“But he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost^[a] those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:24-25)

The fortieth year of my life was, without question, the hardest one by far. It was that year that I lost my wife to cancer. She succumbed to the disease far too young and far too quickly. It was stunning. It felt overwhelming. Grief was a tsunami that washed over our family leaving our hearts feeling tossed, broken, and seemingly unrepairable.

Her loss left me and my two teenage daughters living with grief as a continual companion. Suddenly, we were without the rock who we all relied upon for love, joy, and encouragement. That empty place at the table, in the front seat of the car, beside us in church, seemed immense. She often sang in worship or in the church choir so even that was hard. We would look up and hear the words that were sung at church but felt the sting of her absence. Yet, at the same time, the music that she had sung began to take on a far more substantial weight. We never sang them the same anymore. Jesus, his death, his resurrection, his triumph over sin and death, his constant presence in our sorrows, his steadfast love… all these truths gave us some solid ground on which to place our feet. Our world had shifted but we were being held firmly not in our strength but in His.

One of the things that our church did was hire an intern named Rob to come on staff full-time. I was the lead pastor in the church and Rob had come from England to spend a year learning and experiencing ministry in our church. The leaders of our church and our church family hired Rob on for one expressed purpose – to help me through my sorrow. His presence and his friendship, his kindness, and laughter, made the loneliness endurable.

I also had a brother-in-law who made it his goal to check up on me every week. He called me. He took me out to lunch. He prayed for me and with me. He invited me for dinner.

Our church secretary began to invite my daughters and I to dinner every Tuesday night. We had a place at their table like we were family. We didn’t have to talk about anything if we didn’t want to do so. We ate lasagna and homemade chocolate chip cookies and felt loved.

Another brother in Christ, an elder in my church, became the person that my daughters would call if they noticed that I was particularly sad or struggling. That was part of the grief. Sometimes, I didn’t even know that I was feeling as down as I was. Suddenly, my phone would ring and it was Bill. He would say, “Your girls called me today. They said that you might need to go out golfing or get together.” So, we would.

There is something about knowing that someone is there for you no matter what that helps when you are facing uncertainty and sorrow. There is great comfort in knowing that you don’t have to have it together because there are others ready to come alongside and shoulder your burden. Even on good days when you feel like you are okay, there is something comforting about knowing that if anything did happen, your friends or family would be there without hesitation.

This is why the resurrection of Jesus is so important to us. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the price for our sins and to conquer sin and death for us. He did this to take care of all the problems of sin and brokenness from our past as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.  He did this for our future so that one day we would be able to join Jesus and those who have died in the faith in a new heaven and a new earth. However, he died and rose for another glorious reason. He did so in order that He might sit at the right hand of God and intercede for us now. Right now, in my weakness, grief, and sorrow, Jesus sees me and intercedes for me. He will never leave me or forsake me. The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way – “But he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25). 

Have you ever thought about the fact that God the Father sent the Son to live, die, and rise again so that He might take care of you completely and save to the uttermost those who come to God through Jesus. The song, “Hail the Day” declares these words “The King of love is on the throne…by his grace we shall go home.” Jesus is attending to our every cry. He sees our deepest need. He has been charged by God the Father himself to bring us through this world of sorrows safely to our heavenly home. Though He dwells beyond the stars in heaven, He is also here with us, carrying us on his heart, and caring for our every need.

What a joy to know that we will never be alone, never be forgotten, never have to rely on our own strength. What a day that was when Jesus rose and ascended to heaven and sat down as our high priest to every live and to intercede for us! What a comfort! What a hope! What a certainty! He has us in His hand and his heart always!