He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Isaiah 40:29
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:11
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3
“It costs something to bring children up in the way of God. It costs a mother’s tears and a father’s prayers. It calls for unflagging effort, for patient instruction, here a little and there a little. But this work pays. Parents can thus build around their children bulwarks which will preserve them from the evil that is flooding our world.”
Child Guidance, 479
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
I was feeling a bit down this morning, as I considered some challenges that have recently come into my life. Determined not to start a pity party, I decided to count my blessings instead. As I started to count, my eyes lit on my pile of gifted squash and I was reminded that the blessings of God are as endless as my current supply of zucchini.
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Despite making eight loaves of zucchini bread so far this week, I still haven’t made a dent in this pile of homegrown squash! None of these beauties came from my garden. I did not plant a single squash. You guessed it- these came from my gardening friends and neighbors who are currently drowning in an abundance of zucchini and the like. It seems like every time I use a zucchini, more gets dropped off at our house. As a matter of fact, my husband met a local farmer this week who practically begged him to come take some excess squash out of his field!
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.*
Be encouraged, friends. When you stop and think about it, we’ve been gifted with more blessings than we know what to do with! My challenges are nothing that God can’t handle. God is good!
PS- Can I offer you some peppers or onions from my garden? I seem to have an abundance of both….
*Lyrics from the hymn, Count Your Blessings by J. Oatman Jr.
“There is something for everyone to do in this world of ours. The Lord is coming, and our waiting is to be not a time of idle expectation, but of vigilant work. We are not to spend our time wholly in prayerful meditation, neither are we to drive and hurry and work as if this were required in order that we should gain heaven, while neglecting to devote time to the cultivation of personal piety. There must be a combination of meditation and diligent work. As God has expressed it in His Word, we are to be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” Worldly activities are not to crowd out the service of the Lord. The soul needs the riches of the grace of God, and the body needs physical exercise, in order to accomplish the work that must be done for the promulgation of the gospel of Christ….”
Our High Calling, pg 221
days of my youth! Let me stand once more at the dividing ways, that I may choose the path of light.’ But there was no Father’s voice to answer, and the days of youth would not come back at his call. He thought of the companions of his youth who had chosen the better path, and he wished that he had gone with them. He wished that he had died in his infancy rather than to have lived a wasted life as he had done. With bitter remorse and blinding tears, he bowed his head and cried again, ‘Oh that the days of my youth would come back! oh for a touch from the guiding angel’s hand that once was put forth to lead me in the path of peace and holiness.
The Adventist Home Educator 