March 22

CHRIST the SUSTAINER: “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (hold together) (Col 1:17). By appointment of President Woodrow Wilson, Henry van Dyke became Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1913. The following year, World War I threw Europe into disarray. In the thick of it, van Dyke, though not a trained diplomat, cared for hundreds of Americans who fled for safety from all across Europe to Holland. One night, unable to sleep, he sat in evident distress in a chair by the fire. His butler entered the room and, noting his discomfort, asked van Dyke, “Sir, may I ask you a question? Did the Lord govern the world well before you came into it?” “Certainly.” “And will He rule the world well after you have gone out of it?” “Undoubtedly,” the Ambassador replied. “Then, sir, can you not trust Him to oversee the world well while you are in it?” The Ambassador smiled, rose from his chair, and went to his bed and to sleep.

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