How can we find comfort at the time of death?

^{Psalm 116 (NIV)}

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants.
¹⁶ Truly I am your servant, Lord;
    I serve you just as my mother did;
    you have freed me from my chains.

¹⁷ I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
    and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the Lord—
    in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord.

After the first time I read this passage of scripture I became upset. I thought immediately how could God consider death so precious when we were created to have life abundantly, to be fruitful and multiply and so on. However after thinking about all of the chaos going on especially the violence in the city of Chicago lately, I truly understand.  God does want the best life for us, and God does want us to enjoy life, but God also patiently awaits our return home. Our creator God sends us out to be born into this world knowing exactly when we will return home, and I am confident that when we do return home to be with God that the moment we enter into God's presence it's precious and special! For all of us have probably experienced the death or loss of a loved one and we know to live and breathe means that one day we will surely pass on from this place. Therefore I suggest this text from Psalms 116 as a passage to look toward for comfort during the time of death. When someone we love passes on expected or unexpectedly find comfort in the fact that our loss is God's gain and that our loved one's return is so very precious to our Creator God! For this reason even at the time of death I can say PRAISE THE LORD! 

Dear God, give us strength and peace when we experience the loss of someone close to us and remind us that we all belong to you. We will never understand your mysteries Lord so help us to find comfort and trust in your word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Be Well, P.J.