I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

[atwhatcost]

My brother called when I slept. (Insomnia again, so he called late in the morning while I slept.) I have to call him back. He is not the hand of the terrible, but he is delivering news of the terrible.

He's calling me to tell me when Dad will be taken away -- forced against his will -- to be put into a hospital for evaluation and detoxification. (The drinking has become worse in the last few months due to the disease taking him away.) And when that happens, he will be placed in a care faculty to live the rest of his life. This is how the current laws in America work now for those mentally unable to take care of themselves and mentally unaware they cannot take care of themselves.

Dad has dementia. Probably Alzheimer, but there are varying forms of dementia, and no one can tell exactly which kind it is until an autopsy.

I woke up to my brother's message to call him back. I needed strength before I did. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening gave this entrance for this evening.

Evening


“And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.”
- Jer_15:21


Note the glorious personality of the promise. I will, I will. The Lord Jehovah himself interposes to deliver and redeem his people. He pledges himself personally to rescue them. His own arm shall do it, that he may have the glory. Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord. Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account, but the lone I, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent in all-sufficience. Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny arm. Peace, ye unbelieving thoughts, be still, and know that the Lord reigneth. Nor is there a hint concerning secondary means and causes. The Lord says nothing of friends and helpers: he undertakes the work alone, and feels no need of human arms to aid him. Vain are all our lookings around to companions and relatives; they are broken reeds if we lean upon them-often unwilling when able, and unable when they are willing. Since the promise comes alone from God, it would be well to wait only upon him; and when we do so, our expectation never fails us. Who are the wicked that we should fear them? The Lord will utterly consume them; they are to be pitied rather than feared. As for terrible ones, they are only terrors to those who have no God to fly to, for when the Lord is on our side, whom shall we fear? If we run into sin to please the wicked, we have cause to be alarmed, but if we hold fast our integrity, the rage of tyrants shall be overruled for our good. When the fish swallowed Jonah, he found him a morsel which he could not digest; and when the world devours the church, it is glad to be rid of it again. In all times of fiery trial, in patience let us possess our souls.

I never thought of "the hand of the terrible" as anything less than the captors. Sometimes it's not.

I was tempted to post this on the Family Forum, because the last time I posted something from Spurgeon it became more important to dispute each other than to appreciate the words.

And... as I wrote this, my brother called me. Dad's being taken to the hospital on Monday.

The hand of the terrible. There is no good hand in this. Not for this one. The two choices are to let him stay at home or protect him from himself through healthcare. In the time that he's been alone too long at home, he was picked up by the cops after driving around for 13.5 hours for an appointment to get his haircut on a day that the place he goes was closed, set his woodpile on fire and watched it until a neighbor was concerned with the smoke (and the woodpile was all but gone by then), and he fell down some steps, bled, and didn't have the sense to notice. The only reason we know this is because one of my siblings visited him the next day and he was wearing the same clothes, his bed had blood all over it, as did the steps. (Just to give you some idea why it's not safe for him to stay home either.)

At the end of Spurgeon's devotional he said the world will devour the church. If a person can't bring up what is personal on here -- what they think about God. What is in their heart about God -- without being attacked every time. Isn't that the world devouring the church and we're helping it?

How about remembering we're supposed to be in this together for a change? If we don't, we are the hand of the terrible.

(Today I have an agenda!)

 

[Blain]

My friend while what you are dealing with is indeed terrible have you considered this might be a test of your heart? I think it's very possible that your trust in God may be being tested at this point, when times such as this happen to me I give it to God, I say to him regardless of what happens let your will be done even if it isn't what I want.

We don't see the bigger picture but he does, what we see as such a horrible thing may in fact be something God is intending to use. God knows exactly what he is doing and th3ere is no such thing as accidents or coincidences because everything happens for a reason and everything is in God's hands. Trust God in this give him full control and authority of the situation and then regardless of what happens or doesn't happen you will be so glad you did

 

[JesusLives]

My heart goes out to you because it is a terrible thing to see and watch the decline in our parents as age takes it's toll. Our once proud independent loved one that raised us and nurtured us not able to care for themselves and having to take away their independence knowing all the while that it is what is best for them.

