"He Hideth My Soul" - Revisited 10/15/2017

I originally posted this about seven years ago in October of 2010..and it still rings true today!  I needed to re-read it again today...maybe you do too!  God bless you, my friends.

Exodus 33:22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by."

Moses had asked God for a new vision of His Glory just before he was given the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone on Mount Sinai.  Moses said to the Lord in Exodus 33:18,

"Please, show me Your glory." 

And God responded in verses 19-23, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.  I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.  But He said, "You cannot see MY face; for no man shall see Me, and live."  And the Lord said (to Moses), "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock, and so it shall be, while MY glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.  Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."

How often have we asked God to please show us His glory? I wonder how many of us have asked God for "a sign", or a glimpse of His power...or just a peek at what His plans are for us.   I am certain that we have all asked for that at some point, and perhaps many times, in our lives.  Whether it be so that we could increase our faith by some tangible demonstration of God's power and work in our midst, or maybe so that we would know how to proceed with our life's plans...whether or not to seek a new position, home, mate, church, or whatever the decisions we may be facing.  In many cases, it could be that we are facing decisions about our health, surgeries, treatment plans, diets, or some other life changing situation...we could all say that we have honestly sought God's face and have earnestly desired to feel and see His power and glory expressed on our behalf.

In response to our quest for a witness of God's power and glory, what have we discovered about God and His relationship to us?  Does He always answer quickly with a showy demonstration of majesty and power? Do lightning bolts flash through the sky and enlighten us with the answers we are longing to hear?  Do we automatically receive wisdom and relief regarding our burden or pain?  Most likely not.  The reality is that we often have to seek long and hard and often to hear God's voice and "see His face"...or maybe the voice we hear and the face we see is not what we were hoping to hear and see.  Oftentimes the response is not what we were wanting to hear, such as, "No", "Not Now", or "Trust Me". 

There is an old hymn that helps to illuminate our minds on what the Lord was telling Moses that day...and it speaks to me today as well...

"A wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord, a wonderful Saviour to me; He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock where rivers of pleasure I see."

Chorus:  "He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depth of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand." 

"A wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord, He taketh my burden away; He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved; He giveth me strength as my day."     Chorus

"With numberless blessings each moment He crowns, and, filled with His fullness divine, I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God! For such a Redeemer is mine!"   Chorus

"When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise to meet Him in clouds of the sky, His perfect salvation, His wonderful love, I'll shout with the millions on high!"   Chorus:

"He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depth of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand."  (Fanny J. Crosby)

Yes, I would love to see God's glory today...I would love to feel His power in my life and hear His voice telling me which way to go in all situations.  And perhaps I can see His glory...it surely is all around me everyday...just look outside...look up into the heavens...the sun, the moon, the stars...the sunrise, the sunset...the storm clouds, the rainbow after the storm...these are all demonstrations of His glory and power and majesty...and so is the still, small voice that says,

"Be still, and know that I AM God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  Psalm 46:10

and again, the tender voice of God saying:

"This is the way, walk in it..."  Isaiah 30:21

Yes, Lord, I need to see your glory, I want to feel your power, I want to know beyond a shadow of doubt what Your divine plan is for my life and for those I love.  Help me to trust You when You hide me in the cleft of the rock...help me to know that You are always doing what is best for me...to protect me from things I do not understand or clearly see.  Help me to be patient and wait on Your still, small voice, directing my steps and telling me, "This is the way, walk in it."  In Your Name I pray, Amen.

After posting this I thought of another song that goes along with this passage:

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, from Thy riven side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save me from its guilt and power.

Not the labors of my hands can fulfill Thy laws demands. Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could NOT atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling; naked, come to Thee for dress, helpless, look to Thee for grace.  Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Saviour, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to realms unknown, see Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee."     AMEN.
Augustus M. Toplady

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Sheltered and Protected

I tried to sit in the Secret Garden today, but the chickadees are still trying to build their nest in the birdhouse, and it became quite apparent that I was hampering their progress by my presence in the garden.

I tried to just sit real still and quietly, but as soon as they saw me there they started chattering back and forth...and looking at me, and then flying around to other limbs, and the birdie with the nesting materials in her mouth just would NOT go in the birdhouse as long as I remained sitting there.

