When I think of the word precious, the image of a newborn baby comes to mind.  I see grandparents and friends gathered around saying, isn’t she/he just precious.  Indeed, that’s a good description of this newly formed life.  If I were of a wealthier status, I might think of precious gems and jewels, the valuable ones stored carefully in a safe.  

There’s a favorite hymn in which we refer to Jesus as “precious.”  That too is an apt adjective meaning “greatly loved or treasured.”   Jesus is surely precious; he is beloved; his love for us is priceless.  When George N. Allen (1899-1993) began his hymn asking the Lord to take his hand and lead him, he chose to refer to Jesus as “precious Lord.”   In that way he began the hymn which is known and loved by all of us.  He asks the Lord to take his hand through the storms of life, and to lead him home on his last day.

I thought you might enjoy this version of the gospel song sung in both Ukrainian and English by the Ukrainian Choir with the Kyiv Symphony in October 2014.  This was part of a Ukrainian-Canada Friendship Tour with this performance takes place in Ontario.

Precious Lord, what a fitting description for the Lord who loves each of us unconditionally, at all times, and in all places.  

Judy