Day 4 | Protected from What’s Ahead | Sometimes Passing is an Act of God’s Protection | Good People Pass Away: Living with Hope, Leaving with Peace

The Scripture Reading today is taken from Isaiah 57:1b (NLT): “…the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.”

I know many of you here can identify with this statement: One of the hardest realities of life is losing someone who seems to have gone too soon. 

A faithful person, a good person, someone who still had so much to offer. We look at their life and say, “Why now, Lord? Why would You allow them to leave before their time?”

Isaiah 57 reminds us that sometimes, death is not simply an ending—it is God’s protection. 

The verse says that when the godly pass away, people rarely pause to consider that God may be sparing them from evil to come. In other words, what feels like tragedy to us may actually be mercy from God.

And let’s clarify here: who are the godly (small g)?

The godly are those who live in reverence toward God, seeking to obey Him and walking in His ways. Psalm 1:6 (NIV) says, “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” 

2 Peter 2:9 (NIV) further states: “The LORD knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.” 

Think about it, Family. 

God sees what we cannot see. He knows the dangers that lie ahead, the storms that have not yet broken, the struggles that would have weighed us down. And in His love, He sometimes chooses to bring His children home early, away from harm, away from temptation, away from future heartbreak.

We see this principle in Scripture. King Josiah, one of the godliest kings of Judah, died at a young age. 

To his people, it seemed tragic, but the prophetess Huldah revealed that Josiah would be “gathered to his grave in peace” and spared from the disaster that was coming on Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:18–20). 

What looked like an untimely death was actually divine protection.

That’s not easy for us to grasp, because we see life through the lens of time. But God views everything through the lens of eternity. 

Where we see loss, He may see deliverance. Where we see unanswered questions, He may see a merciful answer.

This doesn’t mean we should dismiss grief. It hurts when someone we love is gone. Tears are natural. Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus, even though He knew He was about to raise him from the dead (John 11:35). 

But even in our grief, we can anchor our hearts in this truth: God is never careless with His children. If He allows the godly to pass, it may be His way of protecting them from battles they were never meant to fight.

Instead of asking, “Why did You take them?” perhaps we can learn to ask, “Lord, what were You protecting them from?” 

That question changes the tone of our grief. It shifts our hearts from despair to gratitude. Gratitude that their rest came before evil could touch them. Gratitude that God is wiser and more loving than we can ever imagine.

So, Family, when faced with loss, remember: what looks like an untimely passing may be God’s shield of protection.

Let us trust God’s perspective. He knows tomorrow, and His decisions are rooted in love.

Let this truth bring peace. Instead of bitterness, choose to thank God for protecting His children, even through death.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for reminding us today that even in death, You are protecting and guiding Your children. Help us to trust that when the godly pass, You are acting in love, shielding them from battles unseen. Comfort us in our grief, and give us peace in knowing that You are always good, always wise, and always caring for those who belong to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.