I Shall Go to Him: Grieving With Hope

One of the most painful stories in the Bible is David grieving the death of his infant son. When the child became ill, David fasted, wept, and spent the night lying on the ground. He pleaded with God for the child’s life. But when the child died, David rose, washed himself, worshiped, and ate. His servants were confused. David then said, “I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23).

This is not an easy story. It does not explain the mystery surrounding a child’s death or a loved one’s. It does not offer quick comfort or simple answers. But it does reveal something deeply human and spiritual: love does not end when death comes.

Psychologists Dennis Klass, Phyllis Silverman, and Steven Nickman speak of “continuing bonds” in grief. In earlier understandings, people often thought healing meant letting go and moving on. But grief research has shown that many people heal by finding a new way to remain connected with the one they have lost. The relationship changes, but love remains.

David’s words carry this quiet hope. He knows his child will not return to him in this life. Yet he also believes that the bond is not completely broken. “I shall go to him.” These words do not erase his sorrow, but they give his sorrow a direction.

For parents grieving a child, this can be a tender truth. You do not have to remove your child from your heart in order to heal. You do not have to “move on” as if love has ended. You can carry your child in prayer, memory, gratitude, tears, and hope.

Faith does not ask us to deny grief. It invites us to grieve with love. In God, no love is wasted, no tear is unseen, and no child is forgotten.

Death changes the relationship, but it does not destroy love.

Notes

Klass, D., Silverman, P. R., & Nickman, S. L. (Eds.). (1996). Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief. Taylor & Francis.