Day 2 | Precious in God’s Sight | Why the Lives of the godly Matter Deeply to God | Good People Pass Away: Living with Hope, Leaving with Peace

Scripture Reading:“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” – Psalm 116:15 (NIV)

Death often feels like a loss to us, but the Bible gives us a perspective that may surprise us: God calls the passing of His faithful ones precious. 

That word might sound unusual. How can death be precious? 

When we are mourning, we ache, we feel the absence of someone we loved deeply. 

Yet Scripture invites us to look beyond human sorrow and into heaven’s perspective.

Let’s look at Psalm 116. This is a psalm of thanksgiving, written by someone who had experienced deliverance from danger. 

In verse 15, the psalmist steps back and reflects on something bigger—God doesn’t look at the death of His servants the way we do. To us, it feels like the end. To Him, it is a homecoming. It is not a tragedy; it is a treasure.

Think about that: when one of God’s children takes their final breath on earth, heaven does not weep. Heaven rejoices. 

God Himself welcomes them into His presence, and it is precious to Him. Why? Because their faith has finished its race. Their struggles, their tears, and their battles are over, and now they step into eternal peace and joy with the Lord.

At this point, I would want to clarify, according to the Word of God, what actually happens when a believer dies? Do they go straight to heaven, or do they wait in the grave? 

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. In Philippians 1:23, he even says his desire is to depart and be with Christ, which he describes as “far better.” That means the soul of the believer is immediately welcomed into God’s presence.

At the same time, Scripture also describes death as a kind of sleep for the body. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says that when Jesus returns, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” 

Daniel 12:2 speaks of those who “sleep in the dust” awakening to everlasting life. This tells us that while the soul is with the Lord, the body rests until the resurrection, when it will be raised and glorified.

So, for the believer, death is not the end. The soul is at peace with Jesus right away, and the body is simply waiting for the day when Christ will return and make all things new. That’s why heaven rejoices—because the faithful have truly gone home.

This truth should shift how we see the death of the godly. 

While we grieve their absence, we can also rejoice in their victory. Their life and faith mattered to God, and so did their death. He took notice. Not one faithful servant slips into eternity unnoticed or unvalued. Every single one is precious in His sight.

Let’s pause here. 

If God calls the death of His faithful ones precious, then our lives here on earth should be lived in such a way that our departure will also be precious in His eyes. 

It’s not about wealth, fame, or worldly success. It’s about faithfulness. A life lived in devotion to God becomes a life that is honoured, not only in heaven but also as a legacy on earth.

This also reminds us of something sobering: the death of the unrighteous is not precious in the same way. 

Scripture tells us plainly that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). 

So, for those who reject God, death is not a homecoming but a separation. That contrast should stir us—not only to examine our own lives but to share the hope of salvation with others while there is still time.

I don’t know how often we really think about death. I know it comes into sharp focus when a family member or someone we know passes.

But Family, we are encouraged to live with eternity in mind. 

God values the life and the death of His faithful ones, so let us choose to walk in faith daily. Let our grief be mixed with hope. 

When a believer passes, we can have sorrow and joy together—sorrow because we miss them, joy because heaven has gained them.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for reminding us that the death of Your faithful ones is precious in Your sight. Help us to live each day faithfully, knowing that our lives and even our deaths matter to You. Comfort our hearts when we grieve, and give us joy in knowing that heaven rejoices when Your children come home. Stir in us a passion to share this hope with others, so that more lives may be found faithful in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.