He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. – Revelation 21:4

Sorrow and joy are not mutually exclusive. For example, there are circumstances when death brings great loss, but the knowledge that suffering has come to an end brings a sense of joy at the same time. Death touches every life, whether it is the physical loss of a loved one, the emotional pain involved in ending a relationship, or perhaps the confusion of one losing faith, walking away from God. Death in any form produces sorrow and human suffering. Many people you meet today are suffering from loss that may be devastating.  

Through His own death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus put a permanent end to the effects of death. The apostle Paul says the pain and sorrow of this earthly life can produce hope for those trusting in Christ; “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:2-5).

The suffering you see in the world today is real. Hurting people need practical help and, at the same time, they need spiritual help through a relationship with Christ Jesus, the Savior and Healer. Pray for believers in the United States to be generous and help those who are hurting. Pray for officials in the government as they seek to provide practical help to those in need. And pray for the American church to uphold the goal of offering the gospel of Hope to the lost.