“Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.” Psalm 54:4 (KJV)
I received a gift over Christmas, The Psalms of David, a reproduction of a hand-lettered and illustrated volume of the King James version of the Psalms. The “illuminator” was James E. Freemantle, who was born in 1859 in India where he lived all his life. He worked on this volume for over thirty years, originally intended as a gift for his wife Clara. The illustrations are mostly scenes and wildlife found in India.
I tell you this because it was from my lovely illustrated book that I read the psalm this morning, and it is the “with them” that grabbed my attention. I later discovered that the King James Version is one of two translations that have the “with them” included in this verse. I’ll keep the “with them,” because I started reflecting on all the mentors that have upheld me in my faith journey through the years, beginning from when I was a teenager growing up in Virginia. While some of these spiritual guides knew they were teaching and guiding me, many have not known how much they influenced me. There are even a few that I never met in person because they were authors that upheld me through their writings at critical times in my life. So this morning I give thanks for Ruth, Pete, John, Wayne, Judy, Clive, George, Madeleine, Mary Jane, Bob, Dennis, Virginia, Richard, Henri, Frances, Ron, Carole, Tilden, Patience, Gerald….and that only takes me through the early 2000’s. Who are those who have mentored you in faith? Make a list and celebrate.
1. Take this verse with you and ponder its meaning for you throughout the day. What do you notice? What do you wonder? Make a list of those who have mentored you in faith.
2. Or read all of Psalm 54 to discover how this verse fits into the psalm or to discover a different verse.
3. Or comment with a photo of your own that illustrates this verse’s meaning for you.
Tomorrow’s verse is from Psalm 55:6-8
Starting January 1, 2016, for 150 days I am posting a daily psalm verse with a photo that is a visual meditation on the text for me. Each day a verse from the next psalm is chosen until all 150 psalms have been featured. To participate you may subscribe to my blog at https://elainedent.net or “friend” me on Facebook and watch for the daily links to blog posts. Disclaimer: I am not a photographer and most of the photos are from a cell phone or small camera while hiking the Appalachian Trail or the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage Trail.
Kelvin Wright says
Valerie Underhill. She was the first to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with me in a way I could understand and relate to. She later became my mother in law.
Elaine Dent says
Now that is a beautiful story waiting to be told!
Kelvin Wright says
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Judith Plotner says
Humbling….making my list…so many names. Such grace…