🎵 God Leads His Dear Children Along 🙏 2024 – Week 39

1. In shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along; 
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet, 
God leads His dear children along.

2. Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, 
God leads this dear children along; Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night, 
God leads His dear children along.

3. Though sorrows befall us and Satan oppose, 
God leads His dear children along; Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.

4. Away from the mire, and away from the clay. 
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day, 
God leads His dear children along.

5. Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrows, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

George A. Young, ca 1903

And so my journey with old hymns continues. This one was timely as it helped me through some confronting health news – a 70% lesion or blockage in my left anterior descending (LAD) artery, revealed by a recent CTCA scan.

My cardiologist has ordered an angiogram – it will be the third one – to provide a clear diagnosis. I’m overwhelmed  by this development, so is my family. The previous one, done over a year ago in August 2023, led to a stent in the right posterior descending artery (PDA), addressing the blockage in the lower right side of my heart. This turn of events has had me questioning myself and wondering if my time is limited.

Often taken for granted, time’s preciousness becomes clear in life’s pivotal moments: loss, illness, or uncertainty. Time’s relativity is a choice: waste it, and you’ll crave more; invest in loved ones, memories, and personal growth, and its fleeting nature becomes irrelevant.

Stephen Covey’s words resonate: we must prioritize what truly matters.

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

Stephen R. Covey

And  this hymn “God Leads His Dear Children Along” reminds me that time is God’s gift, not mine to waste. So rather than thinking, ‘How much time do I have left?’, I’m  asking myself, ‘How am I stewarding this divine gift?’

May the story behind this beautiful hymn bless you as it has done me. The devotional below is also sourced from the book “Hymns Volume 1, Daily Grace Co”

George A. Young was a devoted pastor  in a rural area, often struggling to make  ends meet. Despite a poor salary and very  little to call their own, he and his wife  served faithfully and without complaint.

After much effort, they were finally able  to scrape together the money to build a  small house. They were ecstatic to finally  have a place of their own to call home!  Even though the Youngs were well-loved  in their community, there were some  people who did not appreciate their gospel  message.

One day, while the Youngs  were in another area holding meetings,  hoodlums came and burned their house  to the ground, leaving nothing behind. It  is said that after this devastating turn of  events, George penned this beloved hymn  declaring his continued devotion and  loyalty to Jesus Christ and His sovereignty.

We often credit the Lord with the good  things that happen  life. Let us not forget that He is always in control,  during the good and the bad. Whether  on the mountaintop, in a dark valley,  in the middle of a battle, or in severe  persecution, He has never left our side. 

In which season of life do you currently  find yourself? If you are grazing on green  pastures, thank God for this! If you find  yourself looking at someone else’s pasture, remember that an easy life is not the best  thing we can  have in this life.

Jesus is all  we need. Encourage your heart that He  will not lead you to something without sustaining you through it. He is faithful in every season, Psalm 42:8 says it this  way: “The Lord will send his faithful love  by day; his song will be with me in the night – a prayer to the God of my life.” 

Study by Cara Cobble Trantham, Daily Grace Co

It is a powerful story that reminds us that all we need is Jesus. To God be the glory always 🙏❤️