The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 31:23-24, “O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!

The LORD preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer.

24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.”

In this 31ST Psalm, David had been looking faithfully to the LORD

to deliver him from his enemies. The entire psalm is focused on the

LORD, until we come to these last two verses. In verses 23 and 24,

David speaks to those who love and belong to the LORD. He calls

them “godly”; however, their godliness is not their own achievement.

It is the product of their following the LORD. For all who follow Him,

there is preservation. The LORD guards and watches over them in

all things. But what about those who are enemies of the righteous?

The LORD deals with them as well, but not in the same way. He pays

the proud –those who believe they create their own righteousness by

their works— He pays them what they deserve.

The godly are not to worry. They are to “be strong,” allowing their

hearts and minds to take courage in the LORD. They (we) are to

have and maintain “hope” (future certainty) in the LORD. While

David does not specifically say it here, in other places he admonishes

us to stay in the LORD’s Word and pray about everything. It brings

glory to the LORD and it benefits us in the process.

Love to you all, and prayers for you all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas