Hymn composed by John Rippon, 1751-1836

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Irene and I were out early this morning exploring “The Door”, a new Christian bookstore in Santa Cruz.  We also met the owner, Mike Dunn, a local resident.  After coming home, Irene was still up to some additional shopping so while I napped she ventured to Trader Joe’s and jokingly said she was going to visit Beverly at Beverly’s, actually a place of therapeutic value and solace for her …. but to her surprise she actually ran into Beverly Sleeper at the store where they visited in the fabric aisle!!!

Later in the day as the storm front made its way inland we relaxed and enjoyed Jimmy Stewart western movies.

As Irene patiently and optimistically treks the journey of faith, her confidence and HEALING rests in Him, His timing and in His redemptive purposes.

Caminando con Fé

Dave