What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and grieves to bear
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer
Oh what peace we often forfeit of what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations is there trouble anywhere
If we have don’t be discouraged take it to the Lord in prayer
Hymn – What a friend we have in Jesus

Revelation 21:4 (NASB) 
4 and 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; the first things have passed away.”

Isaiah 53:3a (NASB) 
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

Last Friday, we lost a wonderful friend and member of our family – our dog Riley.  He came to us as a rescue when he was 10 months old and was 12 years old when he died.  It was sudden and unexpected.  Many tears have been shed and I know many more will follow.  A sadness has fallen on me that I didn’t expect.

Since sleep doesn’t come easy, my wife and I spent the wee hours of the night last night talking about him.  I recalled the verse in Isaiah above.  Jesus knew sorrow and he knew grief.  The pain we feel is just a shadow of the grief that Jesus endured for us.

There is so much pain and sorrow in this world, even with all the joys that we have in our lives.  But we have a Savior that will one day take away all of those tears.  Death will no longer exist and there will no longer be any pain.

What a friend we have in Jesus!

Heavenly Father, I bring our sorrow to you in prayer.  I praise You for creating the pets that we can enjoy.  I thank you for the joy we have had.  I even thank you for the grief that we are going through because it gives us a taste of what Jesus went through for us.  Holy Spirit, I ask for comfort.  I pray this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,