Mourning Our Departed Loved Ones with Hope

Death does sting, & we do mourn the loss of anyone we love. We will cry, grieve, & hurt for their loss, which is right & expected. Yet, Christianity offers more than just a sting, but also a sweetness in the midst of the sour taste of death. In the midst of our pain & heartache (which is proper), we can sometimes lose sight of where death takes a believer in Jesus Christ, namely, into the arms of God & into eternal bliss forevermore with no more pain or suffering. Thus, I often find that many older Christian writers are able to better articulate the hope we have in Christ, even while staring death in the eyes. Below is a hymn written by prolific hymn writer, Isaac Watts, entitled, “Why do we mourn departing friends?” See if you can find a little bit of comfort & hope in this hymn…

WHY DO WE MOURN DEPARTING FRIENDS? by ISAAC WATTS

Why do we mourn de­part­ing friends,
Or shake at death’s alarms?
’Tis but the voice that Je­sus sends
To call them to His arms.

Are we not tend­ing up­ward, too,
As fast as time can move?
Nor would we wish the hours more slow
To keep us from our love.

Why should we trem­ble to con­vey
Their bo­dies to the tomb?
There the dear flesh of Je­sus lay,
And left a long per­fume.

The graves of all His saints He blessed,
And soft­ened ev­ery bed;
Where should the dy­ing members rest,
But with the dy­ing Head?

Thence He arose, as­cend­ing high,
And showed our feet the way;
Up to the Lord our flesh shall fly,
At the great ris­ing day.

Then let the last loud trum­pet sound,
And bid our kin­dred rise;
Awake, ye na­tions under ground;
Ye saints, as­cend the skies.