Whatever beauty this world holds

Whatever beauty this world holds,
It holds as a poor reflection of heaven,
It holds yet as pure as the earthly can be,
It holds and it draws me more close to Thee.

Whatever beauty this world contains,
It contains as a gift from heaven,
It contains as mist or rains
Something of the glory yet to be known,
It contains yet a bit, yet a scent,
And through it I see and sense,
Incense which draws me more close to Thee.

Whatever beauty of bird or mornings dew
Can only point me more to You
For all that is lovely in truth and delight
Is at God's right hand in radiant light.

May 24 2011
A week ago I was anticipating meetings on the 18th and the 19th and the 20th and the 21st.  Doesn't everyone schedule pleasant events, challenging events, eagerly anticipated events?  My life fills up with ministries of various kinds, and this last week was not out of the ordinary in that.
But then I received an e-mail informing me that one of my aunt's was to have open-heart surgery; would I pray?  Would I ask others to pray?
Furthermore, Sunday night while they were taking the offering at church (okay, I was watching the live stream) I clicked over to check news and learned of the devastating tornado which had hit Joplin, MO.
This tornado was different from all the others so far this year because I have family in Joplin.
I know I went back and listened to the service on live stream.  I even took some notes.  However, I was divided.  I could not stop wondering if my cousin's family was still alive.  I sent queries.  I waited and I prayed.  Time passed and word came back.  They were fine but everyone's workplace had been wiped out.
Where am I going with this for today?  We can and ought plan, act prudently and prayerfully, but neither our possessions nor our lives are truly ours.  Whatever God gifts us with, we are stewards of.  The one sure thing is this:  circumstances can and will change, but God is the same every day and every where.

When
When the weather isn't as I wish,
When the bank balance is tight,
When various other aspects of life seem out of kilter,
I take delight
In the Light
And rest in Peace.
When understanding matters eludes me,
When arguments seem inevitable,
When there aren't enough hours in the day,
I can say,
All is under Your faultless control;
All is then at rest in my soul.

Sorrow and Joy
I had intended to use Psalm 23 for this week and the next, with a focus on the initial verse this week:  "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not lack."
Then there have been sobering events in the lives of friends, or the families of friends, which also brought to mind these verses from Psalm 46:  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be cast into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling" (verses 1-3).
Where is the joy given the sorrow?  When the Lord is my Shepherd--or yours--neither I nor you shall lack, period, not for wisdom, or for strength, or for comfort.  And yet that is something we don't always realize in our frantic busyness.  Which may be one reason God inserts this into Psalm 46 also:  "Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  And why in Psalm 23 the Shepherd causes me--you--to lie down in green pastures, to lead me--you--besides still waters, with the outcome the restoring of my--our your--soul (verses 2-3a).

Strands in God's Hands
My husband Garry suggested that I provide some background.  Friday, I learned of the passing of one person and then of course we all learned of the passing of a very notorious one on Sunday.  That same Friday, one couple  married in front of perhaps 2 billion, counting all the international media present, and another in front of 200 at our church.  God works in all circumstances to accomplish His ends, whether a person is internationally known or known to a more limited number. 
Strands in God's Hands
Some lives are near to us and others far away,
Distant yet famous, in sight and in what they say,
Strands in God's hands
Couples wed in sight of 2 billion or
Of 200 friends, lives brought together
Strands in God's hands
Lives and deaths are honored or brought to dismal ends,
In the light of media or the privacy of friends,
Strands in God's hands
Who invisible commands
Both the unseen and the seen
Who determines each life's length
Whose is the strength
To fulfill His design
Using the strands
In His hands