As Plants and Corner Stones

We hauled heavy loads of garden produce from the garden to the house in the garden wagon.  Pushing and pulling load after load of potatoes, and squash.  A tremendously bountiful year!  Lots of warm dry weather gave us time to finish the harvest without lots of mud.  As I passed through the laundry room, now full of huge banana squash, mini pumpkins, sweet meats and butternut. I recalled the verse in Psalms “that our garners may be full”.  The next morning in my quiet time, I looked up the passage recalling how over the years I prayed for our daughters  especially claiming verses 11-15  from Psalm 144.

 

“Rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange children,

whose mouth speaketh vanity,

and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood;

 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;

 that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the

similitude of a palace:

 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store:

 that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our

streets:

 that our oxen may be strong to labour;

 that there be no breaking in, nor going out;

that there be no complaining in our streets.

Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea,

 happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.” Psalms 144:11-15

 

While refreshing my memory of this passage, I again claimed protection for our daughters from wrong influences. Suddenly  I was overwhelmed with the realization of this psalm. In verse one, David says the “Lord is my strength” and that “he teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:” The Lord is “My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; who subdueth my people under me.” Many times in reading this Psalm I had not been able to see a particular connection between the first and last half of the Psalm. But, as I read it again, the profound realization began to sink in. When the psalmist prays to be rid of the hand of strange children (their speaking vanity and falsehood) he then outlines how to accomplish it.   In order “that our sons to be as plants grown up in their youth, and our daughters to be polished after the similitude of a palace:” a teaching their hands to war, their fingers to fight, their hearts to trust in the Lord, must happen.  What He describes next is the fruit of practical education.  Keeping those hands and fingers busy filling the garners, tending the sheep and oxen. Parents teaching  right alongside the children as they learn; all working with their hands.  Suddenly I could see the page no longer, as the tears began to flow freely.  It overwhelmed on me! This is just what the Lord has been accomplishing in our lives, through the hands on duties of life; in the garden, in the house, filling the pantry and cellar, stacking wood, doing dishes and laundry…  Daily teaching us this “fight” that would rid our children of wrong influences; rid them of slack, idle habits that lead to vanity and falsehood. Instead they would have time only for the wholesome, the useful, the true.  The maturing, growing, polishing happens with busy hands, large ones and small ones working together. The result?

                                “Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea,

                                    happy is that people, who’s God is the Lord.”  

  Totally overwhelmed, tears flowing freely now, I saw that  through the years the Lord had been answering my prayer. That he had been working, teaching us this way all along. That He had taught us to apply this practical education. Now the garners were full!  We are happy. This method of education resulted in answering my prayer! His method of fighting wrong influences is found in trusting His plan of education.

                                    Happy is the people, whose God is the Lord!