Compiled and edited byJennifer Grimaldi

Even when I walk through adark valley, I fear no harm forYou are at my side; Your rodand staff give me courage.

Psalm 23:4

Illustrated byFrank Massa, Paul Scully,

Russell Bushée, Marion Quimby, Dorian Lee Remine,

and Robert VanSteinburg

We wish to thank the authors whose works have contributed to this book. Any omissions, upon notification,

will be corrected in subsequent issues.

He Will See You Through

©61096 Copyright 2010by Salesian MissionsAll Rights Reserved.

Cover art: ©GoodOlga/istockphoto.com Recycled paper

CONTENTS PageThere’s BeautyEverywhere ....................3

Flowers in God’s Garden....4Rough Roads ....................6A Quiet Mind ....................7He Makes a DarkWorld Bright ..................8

Count Your Blessings ......10The Loving Hand of God..11His Gifts ..........................12To Make a Choice ..........14Light Up Your Life ..........15

PageAs Night Beginsto Fall ............................16

Autumn Sojourn ..............19Autumn Reflections ........20Sunshine and Music ........22Let Today Be the Day......23Life Isn’t Always Easy ......24The River Song ................26Why It Had to Be ............28My Prayer for You ..........30Every Morning ................31Trusting ..........................32

1

2

We know that all thingswork for good for those wholove God, who are calledaccording to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

3

There’s Beauty EverywhereThere’s beauty in a drop of rain

Upon a fragrant flowerAs it glistens in the sunAfter a brief shower.

There’s beauty in a curly tressDisheveled and windblown,And a chubby freckled face –The child that is your own.

There’s beauty in a sprouting seedUpon a sturdy vine

That eventually may feedSomebody at sometime.Beauty need not be a work Of art divine and rare;

It is the handiwork of GodAnd present everywhere.

Elsie Natalie Brady

A faithful friend is a sturdyshelter; he who finds one

finds a treasure. Sirach 6:14

4

Flowers in God’s GardenHe who grows a garden,Finds joy within his soul,

And wondrous peace through beauty inThe splendor he beholds!It may not be a garden, wide,Or one so great or grande –

But it will always pleasure giveIf tended by one’s own hand.

We till the soil, where e’er the site,Then tiny seeds we sow –

We pray for God to bless them thereAnd make our garden grow.

5

Eventually, tiny buds appear,Followed by blossoms sweet.

We’re overjoyed with pleasure and pride;Our venture is complete!

We’re the flowers in God’s garden;He planted – He nourished, we grew.I pray He, too, will find pleasureIn the blossoms of me and you!

Mary S. Chevalier

Those who sow in tears willreap with cries of joy.

Psalm 126:5

6

Rough RoadsHow many rough roads have you traveled

Thinking you had lost your way?But when life’s roads bring us to our knees,

It is there we learn to pray.In times like these God has His reasons

To increase our faith in Him.Too many times when the way is easy

We drift with the crowd into sin.So, thank You, Lord, for the trialsYou see fit to send our way,To keep our focus on the OneWho is our guide day after day.

M. Elaine Fowser

A Quiet MindLord, help me to have a quiet mindWith nothing to weigh me down;May foolish pride just drift away,Plant my feet on steady ground.

Savior, guide me in Your service,When my voice sounds forth Your praise,

Let my hands reach out to othersIn a host of different ways.

Give to me Thy mighty powerTo sustain me day by day.

Help me witness with great boldness,Hear my prayers each time I pray.

Add Your strength in time of weakness,Comfort me when I know fear;In my daily walk and service,May I keep You always near.

Frances Culp Wolfe

Restore my joy in your salvation;sustain in me a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:14

7

8

He Makes aDark World BrightI walked across the meadow

Through a carpet bright as gold.It was an enchanted field of daisiesShimmering brilliantly and bold.

I dared not pick a flower,As it would have disturbed the glorious sight,

For I know my God created itTo make a dark world bright.

The stream beside the meadowTrickled slowly down the hillWhile a meadowlark flew over,

Screeching a loud shrill.

9

The trees were blushing brightlyWith leaves of scarlet red,All magnified with brillianceBy the sun shining overhead.

It’s the same with all of God’s people;We shine with His pure light.He made us for His glory

To make a dark world bright.

Shirley Hile Powell

10

Count Your BlessingsCount your blessings every day,

They’re everywhere on life’s highway;For if your heart is full of hope,

You are blessed, for you can cope.Count your blessings one-by-oneAnd I think that when you’re done,You’ll be thankful for this tide

Of blessings that are by your side.Count your blessings and when you do,Remember the skies of blue-on-blue;

Remember that God gives you each day –And the many blessings that come your way.

Nora M. Bozeman

The Loving Hand of GodWhen life with all its strugglesJust seems to pass you by,

True happiness is gone from life,You only sit and sigh.

The joy is gone from living,The tears run down your face.The world is full of sorrow,Which time cannot erase.

The only way to ease the painIs to take hold of God’s hand;It will uplift and guide you,

Through the barren, lonely land.

God will plant your feet upon a rock,Give you peace and courage too,And you will never feel alone –He will always be with you.

