Passing in the Night

Early Sunday morning my father passed away to his eternal rest. I am greatly relieved for his sake as the battle with cancer was long and very painful. Often we wondered how long might he endure to the end. It is one of the signs of the fall that so many should suffer such agonizing pain so near to the time of passing when most of all we want to ease gently into that long goodnight.

Along the way to this time, we reserved for ourselves some serious doubts about my father's religion. I still doubt the religion or religious sect and its doctrine. However, in his final moments my father asked for the Word of God to be read to him, and from that I took comfort when the Word told me of a passage in Isaiah and the promise God spoke to all of us: His word does not return to Him void.

When I think of what God pleases to do, I think of salvation for one and all. The Word shall accomplish what God pleases and it shall prosper in the thing which He sends it out to do: saving His people. I know this from the fact that God Himself sent His only begotten Son to die that each of us should be saved eternally. Therefore, I base my hope on God's promise spoken in His Holy Word.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

“For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the LORD for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
                         Isaiah 55:8-13

Yours in Christ Jesus, now and forevermore,
Bucky