I stood on a high bluff above the river early Saturday morning and watched the sun rise in a clear sky above the morning mist. Other people had risen early too and stood quietly watching the changing light and colour. A business man snapped pictures with the camera on his Blackberry. He told me this was just what he needed to relieve the stress of a bad week. Another young man sat on a bench, pulled a yarmulke out of his pocket and put it on his head .
One of my all time favourite hymns is Great is thy Faithfulness. It is based on Lamentations 3:22, 23 which says,
"Because of the LORD's great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
We cannot control the future but each new morning brings a promise of God's love and provision. The morning may begin with darkness and mist but the sun is there to bring light and clarity in time.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Thomas Chisholm, 1923
Praise the Lord for His great faithfulness.Gorgeous pictures and a most appropriate hymn of praise.Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteRuth
Ruth--lovely photos, and most needed sentiment.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking these days that we need to remember the Gospels' injunction--take no anxious thought for tomorrow.
There are a lot of anxious thoughts these days. And all our strivings are like chaff in the wind.
What a beautiful hymn. I love the first picture, there so many colors in it.
ReplyDeleteEach year my father looks at the treelines and waits for the perfect timing/day so he drive the country sideroads looking at all the beautiful fall colours. He has many photos over his years of the fall season. He was thinking that today(saturday) would be the day, but this morning decided to give it two more days and the colours will be just perfect. If it was me (and I had the time) I would have gone today and Monday, just can't get enough of fall and it doesn't last long.
What a wonderful post. The pictures are lovely and the hymn most inspiring.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
What a beautiful post! You also included one of my most favorite hymns. Just this morning I underlined the verses in my new Spanish Bible
ReplyDelete60 years ago today (Thanksgiving Day) your great grandfather Devins passed away at 51 years of age. He also loved that hymn and like you could not get enough of the beauties of God's creation.
Thank you. You made my day.
Mom, I had forgotten the day of Grandad's death (he is our girls' great grand) Sixty years today! I wrote this post and planned to publish it on Sunday, but then felt I should post it right away. Now I know why.
ReplyDeleteRuth- Thank you. God has blessed us abundantly and we have much to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteDonna- I was going to mention the scripture from Matthew about anxious thoughts. Worry can add nothing to our lives. Thanks for the comment.
Cheryl- You have been where I took these pictures, but not at this hour of the morning. I hope the sun shines on Monday because that is what makes the colours glow. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
NCMW- Thanks! You have a wonderful attitude in the face of a difficult month.
There is lots to be thankful for. We have to constantly remind ourselves that: and it keeps us on our best behavior and spirits.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful hymn............the photographs a stunning....the colours are quite breathtaking......
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was a great Thanksgiving Ruth. The photos are simply ethereal and bring home to all of us how small we are in the scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful spiritual post, Ruth. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteGlorious photos and a glorious hymn to the king of glory!
ReplyDelete"Great Is Thy Faithfulness", how true. This hymn was Grandma T's favorite. How many times I heard her sing & play it on the piano. One of your cousins walked down the isle on her wedding day to this hymn. Beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteRuth, your photos and words brought refreshment and comfort to me tonight. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Ruth and perfect for your Thanksgiving...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruth. And Happy Thanksgiving you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a beautiful post, and one of my favorite hymns! It's been a tough week for me, and I will now head for bed with gratitude and expectation for the "new mercies" that I am sure to see in the morning.
ReplyDeleteRuth,
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful. Praise God for making this earth in all of its beauty for us to enjoy.
I love this hymn and it is one of my favorites. Thank you for the beautiful post.
Blessings,
Mary
Beautiful post Ruth! Words of inspiration that go hand in hand with the beauty of the season.
ReplyDeleteWe have a traprock ridge named Mount Lamentation in CT.-I never connected it with the Bible.I've read some but not all of it.I don't remember reading that part of the bible.
Looking up the word lamentation-I did not realize that it was from the root word lament.-So I learned something too-thanks.
You have some incredible pictures here.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love that hymn, too. It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteSo are your photos =)