“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me” Psalm 138:7
As a child of God living in North America, there will always be some form of trouble or challenges in my life as the evil foe will have it no other way while he is still unleashed; roaming through every crook and cranny on this earth. The child on the left in the attached photo is no doubt enduring more troubles in her life than the children next to her as her eyes seem to be filled with thoughts elsewhere on this day as she eats her lunch. Her prayer time in Bois Marchand is reaching our Heavenly Father in the same amount of time that our prayers reach Him; immediately. We think that her problems can’t possibly be like ours, but in truth they are as they were started by satan, in the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden, in Illinois, in Haiti, in Tennessee and all over this world; the evil foe brings trouble into the lives of those who call upon the Triune God; and trouble also drops upon those who don’t. Big difference here, we are saved, those still clinging to the lies of the vodou priest are not saved. Horatius Bonar wrote the lyrics for the hymn ‘Thy works, not mine, O Christ’ in 1857 and they are such a wonderful reminder that our Savior is always near, always there when we call upon His name.
“Thy works, not mine, O Christ, speak gladness to this heart; they tell me all is done, they bid my fear depart. To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee? Thy wounds, not mine, O Christ, can heal my bruised soul; Thy stripes, not mine, contain the balm that makes me whole. To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee? Thy cross, not mine, O Christ, has borne the awe-full load of sins that none could bear but the incarnate God. To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee? Thy death, not mine, O Christ, has paid the ransom due; ten thousand deaths like mine would have been all too few. To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee? Thy righteousness, O Christ, alone can cover me; no righteousness avails save that which is of Thee. To whom save Thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?”
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