The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 143:5-9, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy doings;

I muse on the work of Thy hands.

6 I stretch out my hands to Thee; My soul longs for Thee, as a parched land.

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD, my spirit fails; Do not hide Thy face from me,

Lest I become like those who go down to the pit.

8 Let me hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in Thee;

Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to Thee I lift up my soul.

9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in Thee.”

A 19TH Centruy English poet, lost his father when he was a teenager.

At the age of 12, he suffered the loss of one of his legs. Focusing on

his troubles, he wrote the poem, Invictus, which is Latin for “unconquered.”

The poem ends with the lines, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain

of my soul.”

That’s a sharp contrast with the words of David in our Psalm today. Both

men were looking back upon their former days. One looked to himself for

inner strength to conquer the difficulties he faced; the other looked to God.

“My soul longs for Thee…Answer me quickly, O LORD…I trust in Thee…

I take refuge in Thee.”

To whomever we look for help in time of trouble, that one becomes our

God, our authority. When we seek only our own inner strength for help, we

become our own god. When we seek the LORD, we are acknowledging

Him as our Authority. People encountering trouble often cry, “O Lord!”

when they don’t really know Him as their LORD and Savior. When we know

Him, we cry out to Him in faith, trusting Him to hear and to answer. And in

our very cry, we are acknowledging Him as our Authority.

When we were little children, we looked to our parents for physical support

until we could walk by ourselves. Now, as grown people, we’re not to act like

helpless cry-babies, being lazy as if we were totally helpless. We are taught

in Scripture to depend upon the LORD –even for a positive attitude– whatever

our trouble might be. That’s what He teaches us in the Bible. And He has

given us the Bible that we might read it and learn of Him.

When we look back upon our lives, it is obvious how the LORD has led us

and supported us. He delights in being our LORD! May we delight in

depending upon Him for all of our needs.

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”