I was up early this morning, watching the sun rise from my porch. There is such a beauty about the freshness of the morning, and the dewy grass, and the sound of busy birds saying good-morning to the world, robins and hummingbirds were active nearest to me. Though this picture above (taken by Dad and Mom when camping on Lake Ontario) is not the view I was seeing, it does portray some essence of the peacefulness I felt. I was reading the passage for the day from Streams in the Desert, and really loved the comfort of this poem, and felt His nearness.
“I have been through the valley of weeping, The valley of sorrow and pain;
But the ’God of all comfort’ was with me, At hand to uphold and sustain. “As the earth needs the clouds and sunshine, Our souls need both sorrow and joy;
So He places us oft in the furnace, The dross from the gold to destroy. “When he leads thro’ some valley of trouble His omnipotent hand we trace;
For the trials and sorrows He sends us, Are part of His lessons in grace. “Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning, Forgetting the Husbandman knows
That the deeper the cutting and paring, The richer the cluster that grows. “Well He knows that affliction is needed; He has a wise purpose in view,
And in the dark valley He whispers, ’Hereafter Thou ’lt know what I do.’ “As we travel thro’ life’s shadow’d valley, Fresh springs of His love ever rise;
And we learn that our sorrows and losses, Are blessings just sent in disguise. “So we’ll follow wherever He leadeth, Let the path be dreary or bright;
For we’ve proved that our God can give comfort; Our God can give songs in the night.” ~ taken from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman – August 9
