Loss Control, Revisited

The Compassion of the Lord

Isaiah 55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
    and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.

⁶ “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

¹² “For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Context is everything in the Bible, so you have to see the whole chapter to get the full picture, but these two verses do stand out for this post:
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

When my wife was hospitalized in February 2019, one of the first people I contacted was Dad. He listened intently, allowed me to ramble about details significant and insignificant, permitted my emotions without embarrassment, offered Scriptural consolation, and prayed with me over the phone. As the days passed, I called him or he called me.

His wife texted me to let me know he was available to me whenever I needed him, for he understood my situation better than I might realize. I pondered that, and spoke with him about it. We commented that I am now about the age he was when Mum had cancer. How did he manage working so far from where she was hospitalized? How he balance all the responsibilities? Of course, I was the last child at home and had my driver’s license and a car to use, so I was much more independent than my boys are, and my sister Judi was home from college and helping out in many ways. But, still. He said that it’s been so long that he doesn’t remember all that, but the important part is that God carried him through it (not his exact words, mind you, but that was the gist of it). We talked further of the grace, mercy, faithfulness, compassion, and love of God. We discussed the providence of God for our hearts and our everyday needs.

He prayed with me again, with his wife holding his hand as he prayed over the phone. God’s mercy shown to me as we could not be together. Dad’s suffering of 32 years ago not being wasted as he helps his youngest son through a similar trial. My wife’s not dying, but at the time of this conversation (early February), her chances of survival–humanly speaking–looked slim.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

Thank God for the truth of His Word! To God be the glory!