Daily Devotional for January 8, 2022
The Greatest Enemy
Addison put her laptop away as tears welled up in her eyes. Her grandma had died from COVID-19 a few days ago, and Addison couldn’t stop crying. How could this happen? she thought. A few weeks ago Grandma was fine, and now she’s gone.
When Addison walked downstairs, the mood was somber. Her mom and brother sat on the couch, talking quietly. When they saw Addison, they stopped, seeing her tears.
“Oh, honey.” Mom got up from the couch and wrapped Addison in a hug.
Addison sniffled. “I just can’t believe she’s gone. The hospital wouldn’t even let us see her before she died! Why did this happen?”
Mom smoothed back Addison’s hair. “I don’t know, sweetie. But I do know that Jesus is with us. He grieves with us, and He also offers us hope.”
“What kind of hope?” asked Addison. “Grandma is dead. How could there be any hope?”
“The Bible tells us death is our greatest enemy,” said Mom. “But Jesus defeated this enemy for us when He died on the cross and then rose from the dead. Even in grief, we have hope because we know that when Jesus comes back, He will get rid of death once and for all. He’ll resurrect those who trust in Him and give us bodies that will never get sick or die, and we’ll live with Him for all eternity!”
“But I’m still sad,” said Addison. “Knowing Jesus beat death doesn’t take away my sadness.”
Mom nodded. “Feeling sad is normal. You loved Grandma a lot, and it’s okay to be sad and miss her. You can even talk to Jesus about these feelings. The Bible calls God our Comforter, and because Jesus became human to save us, He understands our grief. He is there for us when we feel sad, or mad, or have so many feelings we don’t even know what to say.”
“I feel a little bit like that right now,” said Addison.
“Do you want me to pray with you?” asked Mom. “I’ve been doing a lot of that this morning.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Addison answered as they took each other’s hands and bowed their heads.
-Naomi Zylstra
How about you?
Have you lost someone close to you? Many people have lost a family member or friend due to COVID-19. Grieving for a lost loved one comes in all kinds of forms, and it’s normal to feel sad and need time to grieve. The good news is that Jesus understands our grief and promises to end death forever one day. If you are grieving, go to Him. He is big enough to handle all of your feelings, good and bad.
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