If I travel to the ends of the earth;
Or had wings to ascend to the heavens,
to find new worlds yet unknown, You are there.
If I could descend to the depths of the earth,
Or could swim to the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there, Your hand shall hold me,
Where can I go from your presence, O Lord?
With Your Holy Spirit within me,
Your holy angels watching over me;
You, Oh Lord, are always there.
I will not wish thee riches, nor the glow of greatness,
but that wherver thou go some weary heart shall gladden
at thy smile, or shadowed life know sunshine for a while.
And so thy path shall be a track of light,
like angels' footsteps passing through the night.
(words on a church wall in Upwaltham England)
Footprints in the Sand
author unknown
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the
beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each
scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonged to him,
and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back
at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path
of his life, there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that
it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. :Lord,
you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the
way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed
you the most you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and
would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you
see only one set of footprints, it was then I carried you."