What do you say to someone who has lost a child? What words do you give when you've never been through it yourself? How can you possibly understand what they are dealing with? Any words that are given will not be accepted at that time but you can pray for seeds to be planted. You can pray that when they reflect back upon those horrid minutes of the fresh grief they will remember something that was said to comfort them. They will remember the Lord is with them.
The Lord continues to amaze me in how He plants seeds for us. Earlier this week I was engaged in a conversation with a lady who lost a daughter at a young age. It has been several years yet the pain is still fresh. The thoughts of "what ifs" continue to be on her mind. The holidays are especially difficult as one of her children have left this earth. She shared with me Isaiah 57 has given her comfort in knowing her daughter is with Jesus and His plan for her was to not have to deal with the evil of this earth.
1 The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. 2For the godly who die will rest in peace. 3 "But you -- come here, you witches' children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! 4 Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars! 5 You worship your idols with great passion beneath every green tree. You slaughter your children as human sacrifices down in the valleys, under overhanging rocks. 6 Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with drink offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this make me happy? 7 You have committed adultery on the mountaintops by worshiping idols there, and so you have been unfaithful to me. 8 Behind closed doors, you have set up your idols and worship them instead of me. This is adultery, for you are loving these idols instead of loving me. You have climbed right into bed with these detestable gods. 9 You have given olive oil and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even into the world of the dead, to find new gods to love. 10 You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on. 11 Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you don't even remember me or think about me? Is it because I have not corrected you that you have no fear of me? 12 "Now I will expose your so-called good deeds that you consider so righteous. None of them will benefit or save you. 13 Let's see if your idols can do anything for you when you cry to them for help. They are so helpless that a breath of wind can knock them down! But whoever trusts in me will possess the land and inherit my holy mountain. 14 I will say, 'Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.'" 15 The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts. 16 For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away -- all the souls I have made. 17 I was angry and punished these greedy people. I withdrew myself from them, but they went right on sinning. 18 I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort those who mourn. 19 Then words of praise will be on their lips. May they have peace, both near and far, for I will heal them all," says the LORD. 20 "But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace for the wicked," says my God.
The last part of verse one is where her peace lies. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. The Lord took her precious daughter to protect her from the evils of this world. I often think about how much more evil this world will be when my grand babies are grown. I can't remember how many years it has been for this Momma since the loss of her daughter but I do wonder how long it took her to have His peace over the situation. If I were to say these words to the one who lost her babies this week, I don't think they could/would be accepted. The grief is too fresh. The pain is too deep. I pray for His Peace to be accepted by not only her but also others who lose a child. I pray for people to accept Him instead of living the ways of the world which in turn reject Him. The last two verses of this passage show is, plain and clear, how the Lord deals with us.
20 "But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace for the wicked," says my God.
I think back on the church sign that is seen from time to time…No God - No Peace; Know God - Know Peace. He is the Only Way to deal with things such as the loss of a child. He is the Only One who has the capability of giving peace in the midst of a storm. He is the Only One who can be Our Strength.
Dear Jesus,
I feel like I should have said more to comfort this family this week. As an afterthought, I wish I would have done something different. But I am thankful You have encouraged me in reminding me that You were with me. I am also encouraged by the fact that when I am called in I pray for Your Wisdom on the way. Lord, I am Your Servant who never wants to do anything that is not of You. Lord, please open doors for You to be shared with this family. I also pray for people that are in relationship with You to comfort them. I pray for You to become real to this family. Thank You for the conversation the day before with one who has Your Peace as she continues to grieve the death of her daughter a few years ago. Thank You Jesus for being My Peace. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment