Come Ye Disconsolate

Come, ye disconsolate, wherever ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
"Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure."

 

Yesterday, out of no where, I woke up singing this song. I even posted it on my FB page because I was unable to get the words "Earth has no sorrows that heaven can not heal" out of my head. I think I now know why this happened...

 

Have you ever had a soulmate? Someone that you can sense and feel even though they are far way from you? I have that type of friendship with someone I met long ago. While we don't communicate much or see each other often, I keep this person in prayer and can sometimes sense when this person is hurting. Yesterday my friend's older brother passed away after fighting a long, difficult battle with cancer. His brother was a believer and I know the family takes comfort in knowing that their loved one is now at peace.

 

While we have that comfort, and while we do not mourn as those who have no hope, we miss the people we love. We grieve that we will not see that person anymore here on earth. No longer can we pick up the phone and hear their voice. And the death of a sibling must be a different loss than the loss of a parent.  It hits closer to home. I mean, this is a person we grew up with -  our very first friend in life - the person that shares our childhood memories. For my friend, losing this brother must be like losing an arm. I have a feeling these two went through a lot growing up together. I'm sure they gave each other security when times were tough. I'm sure they often leaned on each other during difficult times. Death takes away and it hurts.

 

Even Jesus knew this. When His good friend Lazurus died, Jesus wept. But thanks be to God, death, our great enemy, is something we no longer have to fear. Jesus' death paid our penalty for sin, and His resurrection shows us His power over death. Satan can no longer taunt us with the fear of dying. We have the promise that when we die, we go to Christ. Here, we will be restored - no more aches or pains! We will see loved ones again. And best of all, we will live without sin - we will be restored to  fellowship with God, and we will finally see Jesus face to face.

 

And that's why I believe that God placed this song on my heart yesterday. Look at those strong words in the first verse. Disconsolate. Languish. Wounded. Anguish. That's how it feels to lose a loved one. It's a hurt almost beyond what we can bear. But....

 

With God, there is always a "but" - a transition, a change. Now look at the words of the second verse. Joy. Light. Hope.  God takes our wounded heart and brings peace. It really is true that "Earth has no sorrow that heaven can not heal."

 

So, to my dear friend, I share these words - feeble though they be. I pray that God blesses your grieving heart. I pray that you will find comfort and peace because of what Jesus has done for us. My heart is sad, too, knowing what are going through and I keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

https://youtu.be/VmnnMHGvVJc  A version of this song, sung by Roberta Flack