And then a bug dropped on me from the tree above that looked too much like a tick or small spider or something...I didn't let it stay on me long enough to get it's entomological identification...I quickly brushed him off, checked myself for other bugs, gathered up my stuff and decided to move to the front porch.  The porch has been rather sadly neglected since I developed the Secret Garden.  So I thought this would be a good time to enjoy it before the weather gets too hot to sit out there!

So, as I sat there on the porch trying to "relax" and get focused on what the Lord would say to me today...it took me a few minutes to adjust to my new surroundings...and finally I just had to pray...

"Lord, help me to focus my thoughts and attention on YOU and YOU alone!"

I had written down this verse the other day when I saw it referred to in one of my daily devotions:

"And He (God) said, 

'My Presence will go with you,

and I will give you rest.'"

Exodus 33:14

Rest is my "One Word" for this year, and so I know that is why this verse caught my attention.  I love what God is saying actually to Moses here, when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after escaping Egypt.  I am sure Moses needed to find rest as he was under so much pressure from the people on every side. What a comfort this must have been to Moses, to hear God tell him that His Presence would go with him, and that He would give him rest.  

And then further down, in verses 18-23, Moses had asked the Lord if He would please show him His glory...and God explained to Moses that "no man shall see Me, and live..." (verse 20), but God did something very special for Moses in verses 21-23. 

21.  "And the Lord said, 'Here is a place by Me,

and you shall stand on the rock.

22.  So it shall be, while My glory passes by, 

that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and cover you

with My hand while I pass by.

23.  Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see 

My back, but My face shall not be seen."

I love how God did not put Moses down for asking this special request, but instead He placed Moses in a safe place, actually right beside Him, and He covered Moses with His hand while He passed by so that Moses would not die...and yet he would witness the Lord passing by. God must have loved Moses very much, don't you think?

Also, in another place, Isaiah 51, verse 16, God tells Isaiah

"I have covered you with the shadow of My hand."

Perhaps this is the message God is wanting to get across to me (and maybe you) today...nothing too deep or profound...just to know that He is sheltering me here, in the "cleft of the rock", "under the shadow of His hand"...

Isaiah 51:12-13 further tells me this:

12.  "I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you should be afraid 

of a man who will die,

and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?

13.  And you forget the Lord your Maker,

Who stretched out the heavens

and laid the foundations of the earth..."

Yes,, Lord, sometimes I DO give in to fears...not so much the BIG fears of life, but often the little insignificant fears that nag at my mind...stupid stuff  (like bugs falling out of trees?...Well maybe it's okay to be a little afraid of that, isn't it Lord???)

Well, maybe I do worry about some of the big stuff too...like getting older, health concerns for myself and/or my hubby, financial issues, etc....

Psalm 71 reminds me in David's "Prayer for Old Age"

5.  "For You are my hope, O Lord God;

You are my trust from my youth.

6.  By You I have been upheld from birth;

You are He who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually of You."

9.  "Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

17.  "O God, You have taught me from my youth;

and to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

18.  Now also when I am old and grayheaded ,

O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come."

As most of you know by now, I love to include old hymns with these posts, because often as I am writing the Lord reminds me of a song and I can't stop until I've looked it up and sung it for all to hear...(probably what keeps scaring the birds away...), but today this song blessed my heart as I read about God hiding Moses in the cleft of the rock...and I wanted to share it with you.  

Click on THIS LINK to sing along with The Haven of Rest Quartet as they sing "He Hideth My Soul", an old favorite by Fanny Crosby.

1. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
   A wonderful Savior to me;
   He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
   Where rivers of pleasure I see.
   • Refrain:
     He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
     That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
     He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
     And covers me there with His hand,
     And covers me there with His hand.
2. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
   He taketh my burden away,
   He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
   He giveth me strength as my day.
3. With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
   And filled with His fullness divine,
   I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God!
   For such a Redeemer as mine.
4. When clothed with His brightness transported I rise
   To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
   His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,
   I’ll shout with the millions on high.

I'm sorry that video didn't include all of the verses, but you can keep singing now that you know the tune!

