Tender Mercy: Hosanna!

Yesterday during Primary, the children sang this song.

 I had just asked one of the four-year-old boys if he would say the closing prayer. The boy originally assigned was home sick, and this little guy, it was visibly apparent, was more than excited to be asked to pray. He came up front just before we did our closing song and sat in the "prayer chair" to await his turn.

As we got to the part of the closing song, he turned to me and asked, "What does 'Hosanna' mean?" I realized that I didn't really know.  I told him as much but explained that I thought it was something like, "Yay."

He said his prayer. He did such a great job, and shortly thereafter, the little kids went off to classes.

The older kids came in. We went through the entire meeting and then sang the same song. As we finished, just before the assigned child prayed, a nine-year-old boy, who was sitting in the front row, raised his hand. This is a boy who is not a member of the Church, but I don't think any of the kids know that, and most of us adults forget that fact too. He asks lots and lots of questions. I love kids like this!

It would have been so easy to have passed over his raised hand at this point in the meeting because it was the closing song, and the prayer follows it immediately, but we have a wise chorister. She turned to him, and he said, "'Hosanna' means 'Save us.'"

Wow! Out of the mouths of babes!

I'm so grateful to know this. I feel like this was my tender mercy yesterday. I needed this information as a reminder.

My mind goes back to those people in the time of Christ. Many of them knew His purpose. They believed Him.

This is my challenge too. When times get tough, I must remember His purpose.

He will save me--not only in the eternal scheme of things, but here and now. The challenge is to lean and trust.

Hosanna!