The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. Isaiah 57:1-2
The bad news carried on the airwaves. A plane carrying soldiers from the 101st had crashed in Gander. Initially, we had no report of who was on the aircraft. But three of the Company Commanders in the Battalion were very close friends of mine and the odds were high at least one of them was on that plane. In time, I discovered Brian had perished in the crash. Brian was an energetic young West Pointer with loads of potential. He was a man of God who had committed his life to the mission field while deployed to the Sinai. Why would God take such a talented young disciple in the infancy of his service? The answer may never be clear, but my wife found the verse above in her quiet time and it was great comfort to me. Perhaps God was bringing him home early to protect him from some evil. Even in our deepest grief we can be certain that God is in control and has a plan. SP295
