When death is swallowed up

This article was originally written about a year after my father passed back in 2011. My mother joined him in glory yesterday morning. 

For many, death is a painful thing.

I still remember standing vigil over my dad in his last days. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.

The experience of losing my mother has been no less painful.

But there will come a day when death itself will die. And in this chapter, Isaiah talks about the return of our Lord. On that day, Isaiah says,

He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.  (Isaiah 25:7-8)

And on that day, people will praise God, singing,

Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation. (9)

When my dad died, he had diabetes, was completely blind, was suffering from pneumonia, and had a sore that never quite healed on his leg.

My mother, on the other hand, not only had physical issues, but also battled with depression off and on for much of her life.

But now, all of that is gone. All the sorrow they experienced, all the pain, has been washed away in victory. And now, they are singing the song of salvation, feasting at our Lord’s table.

So in my pain, I rejoice for them.

And I wait in hope for that day when I will see them again.

There are burdens that I carry every day
Sometimes it makes me want to cry…

In the middle of the darkness in my life
I find the strength to carry on
I am holding to a promise Jesus made
And I know it won’t be long ’til we’ll be gone

In a while we’ll be gone
And we won’t have to cry anymore.
All our sorrows left behind

And that’s the day that I am waiting for
And that’s the day that I am longing for
And that’s the day I’m looking for
— Amy Grant