JOY IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together.

Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. ~Psalm 122:1-4

    This morning was good as we drove over to Lower Brule. The sun was warm and promising, though it hid behind some clouds and seemed a bit threatening later in the day. The drive sometimes feels a little longer when we drive the bus, but it is certainly worth the effort.

   The children were somewhat subdued and quieter than usual, and I left Sunday School feeling better than I sometimes feel on the drive back home. They seemed to enjoy the singing, the Bible story and the beading craft during the Sunday School hour. We certainly appreciate the families of the children who allow them to come, and sometimes they even bring them to church.

   During the quiet time before church, I often like to play the old hymns that I learned as a child. Those old hymns speak to me-both in my memory and in my daily life. I have discovered that some of those old hymns are no longer in the song books that we use today; and this saddens me. I especially love to hear those hymns on the organ, as an organ seems to 'feel' the message of them. Some of the hymns that were especially in my mind this morning were those that spoke of God as being our Heavenly Father, and His loving care of us as His children. One that has been speaking to me for several weeks is  the following:

 

Zion StandsWith Hills Surrounded

Zion stands with hills surrounded, Zion kept by power divine;

All her foes shall be confounded,

Tho' the world in arms combine:

Happy Zion, What a favored lot is thine!

 

Every human tie may perish: Friend to friend unfaithful prove;

Mothers cease their own to cherish;

Heav'n and earth at last remove--

But no changes Can attend Jehovah's love.

 

In the furnace God may prove thee, Thence to bring thee forth more bright,

But can never cease to love thee;

Thou art precious in his sight:

God is with thee, God, thine everlasting light.

 

May God, thine everlasting light, be with you this week!