What I Wish I Could Tell Billy Strings

I am a fan of Billy Strings’ music. If you are not familiar with this artist, he is a popular bluegrass musician. While I do not endorse every song he has recorded and its lyrics or any particular lifestyle choices he may make, his talent is indisputable. He picks his guitar so fast it seems like smoke should be flying off the frets, and as an equally talented group of musicians usually backs him, his performances always leave me stunned. 

I share this because I was sad to see a post Billy made on the first anniversary of his mother’s death this past Saturday. Here is what Billy wrote and shared on social media: 

“Missing my mother. We lost her one year ago today.. it was the worst day of my life and it just seems like yesterday. It’s still just as sharp. Sometimes I’m afraid to go to bed because in my dreams I just cry and cry and I want her back. I wake up with a knot in my throat.. suffocating in my sleep. She told me in a dream recently ‘we’ll just have to come back from the machine as soon as possible’ I wonder about reincarnation. I see her everywhere.”

It is heartbreaking to see Billy share about his grief, but having no real hope in it. It doesn’t seem that Billy is a believer, although he does occasionally play old gospel standards. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you’re familiar with some of the feelings that Billy described in his post. These are pains that don’t go away despite time passing and a longing to see and talk to that loved one again. 

However, the truly heartbreaking part of Billy’s experience is that he is experiencing uncertainty. Without the hope of eternal life in the gospel, death is the end of the story. I’ve heard people remark many times when a tragedy happens, “I don’t know how people do it without Jesus.” If you don’t believe in God, when faced with a loss, you are left in turmoil with no real resolution or comfort. You can speculate about what happens after death, but there is no certainty. 

When I scrolled the comment section of Billy’s post, they were similarly devoid of the Christian message of life after death—except for one. One man commented, “1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: Offers hope regarding believers who have passed away.” This is one of the places in God’s Word where we are presented with the only hope one can have when faced with death. Here, the Bible says: 

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”

This is what I wish I could tell Billy Strings. If I met him, I would want him to know that there is hope and comfort available. Although people pass away, and this is out of control, there is peace in Jesus. Reincarnation is not real, but if you place your faith in Jesus, God will resurrect you. When Christ returns, our bodies will be raised, they will meet with our souls, and we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17). We are to comfort one another with these words (1 Thess. 4:18). 

Although Billy’s mom may not have been a believer, if he trusts in Christ, he can have the hope of eternal life. Jesus gives us a peace that is beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7) and certainty of life beyond death. 

But this is not just a message for Billy Strings; it is for you. Maybe you, too, have lost a loved one and are fraught with anguish. Maybe you don’t know the Lord, and all you have to cling to are vague ideas. God’s Word is true; it has been tried and proven, and not one promise of God will ever fail. This means you can have certainty regarding what it says about eternal life. 

Therefore, I encourage you to turn to Jesus. Because He died and rose again, God will bring with him those who have died in Christ. If you need comfort and don’t know where to turn, turn to the one who died but has defeated death. This hope is for whoever believes in Him and calls upon His name. 

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

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If you’ve never heard any of Billy Strings’ music, here’s a video of him playing the hymn “Uncloudy Day,” which seems fitting for this devotional: link to video.