I pray that today you will feel the wonderful protection of the Lord over your life, as He shelters you in the cleft of the rock, and covers you there with His hand!  We are so blessed to be His children! Amen?  Praise God!!  Have a beautifully blessed day, my friends.

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 6-He Hideth My Soul

Today it was a little rainy, cold and dreary, so it wasn't a good day to sit in the Secret Garden...

Looking out the window toward the Secret Garden

But  God had already prepared another place for me to sit under the cover of our back porch, and still be in a quiet, peaceful place, sheltered by His loving hands.

This is also a very special place , set apart as a memorial garden in loving memory of our precious son Matthew, who was called away to heaven much too soon for us, but right on time in God's perfect plan for his life.

And so I ventured out, and entered the garden and prepared my heart for worship.  The first thing I noticed before sitting down was how the birds were being sheltered within the trees and the birdfeeder, as they waited out the drizzly rain.

And immediately my heart started to sing and praise the Lord , yes, I actually sang silently so as not to disturb the birds, but my heart was singing out loud, and I know God heard me...

"A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me..

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

where rivers of pleasure I see.

Chorus:

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

that shadows a dry thirsty land,

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

and covers me there with His hand...

And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord;

He taketh my burden away..

He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved;

He giveth me strength as my day...

(chorus)

With numberless blessings 

each moment He crowns,

and, filled with His fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture,

Oh! Glory to God!

For such a Redeemer as mine!

(chorus)

When clothed in His brightness,

transported I rise

to meet Him in clouds of the sky;

His perfect salvation,

His wonderful love,

I'll SHOUT with the millions on high!!

(Chorus)

(He Hideth My Soul, by Fanny Crosby)

Then God directed me to Isaiah 51:15-16:

"But I Am the Lord your God,

Who divided the sea whose waves roared--

The Lord of hosts is His name.

And I have put MY words in your mouth,

I have covered you with the shadow of MY hand..."

And I responded with Psalm 32:7-8:

"You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

I (God) will instruct you and teach you

in the way you should go;

I will guide you with my eye."

Then God brought me to Psalm 31 as follows:

14> "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;

I say, 'You are my God,

15>  My times are in Your hand...'"

19> "Oh how great is Your goodness,

which You have laid up for those who fear You...

which You have prepared for those who trust in You

in the presence of the sons of men!

20>  You (GOD) shall hide them in the 

"secret place" of Your Presence 

from the plots of man;

You shall keep them "secretly"

in a pavilion from the strife of tongues."

I couldn't help but notice how God was showing me how He is covering me (us) with His loving hands...and hiding us in the "secret place"...away from the plots of men and those who would seek to harm us.  In this current day and age, many of us have concerns about the "plots of men and those who would seek to harm us"...terrorists and other enemies of our nation, as well as the enemies of our faith.  But God is sheltering, protecting, and keeping us safe in the secret place of His love. We need not fear what man may do to us.

My heart broke out in song again:  singing the praise chorus that says...

"How Great is our God... (click HERE for video "world" version with Chris Tomlin)

"How Great Is Our God"

The splendor of a king
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps Himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One
Father, Spirit and Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

Name above all names
You are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God

[3x]
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

And then I sang the more familiar chorus to "How Great Thou Art"

"Then sings my soul,

my Savior God, to Thee;

How great Thou art,

How great Thou art...

Then I looked across the page in my Bible Psalm 30, and I see some of the verses that I've underlined as they've become precious to me since the passing of our son almost three years ago...

Psalm 30:4-5

"Sing praise to the Lord,

you saints of His,

and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name...

For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for LIFE;

Weeping may endure for a night,

but JOY comes in the morning!"

Verse 11:

"You have turned for my my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

 12:

To the end that my glory may sing praise to You

and not be silent...

O Lord my God,

I will give thanks to YOU forever..."

"Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee...

How great Thou art,

How Great Thou art!"

No, I'm not so calloused that I no longer mourn or grieve the loss of our son, 

But...I KNOW where he is!!  He's with God Our Father, Jesus the Son, Our Savior, and the Holy Spirit...All there together...in heaven for eternity!  And we will see him again one day,

so how can I be sad?  He's safe at home, eternally!  Praise God for that peace and assurance!  

"Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation,

purchase of God,

born of His Spirit,

washed in His blood.

