Waves of Abundance

(Taken from Monday Morning Musings – St Stephen Reformed Church  New Holland PA)

Good morning, ladies

Yesterday’s service was a solace to my soul.  The music was so beautiful from beginning to the end.  The words of the hymn, “Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been granted in what He  ordaineth?” spoke to my heart once again. 

When we moved to Lancaster County in ‘01, I was reluctant at first.  Yes, we needed a first-floor bath.  Yes, the taxes were going up each year.  Yes, all the kids were out of the house.  But I loved our home.  I enjoyed the ministries I was involved in at our church.  But I am so thankful that we moved when we did.

     God has abundantly blessed us.  Our former home was mostly in the shade.  I have lots of sun here and can grow flowers-and weeds.  We have been blessed to live in a wonderful neighborhood.  But most importantly, we have had opportunities to minister that we never could have imagined.  If you had told me that we would be involved with an Amish family coming to know the Lord, I probably would have laughed and said, “that would be a miracle.”  For I grew up in an Amish community.  I knew of only one family that became Christians and they were forever shunned.

God has allowed me to share in ministry here at church as well.  The Bible study has been a joy to my heart.  As Pastor Tim said in his sermon, God does not just bless us, He blesses us abundantly, even exceedingly abundantly.  He gives us so much more than we can even ask or think of asking.

Pastor mentioned that in the Greek, the word abundant is a very long word.  In a book entitled Picturesque Word Origins from 1933, ( a hand me down from my aunt who taught school for 50 years) is an interesting origin of the word abundance.  The Latin ‘unda’ means waves and put together means literally to overflow from the sea.  The waves never stop coming.  If you are playing in the ocean, you just keep jumping in the next wave.  One after the other.  The waves will never stop.  Neither will God’s blessings. 

I was disheartened this week learning that in some schools, pornography is actually being taught to the children in private and public schools.  Some in the guise of literature and some in the sexed classes.  Today’s children are being corrupted.  Thankfully there are some parents stepping up and protesting. It seems the words of Psalms 12:1-2 are speaking of our present day. 

Psalms 12:1-2 “Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.  They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.”  Verse 8,” The wicked strut about on every side when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.”

But in contrast, verse 6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words.”  Oh, that America’s children might hear pure words.  We can count on God’s words always being pure and that His abundance will come in wave after wave, never stopping. We must pray for the children of our land, the children of New Holland, and for those parents who are brave enough to stand for truth and purity. 

Edie R

’43 / ’55 New Holland PA

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA