Father Hear The Prayer We Offer

Father hear the prayer we offer
Nor for ease that prayer shall be,
But for strength that we may ever
Live our lives courageously.

Not forever by still waters
Would we idly, quiet stay;
But would smite the living fountains
From the rocks along our way.

Be our strength in hours of weakness,
In our wanderings be our guide;
Thro endeavor, failure, danger,
Father, be Thou at our side.

Let our path be bright or dreary,
Storm or sunshine be our share;
May our souls in hope unweary
Make thy work our ceaseless prayer. Amen.

This song has been stuck in my head all day. It's special to me because it was sung at our wedding, 29 years ago next month. I was only 19 years old & was definitely counting on more sunshine than storms to be our share. I must say it has been almost all sunshine & only a few storms. Tonight we find ourselves in a storm. Most all of you who read my blog know Christine has had such a difficult pregnancy. She's 26 weeks along, & has spent several months of it in the hospital. Tonight she was moved to labor & delivery so she could receive magnesium sulfate to stop contractions. She's not officially in labor, but is having way too many contractions. Please pray for her, for baby Sam, Matt & Jack. Pray for God's perfect timing & His power to touch, heal & protect Christine & Sam. I can't thank you enough for each prayer that goes up!

Have No Fear

This is what we found in our pool this morning. Cute...messy... We've tried to run them off. I left a message with animal control. Ray e-mailed the city. For a while I thought they were gone, then I went outside to have my quiet time & there they were enjoying this pretty spring day.
I opened my devotional book, and this was the scripture for the day. Ps. 112:7 "he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." This may be a stretch, but I keep asking for & looking for signs that everything will be OK. This has been a rough week for Christine, & her pain just gets worse as the baby grows & stretches that unyielding scar tissue. We are all struggling with fear this week. For her & for Sam. But this verse & this momma duck guarding these little ducklings just felt like a sign to me. They refuse to leave, and I know God is watching over my babies and also refuses to leave us. He knows when it's safe & when the coast is clear! Help us Lord, to trust in your perfect timing. "even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious & compassionate & righteous man" Ps. 112:4