“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story; those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.” Psalm 107:1-3
Being in the same room with a group of Haitian school children giving thanks for their meal of food for the day brings a lump in my throat every time. It should be there when my family gathers around the table and we give thanks for our meal, but my mind always seems to drift off and think about children like are in the attached photo. These kids are sitting at their school “desk” in an open-air classroom at 11:30 in the morning and it is hot outside and inside. These little ones probably have three outfits; church clothes, school uniform and T-shirt and a pair of shorts; nothing more. Most of them are getting one real meal on this day and it is on their desk in front of them. You and I are so blessed as we give thanks for each of our three daily meals and seldom do we stop to think about that and let that truth sink in. These little ones and you and I are so blessed because of what Jesus gave for us on the cross a few weeks ago and seldom do we stop and really think about and appreciate that. O, let us give thanks. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Redeemed, Restored, Forgiven’ that were written by Henry W. Baker in 1876.
“Redeemed, restored, forgiven, through Jesus' precious blood, heirs of His home in heaven, oh, praise our pardoning God! Praise Him in tuneful measures Who gave His Son to die; praise Him whose sevenfold treasures enrich and sanctify. Once on the dreary mountain we wandered far and wide, far from the cleansing fountain, far from the pierced side; but Jesus sought and found us and washed our guilt away; with cords of love, He bound us to be His own for aye. Dear Master, Thine the glory of each recovered soul. Ah! Who can tell the story of love that made us whole? Not ours, not ours, the merit; be thine alone the praise and ours a thankful spirit to serve Thee all our days. Now keep us, holy Savior, in Thy true love and fear and grant us of Thy favor the grace to persevere till, in Thy new creation, earth's time long travail o'er, we find our full salvation and praise Thee evermore.”
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths 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.