You Have a Friend That is Closer Than a Brother
The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer
"....a real friend sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18: 24b
His dear friend is dead. But even in death he stays close at hand. He is sad at the loss but will not allow his friend to be alone. Each man leaves a void when he dies -- an empty chair.
Every man at his death has a friend that sticks closer than a brother. That friend is Jesus. He will never leave us or forsake us -- not even in our final hours or even after those hours -- unless we have rejected him. He is attentive to us in life and he will be just as attentive into death and all eternity.
While there is a dark side to death, the brightly lit robe over the casket reminds us that Jesus will cloth us with His own robes of righteousness. The darkness will be swallowed up in light. On top of this bright robe are two branches with new leaves. One life may end but another one begins that is new and fresh.
Do not be afraid to be alone. Jesus is your dearest and closest friend. He is thinking of you even if you aren't aware of it. There is no place where you will walk where He won't be with you.