June 6, 2026 Devo

I was visiting with a man who recently lost his brother. His brother was a really good guy. He loved the Lord and was well-loved by the people who knew him. Most people agreed that he died way too soon. As I visited with the man whose brother had passed, I told him how sad I was and gave him a big hug. The man nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m sad too.” Then he got a big smile and said, “But he’s not sad. He’s up there having the time of his life. He’s up there dancing!” I laughed and said, “No doubt!”
He was right, you know. If the dead brother was full of joy and life on THIS side of heaven, we can’t begin to imagine how much fun he’s having now! Death may be sad for those of us who are left behind, but not for those who have died in the Lord. We may grieve. We may weep. We may have to fight the depression and darkness that seem to accompany losing someone dear to us. But everything we know about heaven tells us that people there aren’t grieving at all. In fact, they know joy in a way that they never had before. Please hear my heart. I’m not trying to minimize the impact death has on those of us who lose someone dear to us. But the problem is that we tend to look at it from a purely self-centered perspective. We’re focused on what WE’VE LOST, not what they HAVE GAINED.
That’s what Isaiah reminds us of today. He points out that people who die before their time are getting a gift from God. They get to be spared future evil. They don’t have to deal with pain, sorrow, struggle, sickness, or any of the thousand other evils that we experience here on earth. Maybe that’s why the people who have near-death experiences say that they didn’t want to come back. What they experienced after death was beyond anything this world could offer. And they knew that life was just a breath compared to eternity.
I share this to give you both hope and encouragement. If you’ve experienced a loss, you have every right to grieve and weep. Some losses leave big holes in our lives. But make sure you realize you’re grieving for YOU, not them. If they died in the Lord, they’re not weeping or crying at all. They just bypassed all the years of heartaches that those of us left behind have to deal with. So if you’re sad, it’s okay. Be sad for you or for anyone who is feeling the loss with you. But when you think of those you’ve lost, don’t be sad for them. Be happy. Trust me, they’re not depressed in death. They’re DANCING! That’s God’s Word for you today.