The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 61:1-8, “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For Thou hast been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in Thy tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Thy wings. Selah.

5 For Thou hast heard my vows, O God; Thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear Thy name.

6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations.

7 He will abide before God forever; Appoint lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him.

8 So I will sing praise to Thy name forever, That I may pay my vows day by day.”

Reading through this Psalm reminds me of a game we used to play at recess in grammar school. We called it “King of the Mountain.” One boy would position himself on a large, flat rock that enjoyed permanent residence on the playground, while the rest of us sought to disengage him from his higher position.

The psalmist David was engaged in a similar activity, only his was an activity of real life! He sees the threats of an enemy,

and he calls upon the LORD to be his refuge. His plea for the LORD’s defense is accompanied by honest pledges of love and devotion. He is then aware that the LORD has heard and granted him the inheritance he requested. Still, it appears that David has added the king’s preservation of life to his request. His faith in the LORD is exceedingly strong! Further, his request was not selfish, had he asked only for himself.

As we face current turmoil in our own nation, we would do well to follow the pattern of the psalmist. The LORD alone is our sure defense against evil. Our trust must be in Him, not merely in those who seek to extricate the president from an evil delimma, planted by his enemies. Nor should we merely desire to defeat those who have sinned against us. What is at stake is more than personalities. It is the moral function of our voting system that undergirds the integrity of the rule of law.

“King of the Mountain” was just a game. What ultimately occurred had no serious repercussions on the lives of the players. Such is not so with our nation. Some may “play” as if it were, but the lives of multitudes are ultimately at stake in this process. David prayed and the LORD responded. Would that not seem the proper activity for us all? Yet, prayer is only heard when it arises from a clean and sincere heart. God does not hear the prayers of unrighteous people, except when they ask forgiveness for their sin. Our lives must be spiritually and morally clean for Him to hear and respond. Please join me in sincerely scrubbing our lives clean by repenting of our every-known sin. More than we know is at stake!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom