If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.
Isaiah 48:18
Just recently, I lost my father-in-law following a head injury he sustained several months ago from which he never fully recovered. At the funeral, a few kind souls offered their condolences.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
I appreciated that, as well as comments shared on social media.
Made me recall a line in my inspirational romance manuscript, Call To Love (expected release sometime 2018). The hero, Tom DeLaney, is a cop. In one particular scene, he asked the heroine, Tracy Cassidy, about her back story in order to better understand her trust issues. She’d lost her cop father in the line of duty to a criminal bullet. Naturally, Tom retrieved standard answer –
“Sorry for your loss.”
Loss. According to www.dictionary.reference.com loss refers to the state of being deprived of or being without something one has had.
I daresay no one is unfamiliar with loss on some level. Stage IV cancer has shouldered its way into conversation within my circle of friends. And considering recent news events – Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria, Mexico’s earthquake, and the Las Vegas sniper massacre – scores of people on both sides of the law have suffered loss, anything from plastic cups to irreplaceable antiques and hand-written letters to life itself.
But God speaks of a greater loss.
Addressing Israel in the book of Isaiah, God grieves His bride’s loss. What, a high heel shoe? An earring? Was she jilted at the altar? No. She lost Peace.
Why’d she lose it?
If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:18
Peace she could have had, but peace she lost.
I’m able to experience peace if I want it. (You) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… Colossians 3:15a
While not easy, obedience is key. If only you had paid attention to my commands... Isaiah 48:18a
During Jesus’ day, peace still evaded the people.
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said,
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace –
but now it is hidden from your eyes. Luke 19:41-42
Loss. The state of being deprived of or being without something one has had.
Peace isn’t a fluffy feeling, the absence of trouble, dry palms and a pulse that beats in perfect rhythm. Peace is a Person. Peace lived and died and rose again for me, for you. And for those who would call on His name and trust Him for salvation.
As I shove Peace aside, deny the light of Christ and reach for alternatives in the dark, God weeps and retrieves His standard answer –
“Sorry for your loss.”
And you? Does God grieve over your loss or rejoice that you’ve let peace rule in your heart?
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