You are having to do this because you love your Father and don't want harm or premature death to come to him from an accident and you don't want him to harm someone else driving a car not knowing where he is...

It is out of love your family is doing this it is not a punishment for your Father it is concern for his safety.

All I can do is reach out and give you a big hug and prayers for you and your family to have strength and comfort knowing you are doing this for the best interest of your Father. I would guess that if tables were turned that your Father would do the same for you.

Our Heavenly Father hurts when you do and is with you during these hard times can't you just feel His arms wrapped around you now? He's there holding you.

 

[BarlyGurl]

You, your siblings or any single one can go to court and have him pronounced legally incompetent and become his ward/guardian, no need for him to be a ward of the state unless that is the expedient thing to do as a family.

 

[atwhatcost]

My friend while what you are dealing with is indeed terrible have you considered this might be a test of your heart? I think it's very possible that your trust in God may be being tested at this point, when times such as this happen to me I give it to God, I say to him regardless of what happens let your will be done even if it isn't what I want.

We don't see the bigger picture but he does, what we see as such a horrible thing may in fact be something God is intending to use. God knows exactly what he is doing and th3ere is no such thing as accidents or coincidences because everything happens for a reason and everything is in God's hands. Trust God in this give him full control and authority of the situation and then regardless of what happens or doesn't happen you will be so glad you did

I fully trust God. Not being cocky there. He's forced me enough into places I never wanted to go that it's been decades of experience knowing he's working himself in me. I know this too is God, but quite possibly like Pharaoh's actions were eventually hardened into God's will.

Dad is not a believer. He had a good 75 years to become one, but he would not. God can still choose to save him, but this may well be a lesson for those who have decided to wait until their death bed before asking God to be born again. What if you don't have your mind left on your death bed?

I also have five siblings who aren't believers, so I can see God using this to reach them. I also have no doubt he's teaching me stuff in all this. God is definitely a multitasker.

 

[atwhatcost]

You, your siblings or any single one can go to court and have him pronounced legally incompetent and become his ward/guardian, no need for him to be a ward of the state unless that is the expedient thing to do as a family.

Nope. Really can't. Ends up, after all this it wasn't needed. My brother is Dad's executor. He had the state step in to declare Dad incompetent, and they did. Then they said his guardian needed to have Dad committed, but Dad doesn't have one, so that was impossible. It was possible that my brother could set it up that Dad goes into the hospital to be evaluated. Dad has been left in his house for four months past when he should have been left there alone. (We had a network to make sure someone Dad knows and trusts -- kids, ex wife and lady friend -- always stopped in every say.)

American law is so complex when it comes to the seriously mentally ill -- the ones who cannot take care of themselves but don't know they can't take care of themselves -- that there is no way to enforce any laws on their behalf. Instead of addressing that issue though, the news tells us we need more gun-control laws and we need to let people be homeless if that's their choice. There's a reason there has been a string of mass-murders in the last couple of decades. I read an article a while ago written by the cousin of one of them. She said his entire family were fighting to get him committed. They knew he was going to be violent and his shrink knew it, but the state wouldn't let them commit him, because he didn't want it.

 

[BarlyGurl]

I actually do know something about this... but you seem to know what you know... so I will let it go. Hope your dad gets good care.

 

[Blain]

I fully trust God. Not being cocky there. He's forced me enough into places I never wanted to go that it's been decades of experience knowing he's working himself in me. I know this too is God, but quite possibly like Pharaoh's actions were eventually hardened into God's will.

Dad is not a believer. He had a good 75 years to become one, but he would not. God can still choose to save him, but this may well be a lesson for those who have decided to wait until their death bed before asking God to be born again. What if you don't have your mind left on your death bed?

I also have five siblings who aren't believers, so I can see God using this to reach them. I also have no doubt he's teaching me stuff in all this. God is definitely a multitasker.

That's not cockyness that's confidence, it's a beautiful treasure to have such confidence in god like that, I have had to deal with some of my dearest friends and family never accepted God I have prayed and prayed but nothing yet the pain of knowing your friend or family doesn't have much time left and isn't saved is hard to deal with and makes it harder to trust God but he always knows what he is doing