July 20, 2011
Today's verse: Sirach 10:23. Great men, and judges, and potentates, shall be honoured; yet is there none of them greater than he that feareth the Lord. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)
Aren't there many men great in the world; some wise and dignified; some of high nobility, some pompously famous and so on. Each person has put his or her stamp on the higher echelons of society and thereby become people others look up to. They've much to give people and when they speak, their sound bytes are soaked in like water by a sponge. Yes, they're the crème-de-la-crème, most of us want to emulate. They're honored and wield a lot of power and their status is pitched high. Men can only reach them by prior intimation and so on. They're the top guys, and inspire the aspirations of many.
But our Scripture today says, there's none of them greater than he that fears the Lord. Hard to believe isn't it. Look that poor old grandma staying in that dilapidated house in the ghettos with a huge family, desperately struggling to make ends meet, yes, this woman has the fear of the Lord. She's in great awe of God who is her Hope and her Guide. She spends hours before Him in prayer. To the extent possible, though her children and grandchildren hardly listen to her, she tries to bring on the path to God. At times she's insulted and side-lined not only by her family, but by neighbors and others too – yeah, she's old and who's got the time for her and for her God? But, she never misses her prayer come hail or shine and she never stops praying for her family and her friends and relatives and even the whole world.
Is she great? Not for the worldly, she isn't for she doesn't possess anything. But for God she's priceless. God listens to her prayer and although they don't know it, her family is in ship shape despite problems because she's on her knees praying for them. The community is safe, for with tears in her eyes, she prays for them. The world is safe because the Almighty is seeing her there and not destroying it for He cannot destroy her. She's the block between the disaster and men; yea, none knows it, but God knows. No other person before God, among the high and honored among men, is more beautiful than this old grandma with her withered face and hands and her wobbly gait. And she also has this promise that she'll meet the Shepherd of souls, when she reaches up there. Now how many are great enough to be assured an appointment with the ultimate Royalty?
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