This is my story,

this is my song,

Praising my Savior

all the day long.

This is my story,

this is my song;

Praising my Savior all the day long!!"

Amen

(Blessed Assurance, by Fanny Crosby)

Note: I sure look forward to meeting 

Fanny Crosby someday in heaven!

What a blessing she has been to me and 

countless millions of people who have sung 

the hymns she wrote out of her heart and love for

Jesus Christ our Savior!

I pray that your Sunday worship is a time of great joy, knowing that the Lord hides our soul in the cleft of the rock...and that He is keeping us safe within the shelter of His loving hands.  

"How Great is OUR God!!!"  

Amen!!

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 2 "I Am Your Servant"

This is Day 2 of The Secret Garden Chronicles...and I must say I am a bit overwhelmed...by God and His love...and by you, my friends...and how you have blessed me with your overwhelming response to how God is ministering to us through this place. Thank you for your words of encouragement and affirmation on yesterday's post.  You are truly an inspiration to me, and also a confirmation that God is in this new adventure in the Secret Garden.  I truly hope you will continue to come along with me as the Lord shares His message through His Word and His creation.

Lord, I am Your servant...I am listening for Your voice...

Micah 6:8

"He has shown you, O man (woman!),

what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you...

1. But to do justly
2. To love mercy
3. And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 7:7

"Therefore I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

My God will hear me."

Not  sure where all of this is leading, Lord...

     So I started to sing:

"Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou has died...

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer 

Blessed Lord,

to Thy Precious bleeding side.

I am Thine O Lord,

I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith

and be closer drawn to Thee...

(Chorus)

Consecrate me now

to Thy service, Lord,

By the power of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

and my will be lost in Thine.

(Chorus)

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

that before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, 

and with Thee, my God,

I commune as friend with friend!"

"Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou has died...

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer 

Blessed Lord,

to Thy Precious bleeding side."

(Draw Me Nearer, by Fanny Crosby)

 Psalm 73:28 says:

"But it is good for me

to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

that I may declare

ALL YOUR WORKS!"

So, Lord, Is this why I am being drawn to this Secret Garden...so that I may draw nearer to YOU, and then that I may declare ALL YOUR WORKS to others?

My friend Gayle Belanger writes in her book Live Free, The Inner Journey To Healing, (pgs. 22-23)

"In order for your inner man or woman to commune with God, you must intentionally

prepare yourself and your surroundings.

First, find a favorite place that is quiet and free from distractions.  

It is of utmost importance that you take time each day to commune in a 

beautiful, peaceful and loving space (location) with your Lord.

Preferably, the same place each time.

I find the anointing of His Spirit builds up in that spot and

it becomes a sacred place.

As you make this your daily routine, you will find the Lord 

waiting there for you."

Oh yes, Gayle, You hit it right on the head with this!  Every day I am seeing more and more how extra special this place is...it has been set apart as a place to commune with my Lord; a place where I can draw nearer to Him...and He is there waiting for me, in the stillness, the quietness, the calm, the beauty...

Even the birds as they fly to and fro going about their business...they pause a moment to watch...

and I believe they too sense God's Presence here...and then they go on about their way, blessing me with their sweet songs!

Yes, "I am Thine O Lord, I have heard Thy Voice..."

As this precious time of listening to God's Voice drew to a close, I thought about what the Lord was teaching me...and then another old hymn came to mind...

"Jesus, I would faithful be,

Give me the power, give me the power...

Jesus I would walk with Thee,

Each passing hour, each passing hour.

In Thy footsteps place my feet,

As Thou dost will, as Thou dost will;

And if thorns my pathway meet,

Bid me be still, be still."

(Jesus I Would Faithful Be" by J.O. Hillyer)

"BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD;

I WILL BE EXALTED AMONG THE NATIONS,

I WILL BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH!"

Psalm 46:10

Thank You, Lord, for speaking to me today. Thank You for drawing me nearer to Thee.  Now help me to be faithful to my task..."In Thy footsteps place my feet...and if thorns my pathway meet...Bid me be still...be still!"  Amen.

