His Infinite Goodness!
"My defense is of God,
who saves the upright in heart."
Psalm 7:10
In 1849, Asiatic cholera spread through America. During
the outbreak approximately 4,500 people died in St. Louis,
3,000 in New Orleans, and 5,000 in New York City, where
many were buried in a mass grave on Randall’s Island.
President Zachary Taylor proclaimed a National Day of
Fasting, calling Americans to “humble themselves before
His throne, and, while acknowledging past transgressions,
ask a continuance of the Divine mercy.” He urged them “to
acknowledge the Infinite Goodness which has watched over
our existence as a nation, and so long crowned with manifold
blessings, and to implore the Almighty in His own good time
to stay the destroying hand.”
On Friday, August 3, 1849, Americans filed into
churches to unite in humility and prayer; and by
the end of the month the death toll “dropped
suddenly” and the plague abated.
Our world is stained by sin, filled with suffering, and
subject to plagues. But there’s never a time we can’t
humble ourselves before God’s throne, acknowledge
our sins, and ask for a continuance of divine mercy.
His all-powerful hand preserves and protect us, and
infinite wisdom directs our affairs. His sovereignty
is the source of our strength and stability.
"Things work out in our lives,
not somehow, but sovereignly."
David Jeremiah
