The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 56:1-4, Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all

day long he oppresses me.

2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly

against me.

3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.

4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What

can mere man do to me?”

One of the most wonderful things in the world is the possession of friends! True friends are consistently inquiring of your needs and doing everything they can to encourage and excite your life. At the same time, there seem always to be those who would like to see Christians brought down. The people of Gath were like that. They had reason to hate David, for it was he, who as a mere lad, had killed their Champion, Goliath. People don’t forget things like that.

David’s recourse was not always to fight. Yet, even when he did, there often seemed to be more against him than those on his side. Beyond that, it seems that his enemies gloated over fighting against him. The word “proudly” ) ??????marom( means haughtily, so there was some smugness embedded in fighting against David. That always snuffs out a bit of a fighter’s zeal.

So, David turns to the LORD and pleads with Him to “be gracious.” Be on my side, he was saying. “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.” What a motto for life! The LORD always softens the blows of the adversary, be it a man or Satan himself.

In summation, David says, “In God, whose Word I praise, In God I have put my trust…” The word for trust is ) ??????batach( meaning “confidence.” And confidence brushes away all fear. “What can mere man do to me?” David boldly asks. Ironically, that is pretty close to what the soldiers of Gath thought when they sent Goliath to do battle with a man in Israel. Let me reappropriate the words of an old saying: “It’s not ‘how large is the man in the fight’; it’s how large is the fight in the Man.” With the LORD, there is no limit!

Of course, we appreciate our friends! May they always be ready to be used by Him; yet, “there’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus; no, not one. No, not one.” Believe Him, trust Him, depend on Him! There is no one greater; there is no one else!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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.”