Experiencing Love & Comfort in Times of Loss

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INEXPLICABLE BUT REAL. This is how author Dave Branon describes the peace God has provided since the death of his youngest daughter almost 18 years ago.

 

It was a warm June evening and 17-year-old Melissa Branon was headed home from a beach day with friends. As her boyfriend drove them through an unfamiliar intersection, the car was broadsided by another vehicle. Melissa was killed instantly.

 

Branon shares the hope he found in his book, Beyond the Valley. Branon describes the unimaginable heartache of losing a child and his journey of learning to trust God amidst tragedy.

 

“Many people get hung up on the question of why something bad happened,” Branon said. “There’s no 100 percent solution this side of heaven. And even if we could know why, it wouldn’t matter because the tragedy would not be any less painful. If we dwell on it, we’ll get stuck in an endless cycle of trying to figure out the mysteries of God.”

 

Branon admits he still cries when he talks about Melissa in public settings but loves whenever anyone mentions her name. It brings him and his wife, Sue, great comfort to remember God’s great plan continues even though unimaginable things happen.

 

“God’s plan from before time has been to redeem mankind through Christ’s death,” Branon said. “Does my child dying negate the whole thing? No, it means that because Jesus died for her and because Melissa put her faith in Him, the plan worked. She is in heaven with Him.”

 

“The pain never goes away,” Branon continues, “but as you think about what God has done for your loved one it diminishes the sharp edges. In the midst of our sadness we trust God doesn’t do the wrong thing.

In the midst of our sadness we trust God doesn’t do the wrong thing.

Psalm 139:16 tells us all our days were ordained before one even came to be. So we believe Melissa’s life was the length of time God wanted her to have. She will enjoy eternity with God forever. What more could a parent want for their child?

Branon encourages those facing loss with what he calls a “theology of grieving” and concludes by saying, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. It doesn’t violate Scripture then to ask God ‘Could you say hello to our loved ones because they are in your presence?’ God is real and the life of our loved one who trusted Christ is real too. It’s just in a different place.”

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Our Daily Bread Ministries

July 6, 2023

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