Wednesday 7 March 2018

I am Protected. Psalm 91:14

  "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name." NKJV
  "The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name." JCB

  Psalm 91 in the New King James Version is entitled, "Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God." I have a notation beside it reminding me that it was my Granny Smith's favorite Psalm. She's long gone but I have a memory of her that has stayed with me all these years.
  We were living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia so I would have been around seven years old. Much to my delight, she had come from Ontario for a visit. She stayed in the guest room in the basement that held two twin beds and the antique dresser that now graces my own second bedroom.
  I had gone looking for her, happy she was visiting and found her there.
  Her face has faded in the depths of time. What she was wearing is gone also. Perhaps a house dress, never pants. She may have been wearing sensible shoes or maybe I am getting her mixed up with my other Grandmother who wore Sensible Shoes. The details aren't really important anyways.
  She was quietly kneeling beside the bed with her Bible open before her, resting on the bedspread, as she read her morning's verse. The sun was streaming in through the window wrapping everything in an early morning golden glow. Unbeknownst to her, I stood there silently watching her for a few moments before tip-toeing away, not wanting to disturb the moment.
  This vignette of a devout woman, glowing in the sunshine and humbly kneeling before God, had a profound effect on me. One that would last a lifetime.
  It has shaped my attitude towards this Holy Book, the inspired Word of God. I mentioned the notation because it's rare for me to write in my Bible. Many teachers encourage us to make notes, to write our thoughts beside the Scriptures but it's something I have never felt right doing.
  I never threw out a Bible either even when I was living apart from God. The little silver New Testament given out in grade school by the Gideons has a permanent place in my bedside table. I don't think they can give them out in schools any more but every hotel I've been in has had a Bible placed there by this blessed organization.
  It was like a talisman for me, the Bible, a lucky charm that would keep me safe although I rarely opened it. Just knowing it was there was enough. It's safe to say that God knew I would one day need His Word, to open the pages of a Book He made sure remained with me no matter how far I had strayed from Him.
  Psalm 91 is now one of my own favorites, often read when the trials of life seem like they are going to overwhelm me. It enables me to rest in the assurance that I am always and forever going to be kept safe in the arms of Jesus.
  As for Granny Smith? I can't wait to tell her all about it.

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