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Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart. And He saves those who are broken in spirit.

Today it has been good to be able to recall some of the verses that bring me assurance of the Lord’s comfort in times of grief. This morning we learned that a dear, dear friend of ours passed into the Lord’s presence last night very suddenly from an apparent massive heart attack.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

She was Bob’s best friend for years. He called her Clyde although I’m not sure why and she had a name for him, too, although now I can’t remember what it was. When Bob and I were married a little over 10 years ago, her son officiated at our wedding. She was sweet and funny and loving.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

We will miss her deeply as will her children and grandchildren, all of whom loved her dearly. We hold onto the hope that of being reunited with her when we are all in the presence of our Lord where there will be no more tears and no more grief.

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.

In the meantime, He not only understands how we feel, He acknowledges our grief and the Bible says He collects our tears.

Psalm 56:8b Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your records?

Dear Lord, For all who are grieving tonight, I ask You to surround them and make Your presence tangible and real for them as they lean into the loss that they feel and for which they seek Your comfort. Give them Your peace and remind us all that grief and hope can coexist because You are our hope, but you also know the pain of grief. Bring Your Word to mind whenever we need to be reminded of these truths. Through Christ I pray, Amen.

Psalm 55:22a Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;