15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains. Psalm 116:15-16

Verse 15 here is making a statement that can be a bit difficult to interpret. Let me unpack it a bit.

Without question, God loves us whether we’re here or with Him in heaven. Notice, though, what this verse is not saying: it is better for his saints to die and be in His presence. The logical conclusion to that would be, “Why doesn’t He take us all home if our death is precious in His sight?” No, it doesn’t say that.

The Apostle Paul addressed this issue that is very similar to what the Psalmist is saying here:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

So God loves us whether it’s here on earth or up in heaven. It would be an equally true statement to say “precious in the sight of the Lord is the life of his faithful servants.”

The main point should be clear, and let me repeat it:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39