My grandmother gave me some Bible passages on my wedding day, verses on how to survive life. She understood how unpredictable it could be. So, I would like to share them with you…
- Keep calm and carry on – My grandmother encouraged me to ‘Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.’ (from Psalm 37:8-10). She reminded me that God is our defender, and he will take care of those who are evil. Ours is to keep calm and trust in him.
2. Don’t give up – Tears are only for a season. ‘As they pass through the Valley of Baka (or Weeping), they make it a place of springs… For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose way is blameless’ (Psalm 84:6, 11). With God, things will turn out okay.
3. Protect yourself – These verses start off with a word that means, ‘beware,’ ‘take heed,’ or ‘be on guard.’ It implies observation and keeping our distance. In the original, however, it has a deeper meaning – to put a hedge about (as with thorns), to guard, to protect, to preserve, to save.[i] In the original it was all about defence. And just as God is our defender, he shows us how to defend ourselves.
‘[Guard yourself, protect yourself, preserve yourself, save yourself from] your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer’ (verse 4 from Jeremiah 9:4-8).
4. Stay strong – My grandmother warned that there are manipulators out there. They figure out our heart and then use it to control us. If it is religion, they will get all religious. If it is our passions, they will say these are theirs as well. But Jesus forewarns us. ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many’ (from Matthew 24:3-13).
5. Stay rested – If you are like me, you will end up exhausted. But my grandmother reminds us that in our tiredness, Jesus says: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus enables us to find quiet and peace. He helps us to emotionally take a break.
6. Keep praying – In our all groans and moans, we might not even know what to pray. But Jesus understands, without us saying a single word. For the Bible says that ‘The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans’ (Romans 8:26). My grandmother reminds us that our groans are valid and that Jesus turns them into S.O.S. prayers.
7. Keep trusting – The final verse (the one I have also quoted most in my life) is this: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28). As we look back at what has happened in our lives – the good, the bad, our mistakes and successes – if we look, we can see God’s hand. We can begin to understand what he has been doing all along. And we will say, ‘Why did I ever worry or distrust?’
My grandmother was so right…
[i] Hebrew for ‘beware’ – https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8104.htm
(photo by cottonrbro studio – pexels.com)