How Blessed Is the Man Who Fears the Lord
Ray’s internist told him to step away from preaching for a while until after his heart surgery, but he is still teaching our small Sunday morning Bible class. It is a very low key responsibility because our tiny group simply loves each other so much and Ray has studied the Bible and taught it for so long that he is able to teach it with such ease.
We have been studying Job. We were studying it before Ray’s troubles began. Since they began, I must confess that we have sometimes felt like we were living it. We are blessed, though, in two very specific ways:
- Our friends are not sitting here telling us that it’s all our fault and if we’d simply repent, everything would be fine again, and
- We, unlike Job, live after Jesus came, after He promised that He is preparing a place for us, and after God completed His Holy Word with all its assurances.
Blessings become even more precious when troubles come. I have teared up when hearing Ray singing a hymn beside me. I am deeply grateful when I hear him lead a prayer.
On a recent Sunday, as I sat in an old school desk in the church library, I looked across the rows of desks between Ray and me, thought about what a wonderful and wise teacher he is, and discreetly snapped his picture. It is not my best portrait of my husband, but it is a sweet reminder of a moment I cherished.
Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
Psalm 112:1