Day 450 - September 8 - Study or Read?

Cherié arrived back in San Jose about a half an hour early last evening, all safe and sound. Connor and I picked her up at the curb - it sure was good to see her standing there on the curb! She's settling back into the routine, but one thing I know now is that we'll figure out ways to get her to do this more often than every 15 months. She had a fantastic time at her folks' house, so much so that I think coming home was a bit like jumping back into a cold lake - once you're in it you're good, but that first moment in the water...

I got up this morning at 0600 (part of me returning to my routine) and read through Psalm 112. The first thing I noticed is that, judging by my behavior, I can scarcely be called a righteous man - "not afraid of bad news"? "his heart is firm"? Obviously we're not talking about me! So I blearily tripped through the Psalm, doing my obligatory duty to read the Bible, right? Then after that I turned to a book I've been using called "Daily Help" by Charles Spurgeon - and this morning it was about studying the word diligently, and the rewards that await a person who mines the Scripture as if for gold or as a hunter pursues his prey, as opposed to, well, "blearily tripping through the Scripture". "Hmmm", says I, "I certainly didn't do that this morning".

Now I've got a total of an hour available in the morning before I've got to get ready for work, and I have to blog this morning, so after reading this short essay I put everything down "because I've got to blog before I go". But it didn't sit right - I mean, that was a clear as anything that I wasn't supposed to just jump into blogging for you. I certainly didn't "mine the Scriptures" this morning. So I stopped and went back to Psalm 112, where (much to my surprise) there were lines in it that weren't there the first time I read it! Seriously, my eyes fell almost immediately on

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

(Italics added)

I'm telling you, that wasn't there the first time!

We continue to trust that God has a purpose in this journey for Connor far beyond the physical. My past experience tells me it is so. That God would remind me, while at the same time admonishing me to read the Scripture instead of just looking at it, is an encouragement to me. Hopefully it will be to you, as well.

Please keep Cherié and Connor in your prayers as she settles into the day today. Connor spent a quiet night, easing her back home; pray that this would continue as they go through their day together.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers. We covet them!

E.

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