The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones.”

—Psalm 116:15

Death is part of our broken world. We mourn, and that is right.

But for believers, death is also precious, because those who have died in Christ are now forever with God and free from the toil, turmoil, and suffering of this life. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

No more mourning, crying, or pain. No more struggles against this flesh. Perfect fellowship with Christ.

For a Christian, death is only sad from this side. The other side is glorious—the beautiful, complete fulfillment of God’s promise, our inheritance.

Missionary Lilias Trotter said of the people who were martyred where she served, “One draws a breath of relief when they get safe home [to heaven].”

We can rejoice that our loved ones no longer endure the struggle brought about by living as strangers in a strange land. 

Even without severe suffering or persecution, life, at its best, is still a fight that death releases us from—the fight to stay faithful to the Lord, to persevere until the end, to remain hopeful despite all the darkness, to be diligent to complete the good works God calls us to, and to resist the temptations of this world and our flesh.

We mourn our loss here when a believer passes on, but they have merely moved to that better country (Hebrews 11:16)—the one we all long for in our deepest depths.

The Lord welcomes his faithful servants home with rejoicing.

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