A time to weep

"... those who hope in me will not be disappointed." Isaiah 49. 23

It's beautiful day outside but it's a dark day in the church, on account of a lovely Christian lady: wife, mother, friend and neighbour - who went to glory on Wednesday and whose body will be buried today. Though we cannot attend the event in person, the church will meet via Zoom to pray for the Stewart family and for Cameron who is conducting the ceremony.

It is sometimes said on rainy day that, above the clouds, the sun is shining. And we know, by faith, that beyond this life, in which there is so much pain and grief and disappointment and suffering, there beckons new life in the Kingdom, the gates to which Jesus opened for us through his death and resurrection. We cling to that promise but, for now, our focus is on the loss which is dominating our thoughts and the family in the midst of it.

Others, too, may be struggling for different reasons. Sometimes these are private griefs and, because they are hidden from the rest of us, they must be faced alone. That is when it is so important to know that nothing is hidden from God and that he is compassionate; not remote or indifferent but at our side, walking us through the darkness and, where necessary, carrying us in his arms.