“Ephraim will be like a mighty man,
And their heart will be glad as if from wine;
Indeed, their children will see it and be glad,
Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
“I will whistle for them to gather them together,
For I have redeemed them;
And they will be as numerous as they were before.
“When I scatter them among the peoples,
They will remember Me in far countries,
And they with their children will live and come back.

Zechariah 10:7-9

Your children and mine … and the children of this nation, brought up with metal detectors and armed officers ushering them into their schools, ever looking across the aisle and seeing the classmate whom they know … could be the one.

Your children and mine … and those brought up in foster care, most of them loved and cared for, but so often wounded in their souls, as their foster parents know only too well.

Your children and mine … and those whose lives look splendid on the outside, but whose hearts have darkened, sometimes nobody knows how.

We are worshiping, worshiping the God who fashioned their souls, and for Himself. Call them back, whistle them up, oh Lord, cause Your glorious Voice to be heard!

I say with praise and thanksgiving, You know how to save, whether by many or by few. I say with a shout, their wounds are not deeper than your love, and they cannot flee faster than You can overtake them!

We are worshiping You, Lord …

A sheltered playground in Japan

Stephen Oung, Wikipedia, by permission

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