What God Promises

Our little family has been experiencing pain and suffering these last few day.  Another fall and a trip to the ER has made it clear that changes in Lacy's care need to be made now.  We are planning for the short run, but are now looking for a nursing home and thinking this next step is not far away.  Big changes are coming.

There is an urgency about our situation.  I can't explain it, but there is a sense that time is short.  We have to be prepared for what will come, heeding that still, small voice that urges us onward.  So we are making plans.

Lacy has lost so much in the last few months.  He can barely walk now, and we are transitioning him to a wheelchair.  It's the yellow model he ordered about a year ago.  Kenny and I feel a sense of relief that he is now forced to use the chair much more.  The walker is just too unreliable.

I've always found inspiration and comfort in the written word.  I often memorize poems or Psalms and they come to mind when I need them.  This week, I've been quietly reciting the poem by Annie Johnson Flint, "What God Hath Promised."

WHAT GOD HATH PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.


Yes, it is simple and a little cheesy, but it reminds me of the truth; that God promised He would never leave us.  He promised He has overcome the world.  God has promised that nothing can separate us from His love, that He knows who we are, and understands our limits. I'm so grateful for His promises.


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