He placed the paper in Psalms. What a lovely part of the Bible to park a bookmark. I came across it one day when I needed it most- as God has a beautiful way of doing.
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change, the faithful will remain.
Be still my soul, thy best thy heavenly friend.
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
My grandfather, Lothar, likely scribbled this down when he heard it during service (as we are apt to do sometimes). It touched a chord with him and he was inspired to record it for future moments of need. A spiritual touchstone, if you will. He tucked it away in his bible to have it handy. Did he ever think his granddaughter would discover it nearly 50 years later and find grace in it? Generally, I'd be inclined to say probably not, but knowing him, perhaps so.
We pick up little pieces of grace as we go along. Sometimes, we remember to tuck them away for later use- sometimes we forget where we placed them. It's a beautiful mystery. Almost a symphonic waltz, the way God whispers to us. How He finds new ways to deliver His grace to us. And what a gift in this case especially. 15 years ago today, my grandfather passed away. While he was lucid, I was too young to appreciate any of his counsel. What a blessing to be reached by him long after his passing. He left behind many writings, but I find the most comfort in his bible and the bookmarks within. It was my grandfather who gave me my very first bible. A little white New Testament on Christmas Eve in 1992. On the inside cover he wrote, "You have many toys. A toy this is not."
Ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart today, to accept the beautiful grace He has crafted just for you.
Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set they glory above the heavens. ~Psalm 8:1
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