Frances Culp Wolfe

11

Lord, You are kind andforgiving, most loving to all

who call on You.Psalm 86:5

12

His GiftsLord, help me to live each day You give

Wisely in ways You would have me to live…Forgetting self but remembering more

Those dejected, the suffering, the poor…May I lift them up in fervent prayer,Assuring them of Thy love and care.

Let me thank You too, for the beauty You bringIn Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring;

Each one with a special beauty You wrought,And on angels’ wings to earth were brought.Ah! No earthly artist could e’er compare

To all Thy gifts, so rich and rare!

Oh, let me not take for granted these giftsThat bless my heart and my spirit lifts…A love that nourishes my body and soulJust knowing You’re near and in controlBrings me joy and peace and tranquility,

And grace to always trust in Thee.

Lou Ella Cullipher

13

Majestic and glorious isYour work, Your wisedesign endures forever.

Psalm 111:3

14

To Make a ChoiceSometimes I pray for things I think I need

And wait eagerly for answers in vain.Forgive me, Lord, for my foolish requests

And thank You for Your patience once again.

When my prayers go unanswered, I knowWhat I was seeking wasn’t in Your plan.

Since I have learned to humbly seek Your willIn faith and love, I clearly understand.

You know full well my problems and concernsFor making right decisions I can’t boast.Your answers are wiser than my prayers;

Please, Lord, just choose for me what I need most.

Viola Zumalt

15

Light Up Your LifeLight up your life with faith, love and hope;Look to the Lord for the courage to cope.

So many challenges, so many tearsEnvelope our lifetime and cause all our fears.

We flounder in shadows, lost in the dark;But God shines a beacon from which to embark.We just need to follow and keep Him in sight,

To place all our faith in His guiding light.If we repent and seek absolution

For sins of the past, we can make restitution.When we show love to those who defied us,

Peace will prevail, and God’s love will guide us.The dark clouds around us will soon dissipate,As the light of our Savior will then radiate.

He promised safe harbor in the midst of our plight,If only we follow in His pathways of light.

God’s blessed assurance can abolish your strife;For faith, hope and love will then light up your life.

Patience Allison Hartbauer

16

As Night Begins to FallIt’s twilight time and fireflies

Are coming out to play,With their tiny lanterns glowing,To mark the end of the day.

Birdsong echoes from the treesAs night begins to fall,

And the scent of jasmine fills the airBeyond the garden wall.

The moon and stars grow brighter nowAnd cast a gentle glow,

Where the magnolias lie sleepingAlong mulberry row.

The sights and sounds of summertimeMake pleasant memories

And scents we’ll always treasure

17

From happy days like these.There’s magic on a moonlit night

When earth is all aglow.You can almost hear angel wings

When gentle breezes blow.If God is looking down tonight,

How happy He must be To see the wonders of this world

He made for you and me.

Clay Harrison

18

May he be like rain coming downupon the fields, like showers

watering the earth, that abundancemay flourish in his days, greatbounty, till the moon be no more.

Psalm 72:6-7

19

Autumn SojournMother Nature takes a sojournIn the Autumn of the year;

To celebrate a bountiful harvest,And to fly her flags of cheer.

She dabs her brush in the color wheelTo splash brilliance all around:

Gold for maple, oak trees smeared with red,A flourish of leaves to burnish the ground.

Ripening corn is a russet brown,A weathered old barn crammed with hay.The meadow is dappled with goldenrod,Where monarch butterflies dance and play.Pumpkins are painted a brilliant orange,

The sky gets a wash of blue.When Mother Nature takes a sojourn,

She brings to the earth – a fresh new view.

Charles Clevenger

I have heard that the spirit of God isin you, that you possess brilliant

knowledge and extraordinary wisdom. Daniel 5:14

20

Autumn ReflectionsWith early Autumn come the days

I love the best of all,When sunlight gilds the landscape with

The mellow light of Fall.October’s trees don leaves of gold,

Bright red and amber too;No treasure chest could boast

Jewels of so rare a hue.The harvest has been gathered in,

Vineyards their riches yield;In little, sheltered gardens, oneLast rose may be revealed.

I love to see the roadside standsThat offer up their treats…

Pumpkins and juicy apples, grapes,And cider, sharp and sweet.

21

With Autumn comes Thanksgiving,That special time when we,

In church and home gather to joinWith friends and family,

To thank God for the blessings HeSo graciously bestows:

May we never take for grantedThe freedoms that we know.

Alice J. Christianson

Save us, Lord, our God; gather us fromamong the nations that we may give thanksto Your holy name and glory in praising You.

Psalm 106:47

22

Sunshine and MusicA laugh is just like sunshine –

It freshens all the day;It tips the peak of life with lightAnd drives the clouds away.

The soul grows glad that hears itAnd feels its courage strong.A laugh is just like sunshineFor cheering folks along.A laugh is just like music;It lingers in the heart,

And where its melody is heardThe ills of life depart.

And happy thoughts come crowdingIts joyful notes to greet.A laugh is just like musicFor making living sweet.

