Saturday. March 2 was a most unusual day. It began with a morning funeral, which was followed by an afternoon funeral, and then concluded with an indescribable evening concert. By the end of the day, my emotions had been on a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

The first funeral was for a friend who had passed away after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Though grief was evident, there was also joy as we celebrated the life of one of the Lord’s saints and praised Him for her passage into heaven.

When Pastor Mike Motley and worship leader Devin Smith brought out their mandolin and guitar and began a bluegrass rendition of I’ll Fly Away, people stood to their feet, hands in the air.  When the choir sang Shoutin’ Time in Heaven, many in the congregation sang along and tapped their feet. Through it all, there was obvious praise and worship amid the grief.

When Pastor Mike stood to speak, he chose three passages of scripture that were ever so meaningful for the occasion.

1. ^“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15 KJV) There was no doubt among the listeners that the deceased was a believer and a saint.
2. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25 KJV). In an encounter with Martha at the time of Lazarus, her brother’s death, Jesus had comforted her with assurance that there is life in heaven after death for those who believe which included my friend.
3. .“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) Standing with Martha and Mary at Lazarus’ graveside, Jesus wept. Even though He knew that he was about raise Lazarus from the grave, his emotions overwhelmed him. Were they tears of sadness, empathy, or great joy? I believe they were all three! He knew Lazarus would live to see another day. He knew Mary and Martha would have more time with their brother. He also knew that in time Lazarus would die again and spend eternity in heaven. His underlying message? Even though there is sadness when a believer passes away, there is joy in heaven and there is hope for those left behind.

The afternoon brought yet another funeral. This time, though, the service was heavy with grief and overwhelming sadness as we mourned the death of a beautiful 29-year old mother of four who had died of a drug overdose.

The minister, obviously groping for words, attempted to bring comfort to the grieving congregation amid this tragedy. His message? The Lord is there for us during the darkest days of our lives if we but reach out to him. When we cannot understand the choices of our loved ones or the consequences of their actions, we can trust the Lord to minister to us in the storm.

• “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 KJV)
• “Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 KJV)

A second speaker, a relative of the deceased, spoke tenderly of how the Lord loves lost things. He spoke of the Lord’s great love for lost sheep, lost coins, and lost children. (Luke 15)  His message? The Father loves his prodigal children and longs for them to come home. All who listened were no doubt praying that a prodigal daughter was finally home with the Father. I can still hear the poignant words of the beautiful solo that followed, “I’ll Praise You in the Storm.”

“And I’ll praise you in this storm
And I will lift my hands
That you are who you are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise you in this storm.”

What a beautiful message in song for the listeners.

After the second funeral with I’ll Praise You in the Storm” still playing in my head, I joined family as we traveled to a Casting Crowns “Only Jesus” concert at Concord Arena. As Zach Williams opened the concert with the song“Chain Breaker,” I was powerfully reminded that Jesus does break the chains of pain, addiction, and bondage! My prayer was that the young woman who had died such a tragic death was indeed free and that her family would also find peace, comfort, and freedom during their difficult journey ahead.

“If you’ve got pain
He’s a pain taker
If you feel lost
He’s a way maker
If you need freedom or saving
He’s a prison-shaking Savior
If you’ve got chains,
He’s a chain breaker.”

My mind also drifted to Isaiah who wrote about Jesus, the Messiah, who is our only source of real comfort during times of deepest sorrow. I prayed that both families from both funerals would find the Lord’s comfort:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me (Jesus),
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed. . .
To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1, 3 NLT)

After a tumultuous day of sadness and grief and simultaneous joy, my heart was finally overwhelmed as Mark Hall and his band filled the arena with a smorgasbord of wonderful music. The highlight of the evening for me? Hall’s rendition of the song I had heard at the second funeral, “Praise You in the Storm.”

It seemed as if the message for me that day—as it was hopefully for the families and friends gathered for both funerals—was that we can indeed find peace in the tragic and surreal moments of life if we turn to Jesus.

You see, I, too, have experienced both types of funerals in my own life. We buried my precious husband Gerry, one of the Lord’s servants, with praise songs and hallelujahs because he was no longer stuck in the prison of his dying earthly body.

Eighteen months later we buried my precious grandson, Garrett, who died very tragically at the age of 22. Such pain in the loss of one so young is indescribable. Without the Lord’s comfort, I do not think we could have survived without sinking into permanent depression.

Yet through it all, we had hope because of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his free gift of salvation to all who believe!!

Casting Crown’s final song, Glorious Day,  put it all in perspective.

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day
Oh glorious day

On reflection, the day had mirrored my own life—and the lives of most Christians. We have days of great joy and days of great sorrow. Life is indeed a roller coaster.

The challenge? To find joy in the midst of the awful, traumatic, gut-wrenching moments–to be able to have a little self talk and utter the psalmist’s prayer:

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” – Psalm 43:5

What about you? Want to share your experiences with life and death? with joy and sorrow? I’d love to hear from you. Many blessings.