Oil of Joy for Mourning

When mother gave me medicine
She always used to say,
"Here is a lump of sugar, dear,
To take the taste away."

Through all my life the LORD has poured
His oil of joy for me
Until my cup was running o'er,
So bountiful was He.

When I must drink some bitter draft
Of sorrow or of pain,
How quickly to my lips He puts
His cup of joy again!

Martha Snell Nicholson

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

background and graphics by Mary Stephens
vintage graphic: unknown source
posted Aug. 2026; CA