"Whate'er my God ordains is right" is likely the toughest line penned in any hymn. It unambiguously places us before a sovereign whose will is obscured by his splendor. We hide in the crack of a rock, glad for the safe provision, while clinging to the pebbles of this life. "Whate'er" sounds so much more hopeful in a fresh spring garden or when catching a first glimpse of a new grandbaby. So little faith is needed then. But "whate'er" in the hard days, when disappointment mixes with pain, when illness holds us down, when we cannot see past the next five minutes: that's when faith is on the line. That's when God himself must be our strength. Sing it out: sing it to those around you, sing it to yourself and to your children: "Whate'er my God ordains is right: here shall my stand be taken; though sorrow, need, or death be mine, yet am I not forsaken; my Father's care is round me there; He holds me that I shall not fall: and so to him I leave it all." [Rodigast] ~ Musings on a sabbath afternoon that I post to Facebook from time to time.
