Trusting, Day by Day

Today I went to the memorial service for a 5 week old baby boy who died suddenly on Thursday. It was the first (and, Lord willing, only) service for a baby I've ever had to go to. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to walk into the lobby of my church and see the baby's mom, dad and family crying. The song we sang at the opening of the service was the wonderful old hymn, "Day by Day".

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Power;
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
Ever to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

I couldn't even get through the opening song without crying, because all I could think was that here were two parents who just lost their precious son, yet they are showing such evidence of God's grace even in the song they chose for the baby's memorial service. What a powerful reminder, under any circumstances: we have a loving and almighty Father who wants us to turn to Him for strength & shelter. He will give us the strength we need to make it through even the biggest trials.

I went into the service with a feeling of dread, as I always do, but after the beautiful music and message from the Word of God, I walked out rejoicing with the reminder that God makes no mistakes.

Once again, I am so thankful for HOPE.