“The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.” Isaiah 51:5
Hopefully, you and I will seldom experience truly extreme, severe trials in our lifetime. The trials of a North American are greatly different than the Haitian boy in the attached photo will probably face daily. Too often what seem like a trial to us can be eliminated with the swipe of a credit card or the writing of a check, time out at a golf course or a trip to the doctor; too often we fail to turn to Him with our trials.
The child in the photo attends the Messif School in Ouanaminthe and the trials that the students there face daily, force them to place their trust in God alone. When there is no food for their table at home and no human deliverance is possible, they must completely place their trust in our Heavenly Father. The severe trial is a blessing to them, and could also be a blessing to us if we surrender all of our problems to Him who created us.
Our fallen world tells us to look to ourselves for the escape route from trials but this young boy and his family have nowhere else to turn; they humbly run into their Heavenly Father's arms and wait patiently to receive His blessings as promised. Together we join our brothers and sisters in Haiti and lean on His everlasting arms. Elisha Hoffman penned the following words in 1887 and are still true today.
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms; what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms. Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms; oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms. What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.”
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