I was starting a new job as a Quality Assurance Inspector, a job that would involve interaction with all of the 200 men and women working in this factory.  I was still young in my Christian faith and worried about the ungodly language and immoral influence of the people I would be dealing with day after day.

One day as I walked through the factory, trying to concentrate on learning my new job, this worry was also weighing heavily on my mind.  I don’t recall praying, but perhaps there was in my musings an unspoken prayer.  Gradually, I became aware of a few bars of music echoing in my mind.  The music was familiar, yet I could not place it, or remember the words that went with the music.

I puzzled over this melody for perhaps fifteen minutes, then finally the words rose to the surface of  my consciousness:

                          He’s walking close beside thee;
                          His hand will safely guide thee;
                          His wings securely hide thee;
                          Then trust!  Be not afraid. 1

It was a message sent from heaven with the antidote to my worries!  My Lord was with me in this place and would safely guide me through the temptations and conflicts.

I worked in that factory for fifteen years, learned to know and appreciate my fellow workers and noticed that they tried to be careful about their language when I was around.

1. These words are part of the chorus of the hymn Trust Him by Charles H Gabriel.