April 26, 1995
July 13, 2009
“Many people grieve deeply when their pets die. Some have told me they’re embarrassed or even ashamed at this. Their loss is great, and they long for hope that they’ll see their pets again.
If we regard pets as God-created companions entrusted to our care, it’s only right that we should experience grief at their loss. Who made these endearing qualities in animals? God. Who made us to be touched by them? God. Do we love animals because of sin and the Curse? No. We love animals because God created us—and them—to love each other. We can turn people into idols, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong to love people. The same is true of animals.
We know the stories of pets who’ve risked their lives and died for their owners because the animals’ instinct for love and loyalty outweighed their instinct for self-preservation. It’s noble for a person to lay down his or her life for others, so animals who do the same must also be noble. We needn’t be embarrassed either to grieve their loss or to want to see them again. If we believe God is their creator, that he loves us and them, that he intends to restore his creatures from the bondage they experienced because of our sin, then we have biblical grounds for not only wanting but also expecting that we may be with them again on the New Earth.
Let’s not “correct” our children and grandchildren when they pray that they’ll be able to see their pets again. The answer to that prayer is up to God. But he loves to hear the prayers of his children, and there is scriptural reason to believe he may answer those prayers.”
Randy Alcorn
Heaven
