“The young lions suffer
want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” Ps. 34:10
Though the words were
old-fashioned and beckoned the reader back to a time of more formality and
simplicity, the message from the man to his wife penned in the 1600s had a
clear focus that transcends time. It wasn’t full of praise for the woman nor
tender words describing the love they had shared for almost fifty years; although
the composition hinted that those feelings and memories were most certainly there. No, it was a pen-point, arrow-straight laser-beam
directive to focus on God, the great Provider.
The writer, Obadiah
Holmes[i],
desiring to aid his beloved Katherine, even after his death, reminded his bride
of God’s goodness in allowing them almost 50 years together. He sought to bring
to her attention that whether their circumstances were easy and prosperous or
heart-breaking and arduous, it was God who had made goodness come from them. It was God who had given them contentment and
love for each other. Obadiah reminded her that all of those blessings and provisions
were reasons to continue to seek God and praise him whether they be together on
this earth or separated by death.
Obadiah challenged
Katherine to consider or remember, many times to their wonder, how God had
blessed them with provisions, financial and physical and even given them remarkable
health and comfort. It was his dying
gift to his wife to give her comfort and encouragement when he was gone to be
with the Lord.
This challenge hit home.
I began to contemplate all the blessings God had given me in the fifty-one
years of my life, many of them so amazing, that I still stand in awe as to what
God did. I am most amazed as to why He did them: just because He is perfectly
good and loves me perfectly.
It’s a delightful
exercise that elicits praise for our Savior and joy in our hearts! So you do
it. Start a list of the blessings in
your life that cause your jaw to drop and your heart to sing. What better way
to continue to celebrate the gift of the Son of God.
