The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 116:1-5, I dearly love the LORD, because He gives earnest heed to my voice and my supplications.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me; therefore, I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death encompassed me, and the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress, anguish, affliction and sorrow.

4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD: ‘O LORD, I beseech Thee, I earnestly pray, save my life!’

5 Gracious is the LORD, blameless and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate and merciful.”

Have you ever had difficulty praying? I mean, you know you ought to pray and you truly want to, but you just can’t seem to get it out. Let me tell you, nothing encourages sincere prayer like uncontrollable circumstances! Yeah, you think you’ve got a pretty good hold

on things and then –!!! It’s then, that it reality strikes you.

David commences by acknowledging his genuine love for the LORD. The LORD is a Friend and He gladly hears the petitions of His children. He is not far away. Just tonight I said to a nurse, “My wife is a truly born-again Christian. Are you a Christian?” He said, “Yes, and Jesus is here in this room with us right now.” WOW! What an open, declarative testimony!

David vows that he will forever call upon the name of the LORD. But, why would he say that? Read what he says: death was all around him and the terror of dying brought great distress and sorrow into his life. What could he do? What did he do? He called on the Name of the LORD. Good advice. It just might be good advice to start making friends with the LORD before terror and the prospect of dying presents itself to you.

While Rose Marie was still home and in distress, she kept saying, “Oh, LORD help me! Help me!” It was pitiful to hear and it literally dealt my heart and emotions a huge blow to hear it; yet, I knew she was not in fear of Hell. She was not in fear of dying. She was just encountering something she had never encountered, and it scared her mightily! Do I have to say it? Yes, it scared me terribly, too!

Yet, while we were both “out of it” for the moment, the LORD’s presence was with us; and He saw us through. He is gracious! He is righteous! And He is compassionate!

When we’re witnessing to lost persons, we encourage them to get right with God before it’s too late. Good advice, huh? Well, we need to take some of our own medicine. It’s best to be close friends with the LORD before tragedy strikes you or a close loved one. Start learning to call upon Him daily, seriously! Take your Christian faith extremely seriously! One day you will need His Friendship and there won’t be time for looking up His number.

We truly love you, and thank you for all your prayers,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Rose Marie is still intubated, making communication almost impossible. Tomorrow the doctors

will examine two valves in her heart to make sure they are not contaminated. Then, they can

remove the breathing tube. Bottom line: all of her doctors, including her son, believe she is

moving in the right direction. God bless you for praying for her!

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.”