How Firm a Foundation

How Firm a Foundation

third verse:

Fear not,

I am with thee,

O be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee,

and cause thee to stand

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

This is becoming one of my favorite hymns this year! I have always liked it but the more I sing it and the children learn it the more it brings to my life. Today the third verse had great relevance in my life. Yesterday I was feeling really lousy with flu like symptoms and I knew I had to give the talk I prepared for church today. It had an important message that I felt really needed to be addressed and I was hoping and praying that I would feel well enough to deliver it. I truly believe I was strengthened and helped so that I could deliver my talk.

Just a tidbit o' knowledge:This hymn was sung at the fun­er­als of Amer­i­can pres­i­dents The­o­dore Roo­se­velt and Wood­row Wil­son. In ad­di­tion: It was the fa­vo­rite of De­bo­rah Jack­­son Pre­si­dent An­drew Jack­son’s be­loved wife and on his death-bed the war­ri­or and states­man called for it. It was the fa­vo­rite of Gen. Ro­bert E. Lee, and was sung at his fun­er­al. The Amer­i­can love and fa­mil­iar pre­fer­ence for the re­mark­a­ble hymn was ne­ver more strik­ing­ly il­lus­trat­ed than when on Christ­mas Eve, 1898, a whole corps of the Unit­ed States Ar­my North­ern and South­ern, en­camped on the Que­ma­dos hills, near Ha­va­na [Cu­ba], took up the sa­cred tune and words.

(I bet the Spirit was so strongly felt that night!)

1. feeling better

2. answers to prayers

3. wonderful women I serve with

4. talks being over!