I have experienced it. My husband and I married in t997 and were blessed with the birth of an adorable baby boy in September 2000. We named him Xabisco which means valuable gift from God. I was looking forward to mothering my first born child. My husband and I prayed for him daily; we asked God to protect Xabisco from all hidden dangers.
When Xabisco was 12 months old, I became pregnant again. Our home was filled with joy. We felt our home would be complete with two children.
Five months later, my husband was transferred to a new district. Due to my pregnancy, the move was not easy. It took me over a week to unpack our belongings in our new home. On our second Sabbath, we met with new district leaders to make plans for the coming year. After the meeting, my husband received a call on his cell phone. My youngest sister-in-law had died.
We drove to London the next day to help with the funeral arrangements. After the funeral, we returned home.
On Wednesday of that same week, a prayer meeting was conducted at our home. It was 6 p.m. and I was busy preparing cool drinks and biscuits for the people in our home. My son was outside playing with some other children. At about 6:20 p.m., I heard my husband's voice. He was asking if anyone was skilled in first aid. I left the kitchen and found him carrying our unconscious child. The lawn people had forgotten to close the gate to the pool when they left for the day. Our son had wandered through the gate and fell into the pool. Someone tried to resuscitate him but failed. My husband and a friend rushed my son to the nearest hospital. The doctors and nurses tried their best to revive my child but they, too, were unsuccessful. My beautiful young boy died.
I did not believe I could survive such a tragedy. I felt like I was in a dream. I kept asking myself questions like: Why had God allowed this to happen? Where is God when things like this occur? How am I going to cope?
I was crying out like Job, "Even today my complaint is bitter: His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. If only I knew where to find him: If only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments, I would find out what he would answer me and consider what he would say. Would he oppose me with great power? No, he would not press charges against me." Job 23:2-6.
Often, my husband and I had spoken words of comfort and hope to our church members when there were deaths. Those words were meaningless to me now. I prayed for God's comfort because He could understand my pain for He, too, had lost a son. I knew only He could heal my shattered spirit and grant me hope.
A loss doesn't end with pain—it is actually a new beginning. There is a struggle to deal with the loss of a loved one. The struggle is eased by drawing comfort from the Scriptures and from leaning on others who have experienced the same pain. Those who have lost loved ones genuinely care. Though they cannot bring the comfort that will heal the shattered heart, God can use them as channels for His love and comfort. When you quietly trust in God day to day, His love will be like a spring rain in a barren wilderness. He will give you divine comfort.
