Rejoice in The Lord

For most of my 25 year tenure as a member of The Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, I have spent time with families who have experienced the death of a loved one.  Sometimes the deceased would have been a member of the church, but more of the times, the deceased would have been an immediate family member of a church member.  Always the question before me -- what to say?  What words can I speak that will comfort? And strengthen? And ease the pain and the hurt?  In these situations, death is one or more of the following -- shocking ... feared ... a great loss ... hurtful ... painful ... scary ... unexpected ... too soon ... and so much more. 

I always knew and believed that nothing I could say really helped or even mattered.  These family members, my brothers and sisters, needed to hear a word from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That word and that word only could I speak.  One passage of Scripture that I have used, probably more than any other, is the Apostle Paul's declaration that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (see Philippians 4:7). This promise alone is great and wonderful, a tremendous blessing, powerful and amazing. 

Over a period of time, I came to realize that I needed to say more, that the listening ears needed to hear more.  And I was instructed to read backwards or upwards in the passage to verse 4 -- "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"  My thoughts ran wild -- can I say this?  How will people take this message at such a time as this?  Is this the time to tell people to rejoice?  Sometimes death had come because of a heinous crime, sometimes because of accidents in cars, on jobs, during vacation or other leisure activities, fires, drownings, and the like.  And my nagging question of God -- do You really want me to tell them to rejoice, and to rejoice always?  In the quietness, the still small voice of the Lord said "yes, this is a part of my path to peace."

 So while on your way to experiencing the peace of God which passes all understanding is this command from God Himself --  "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"  Need I say more?  Stop and think about this!