Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him, Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory!
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children.
In His arms He carries them all day long.
Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness
Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song.”
Once they all sat down, Joshua’s mood was a bit lighter. Martha was correct. He needed to do the right thing.
Reverend Mills cleared his throat. “We have great needs and heartache in our little town. This week, the Lord changed my heart about what Scripture to share. I’d like to read from Psalm 121.
‘I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’”
As their pastor expounded upon the passage, Joshua ended up tuning out the man’s words. The thought of Anna having to bear this trial alone tore at his heart.
He cringed at the remembrance of their last evening spent together.
It was supposed to be the night he asked for her hand in marriage. With her father’s permission, he was going to ask her to wait until he finished medical school. It had been the opportunity of a lifetime to study in Chicago. She’d supported him and shared his excitement.
But then, for some idiotic reason, he’d gotten onto the topic of her going on expeditions with her father. It had been one thing for her to accompany him as his daughter and because he was her only parent. But she’d been talking about doing the sketches for the dig sites. Being in scientific papers and books. Working with all those strange men. It...
Concerned him.
When he questioned her about going out on the digs, she took it the wrong way. Thought he said she shouldn’t be doing what she loved. Even went so far as to say that he was against what her father was doing.
Every word he spoke made things worse. They’d ended the night in an argument so horrific that she had walked away. Neither of them had said goodbye.
He’d had plenty of time to think about that conversation. Over and over.
He hadn’t meant to upset her. He’d worried about her reputation, as every would-be husband should.
No, that wasn’t right. What he worried about was much deeper than that.
Martha elbowed him.
Like a little kid caught, he sat up straight and focused on the pastor behind the pulpit. Guess he never grew too old to be prodded by big sister.
“...Please keep Peter Lakeman in your prayers this week.” Reverend Mills must be done. How had he missed the rest of the service?
