“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
When this photo was captured is was final test week in Haiti and that is what is taking place now; tense moments for the children. This young girl is standing next to her father and he smiled when I asked if she was a good student, and said ‘wi, tres byen’. This was her last year at this primary school in Gonaives and next year she will be enrolled in a secondary school which is similar to our high school and there won’t be a feeding program there. This man was very proud of his daughter and it was easy to tell that she was proud of her father as she hugged him and went on to take another test. This is Father’s Day and our Heavenly Father is with us each moment of our day, and we prayerfully say ‘thank you’ as we head to our next test in our life’s journey. If you can, please hug your earthly father this weekend and give thanks to your Heavenly Father for blessing you with a family and so many other blessings we receive daily. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name’ that were written by Edward Perronet in 1799.
“All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall; bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all. Crown Him, ye martyrs of our God, who from His altar call; extol the Stem of Jesse's rod and crown Him Lord of all. Ye seed of Israel's chosen race, ye ransomed from the Fall, hail Him who saves you by His grace and crown Him Lord of all. Hail Him, ye heirs of David's line, whom David Lord did call, the God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all. Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget the wormwood and the gall, go, spread your trophies at His feet and crown Him Lord of all. Let every kindred, every tribe, on this terrestrial ball to Him all majesty ascribe and crown Him Lord of all. Oh, that with yonder sacred throng we at His feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song and crown Him Lord of all.”
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay