The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 118:23-25, “This is the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 O LORD, do save, we beseech Thee; O LORD, we beseech Thee, do send prosperity!”

The era in which this psalm was written was a bleak and dismal time for Israel. Yet, the opening verse of this chapter says, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” It is not likely that the psalmist was expressing delight for the calamity that surrounded Israel, any more than we would express gratitude for the distresses we often experience. Rather, the writer is looking above and beyond the current discomforts and viewing the glory of the LORD’s deliverance.

Virtually, anyone can rejoice when things are going well. When we Christians, however, encounter difficulty, we should look beyond it and rejoice in the LORD. After all, we are –or ought to be— aware that no circumstance of life falls outside of His divine purview and control.

One interesting aspect of this particular psalm is verse eight: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”

It is the central verse of the entire Bible! The Scriptures, of course, were not originally written in chapters and verses, as we have them today. Stephen Langdon in A.D. 1228 created the chapter divisions, and Robert Stephens, in A.D. 1551, divided the chapters into verses. Still, this central verse could well be personally embraced by every true believer.

We are not enjoined to simply relax, though the LORD God is in control of every aspect of life. We are encouraged to trust in Him and call upon Him for deliverance. The word “beseech” (? ???????????? ) is the same word “Hosanna” (??????) that we find in the New Testament (Jn 12:13), translating, “LORD, save us!” Thus, the focus of our thoughts ought never to be on the distresses of life, but upon the Deliverer from those distresses. He never fails! Who is your deliverer from life’s stresses? He is available to all who earnestly call upon Him.

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