Great Is Thy Faithfulness to All Generations

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations!"  ~Psalm 100

As I was reading the 100th Psalm for my morning devotional, I could not help but remember the recent Presbyterian Heritage Tour that my son Josh and I took with 44 other Presbyterians to England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. This was a wonderful trip that any of you as Presbyterians ought to consider taking since it connects our Reformed Presbyterian heritage in these countries with actually seeing and touching places where this history transpired.

As an Ulster Scot (Scots-Irish) descendant, this trip was particularly meaningful for me. My own great-grandfather several times over, the Reverend Adam White, was born in Argyllshire, Scotland, educated at the University of Glasgow, and then immigrated to Donegal, Ireland in the mid-1600s. As a Presbyterian pastor, he preached there and then later in Bushmills, Northern Ireland, where he is buried. Two of his sons left Ireland for eastern Pennsylvania in the early 1700s and ultimately ended up in Waxhaw in the Carolinas. 

I cannot imagine what faith it must have taken for my ancestors and so many of yours to have boarded such small ships to cross perilous seas to come to this land for religious, individual, and family freedom. These Ulster Scots who left Ireland for America played a significant role in not only introducing Presbyterianism in America, but also in establishing our country and our constitution. Certainly it was God’s providence and His faithfulness to all generations that made this possible for not only my ancestors but also for yours. May we as believers be thankful every day for God’s faithfulness to us. To God be the glory, great things He hath done! (TGBTGGTHHD) 

Sonny White, Elder