November 16 – Samek - Psalm 119:113-120

November 16 – Samek - Psalm 119:113-120

I hate double-minded men, but I love thy law.
Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in thy word.
Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God.
Uphold me according to thy promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for thy statutes continually!
Thou dost spurn all who go astray from thy statutes; yea, their cunning is in vain.
All the wicked of the earth thou dost count as dross; therefore I love thy testimonies.
My flesh trembles for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments.

My grandmother did not like it if we talked about ‘loving’ an inanimate object.  She informed in more than once, I’m afraid, that we could only love other people.  Now, I’m sure that if I had pushed her on that regarding scripture, especially the way the Psalmist uses the word in these verses, she would have been alright with this usage.

However, the other word she didn't like to hear us use was ‘hate,’ especially when it came to people.  In her mind, there was never a reason at all to hate someone.  And I’m absolutely certain that there was no one on earth my grandmother hated.  She was one of the most loving people you could know and she had been hurt by people who should have loved her the most.  But, she never hated them, before a heart could beat even once, she had forgiven any action and turned the other cheek.

I’m not sure how she was able to continually live like that, be a pastor’s wife, raise eight children and live in the world, but she did.  Every moment of every day, she relied on God. When her legs quit working well, she counted on God to get her around so she could keep her home open for friends and family to show up.  When her eyes quit working well and she could no longer embroider, she began to work with larger pieces.  She wanted to continually keep her hands busy, because idle hands were the devil’s workshop.  She spent a great deal of time asking my father’s advice on how she should share the little bit of money that came into her life.  She had a large number of charities she donated funds to and cared deeply about all of them. She was constantly aware of the things her grandchildren were doing and later on, her great grandchildren.  Until the end of her life, she walked with the Lord.  She never really preached to her grandkids, but every morning the Upper Room was at her place at the table.  Sometimes we would read the devotion, other times she would read it to us and then we prayed together.

I can’t imagine there was ever a moment when that woman wasn't in direct connection with her Lord.  It was He who held her up. The Lord was her hiding place and her shield.  When her days were long, she went to Him, when her nights were longer, she counted on the joy that He had placed in her heart.

She knew great love and avoided hate because she knew the Lord and lived by His word.