Nona Talerico

23

Let Today Be the DayLet today be the day of restoration,

Of new hope rising on wings of the morn.Surrender to God your disappointments,

Your fondest dreams, that lie tattered and torn.

Don’t be ruled by the past – believe in tomorrow;God has another dream waiting for you.

Make room in your heart for the seed He is planting –Let bygones be bygones – He makes everything new.

Decide today to break every bondage,The shackles that keep you from soaring high.Leave behind all troubling circumstances –

Yours is the victory, yours is the sky.

Regina Wiencek

As the rising sun is clear toall, so the glory of the Lord

fills all His works.Sirach 42:16

24

Life Isn’t Always EasyLife isn’t always easy,

’Oft times we shed a tumbling tear or more;Dreams can unexpectedly shatterAs we take a nosedive to the floor.

Heartaches can arrive in all their fury,As our heads with worry start to throb;

But praise God for fervent prayer to lean onAs we bow our troubled souls and sob.

We were never promised a bed of rosesStrewn on our path below;

And trials are often heavy burdens –A meadow full of dandelions and woe.

25

But please believe in a divine purposeFor every fiery lash

That sets our feet off balanceAs our hopes set sail, but crash.

Oh, take heart weary pilgrims –Look up to Heaven’s throne,

Dial the prayer line to the Master –You need not bear such pain alone.

It isn’t always easy to trek this journey ’Cause thorns sprout along the way.

Nevertheless, rosebuds are prone to blossom –Weary pilgrim lean on God’s timing today.

Linda C. Grazulis

26

The River SongInto the waiting azure seaThe river flows so silently,

And then flows out again to meetThe little springs that wait to greet.

Returning to the clouds on high,It falls in raindrops from the sky;

In laughing streams soon to be foundIt waters thirsty trees and ground.

27

From snow-capped hills it swiftly flowsTo secret places that it knows;

Who knows where it begins and ends;Yet, promise and hope to us it sends.

And so it is with the life of man,Though we know not our allotted span;

We run our course of life on earthAnd then in spirit have rebirth.

Though we may change, new life we’ll know,Just like the river’s constant flowAs the river’s song, so shall we be

In the river’s song eternally.

Helen Gleason

The Lord is my strength and myshield, in whom my heart trusted andfound help. So my heart rejoices;with my song I praise my God.

Psalm 28:7

28

Why It Had to BeDear Child of God, please realize

No Eden here have we!But for our good and future good –

Some sorrow has to be.How all things will work out best,Though presently not seen –

Still He comforts through the valleys,If on His arm we lean!

When in trials and tribulationsIt’s hard for you and me,

To understand how good will come –Why such things must be!

But though we’re blind to good right now,Our God still works His plan;

So don’t lose heart, but trust Him yet –All things are in His hand!

If Him we love, all turns to good,And someday we will see

How all worked together in God’s holy plan And why it had to be!

Lynn Fenimore Nuzzi

29

Let the word of Christ dwell inyou richly, as in all wisdom youteach and admonish one another,singing psalms, hymns, and

spiritual songs with gratitude inyour hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

30

My Prayer for YouMay God bless you alwaysAnd keep you from harm…With Him as your pilot –No cause for alarm.So, trust in Him fullyEach step of the way,

And He’ll be there with you –Yes, day after day!

Anna M. Matthews

31

Every MorningWaking up each morning

Brings an eagerness to live,And joy seeps from my waiting heart,

As through an open sieve.The years seem of no consequence,

And I am once againSoaking up God’s goodness,

Like the brown earth after rain.My cross is not so heavy

When viewed in morning light,And I can face by day the thoughts

I could not bear by night.It’s only in believing that

God shares my narrow way;That I can keep what’s best in life,

And throw the rest away.It’s all in how you look at life,

That tells the final tale;How well you measure up decides

If you will win or fail.So when I wake each morning,Though I cannot see His face,I know God walks beside me,And the world’s a better place.

Grace E. Easley

TrustingGod’s fashioned a veil ’round tomorrow –

His wisdom has thus planned it so.He asks that we follow His leading

Through paths that we can’t see, or know.

But oh, ’tis so sweet just to trust Him;In perfect faith, walk through each day,

To feel His hand lovingly guiding,Assured that He knoweth the way.

Beverly J. Anderson

32

Guide me in Your truth and teachme, for You are God my Savior.For You I wait all the long day,because of Your goodness, Lord.

Psalm 25:5

The intentand purpose of this

volume is to give you faith,hope and inspiration. Hopefully it

will help encourage prayer and bringpeace and tranquility into your life. May it be a reminder of God’s love,guidance and His many blessings.

Our publications help to support our workfor needy children in over 130 countries

around the world. Through ourprograms, thousands of children arefed, clothed, educated, sheltered

and given the opportunity tolive decent lives.

Salesian Inspirational BooksA SALESIAN MISSIONS PUBLICATION

2 LEFEVRE LANENEW ROCHELLE NY 10801-5710

TEL. (914) 633-8344E-mail: inspbks@salesianmissions.org

For more information about our worldwide works for thepoor and needy, please visit our website:

www.salesianmissions.org

Salesian Inspirational BooksA SALESIAN MISSIONS PUBLICATION ©61096