Does God miss the dead?
A question rarely asked
Over the millennia, God has tucked billions of people into their graves after years of watching over them instant by instant for the entirety of their lives. Though many go to their graves under a cloud of His anger, many more perish under His affectionate, loving gaze. We can surely be confident that He relished His relationship with these children of His. Does He miss us when we die?
No man can answer this question authoritatively. But let’s play with it, nevertheless.
God has eternally existed. For an eternity, He was on His own, without any companion to share the joys of life with. Was He lonely? Scripture is silent on that question. It does report God’s comment that it was “not good that man should be alone”, but never hints that the same held true for Himself. The thrust of Scripture compels the conclusion that God needs absolutely nothing, not even company.
But it also shows that God takes pleasure in those who fear and love Him:
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy (Ps. 147:11).
Furthermore, it shows that He will take pleasure in raising the dead to given them eternal life:
Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
One of the most neglected yet most sublime truths of the gospel is that Jesus will joyfully receive His children into His presence when He returns where they will bask in the glory of His company forever (John 14:3, 1 Thess. 4:17). In short, God derives pleasure from His children, both now and in the future. It seems reasonable to infer that He misses those whom He considers His friends while they sleep the sleep of the dead.