Now for some practical thoughts concerning spending this time in the Secret Garden with the Lord...I thought of some things I need to remember each day:

1. My Bible
2. My Journal
3. An ink pen that writes smoothly!
4. A hymnbook because the Lord keeps reminding me of special songs and I want to get the words right!
5. My camera...(of course!)
6. And...this should be #1:  An open heart, open soul, open mind, and open ears!!!

Here are a few more pictures of my latest project for the Secret Garden! (I told someone this isn't finished yet...always something new to add!)

We have a new next door neighbor in the house behind us...and this old wire planter was on the back porch...and he said he was going to be taking some things to the dump...so I asked him if he intended to take this to the dump as well...and he asked me if I wanted it, and I said yes, I'd very much like to have it for my Secret Garden...  Yes...I know it is all rusty and ugly...but so were some of us before the Lord cleaned us up and changed us and made us a new creature!!!

 And so this morning, armed with a can of white spray paint...this little planter became a useful and beautiful vessel for the Secret Garden....

I needed a small table beside the bench to put my cup of tea or water on when I sit out here...and this little "table" is perfect!

So, thank You, Lord...and thank you, new neighbor!!!

Here's one more "new thing" in the garden:

The little camellia bush that my friend Karen gave me is blooming again!!!  Isn't it lovely?  Thank you, Karen...and thank YOU Lord, for Your beauty all around us!!!

Yes, Lord, I AM YOUR servant... and I have heard Your voice...

"And it told Thy love to me;"

"Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord...

By the Power of grace divine;

Let my soul look UP with a steadfast hope,

and MY WILL be LOST in Thine!"

Amen!!

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Tonight I have heard some disturbing news.  A dear couple, whom I have known since childhood, having gone to school together, have lost their son suddenly.  He was only 29 years old, and the father of two children.  At noon he went in to lie down, and when his father went in to check on him, he was not breathing, and could not be revived. Just that quickly, God had called him home. No warning, no time to pray for him, no time to say good-bye...gone, in a moment's time.  It seems cruel in some ways, not fair...we don't understand why...apparently he even had a fiance'... He was too young...still had his whole life ahead of him.  But he is gone.  My heart is breaking for that family...his parents, his children, his fiance', his brother and others who loved him.

I guess this hits me really hard because we have been dealing with life and death issues in our own family...our son, who is only 37, is battling a very deadly disease, cancer.  And yet, we have high hopes...the Doctors have been somewhat encouraging in that they believe they have caught it in time to treat it and hopefully bring about a cure.  We've been given time to pray for him, to help him fight for his life, to spend time with him and encourage him and love him. For this kindness we are eternally grateful to God.

Yet, none of us are guaranteed any time on this earth...we are here because God brought us into existence and placed us here. But no man knows how many days, months, years or decades he may live.  I am not trying to be morbid...but truthful.  This life that we've been given is exactly that...a gift.  There are no guarantees of long life, good health, or financial wealth.  There is a fragile thread that holds us between life and death. A "silver cord" that holds us here...but then comes the real life...the real joy...

"Someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing;

But, oh, the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King!"

Chorus:

"And I shall see Him face to face and tell the story--saved by grace;

And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story--saved by grace."

"Someday my earthly house will fall, I cannot tell how soon 'twill be;

But this I know, my All in All has now a place in heaven for me."

(Chorus)

"Someday, when fades the golden sun beneath the rosy-tinted west,

My blessed Lord will say, "Well done!" And I shall enter into rest.

(Chorus)

"Someday, till then I'll watch and wait, My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,

That when my Saviour opes the gate, My soul to Him may take its flight!"

(Chorus:)

"And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story--saved by grace!

And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story, saved by grace."

I love this old-fashioned hymn, "Saved by Grace", written by Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), whom I believe was blind.  It is a beautiful testimony of her faith in Christ and His promise to prepare a place for her in heaven.  I, too, claim this promise, and look forward to that day "when I shall wake within the palace of the King!"

My prayers are with my friends tonight as they are grieving this great loss in their family. There are no words that can fully comfort them at this time. I can only pray that God's Holy Spirit, our Great Comforter, will undergird them with His Mighty Arms, and hold them close and calm their hearts. I pray that they will think about their son, safe in the arms of Jesus, and in the palace of the King.  We have this great hope of heaven, through Christ our Lord. Amen.