FATHER, I know that all my life

My times are in Thy hand.

– Psalm 31:15 (KJV)

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Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me,
And the changes that are sure to come,
I do not fear to see;
But I ask Thee for a present mind
Intent on pleasing Thee.

I ask thee for a thoughtful love,
Through constant watching wise,
To meet the glad with joyful smiles,
And to wipe the weeping eyes;
And a heart at leisure from itself,
To soothe and sympathise.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoe’er estate,
I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate;
And a work lowly love to do
For the Lord on whom I wait.

So I ask thee for the daily strength,
To none that ask denied,
And a mind to blend with outward life
While keeping at thy side;
Content to fill a little space,
If thou be glorified.

And if some things I do not ask,
In my cup of blessing be,
I would have my spirit filled the more
With grateful love to Thee—
More careful—not to serve Thee much,
But to please Thee perfectly.

There are briers besetting every path,
That call for patient care;
There is a cross in every lot,
And an earnest need for prayer;
But a lowly heart that leans on Thee
Is happy anywhere.

In a service which thy will appoints
There are no bonds for me,
For my inmost heart is taught “the truth”
That makes thy children “free”;
And a life of self-renouncing love
Is a life of liberty.

– Anna Laetitia Waring (1823 - 1910)

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O, beloved! Words fail me just now. I have not the eloquence or the articulation necessary to impart.

Yet, truth be told, our spirit echos this prayer, does it not? We are safe, secure, held tightly by His loving grace. Our time is, indeed, held in His hand.

It is no longer time, but Time.

Indifference has been replaced with passionate love. Frantic scrambling for meaning, has been cut short. Grasping is futile. It is no longer necessary - never again. Shame is now gratefulness. Sorrow, has been turned to joy. What we thought was lost, isn’t really, truly. Not anymore.

Even what we think is slowly drifting away, just now, isn’t really slipping away at all. You see?

Every moment: purposeful.
Every sliver of time: intentional.
Every minute: honorable.

Everything we see now will be made new again, some Day. It will be repurposed. It will be similar, but better.

Rest now, my soul. All is well, beloved. We’ve been given the gift of Time. Nothingness has turned into Something. We, once orphans, are now children of the living God. We lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10)

Trust in Him - now, tomorrow, the next day, the day after that, and every day that He sustains our life and breath; praise and glory and honor be His forevermore!

Go in peace.