In light of the tragedy that struck Connecticut yesterday, I wanted to offer up a hymn by Anne Steele that I have often turned to in times of distress:

Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cling to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
Or can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner’s prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

For those in the New Haven area, a vigil for Newtown is being planned tonight at 6PM on the New Haven Green:

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• What If All Is Not Well With My Soul? (rickwadholmjr.wordpress.com)
• When tragedy strikes: a prayerful response to the shootings in Connecticut (csmonitor.com)
• Grieving on the Longest Night (ucucc.wordpress.com)