I asked a respected Christian leader if it's possible to prepare oneself to face personal loss. I knew his answer would come from experience because his 31-year-old son had been brutally murdered just 5 years earlier.

He paused for a moment and then said, "We're never as prepared for loss as we think we are." He went on to describe how his son's death had tested his relationship with God and everything he professed to believe. His answer was not trite or contrived, and his face showed that he had peace. He and his wife had grieved deeply but had not settled into anger or cynicism, because God's Word and Spirit had sustained them.

The psalmist wrote, "For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance" (Ps. 32:6-7).

In the good times of life, our daily fellowship with God helps prepare us for the difficulties ahead. Then, when times of testing come, God is with us in a way we could never have imagined before.  — David C. McCasland