Four daughters and a son is a fairly large family, and I am the middle of the five. When we were growing up, my father was heard to say from time to time, “Your mother is the most beautiful woman in the world.” When I was four years old I knew without a question that this was certainly true.

One day my older sister told me that here would soon be a contest in Atlantic City, and that the most beautiful woman would be crowned “Miss America”. I worried about this for some time, thinking that Atlantic City must be at least one overnight away from our house, and that there must be many reasons why Miss America would have to be away from home.

My mother was standing at the kitchen sink when I looked up at her and asked, “When do you have to go to be Miss America?” “What?” she said. I repeated the question. “I am not going to be Miss America”, she said. “Even if I wanted to be Miss America, I couldn’t , because I’m married. I’m marred to your father and to you kids!” “Oh,” I said, and turned to walk out of the kitchen and out the door, and across the back yard, feeling a wonderful euphoria that the most beautiful woman in the world is my mother, and she will never leave because she is married.

I believe that at one time or another, every Christian experiences a similar anxiety. Everyone believes that our God is the greatest, most beautiful, all powerful God ; but each one has times when we wonder how God could possibly be concerning Himself with our personal lives when there are crises happening all over the world, not the least of which is in the land of Israel: God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews13:5), and, Surely I am with you always, to the very end of he age.” (Matthew 28”20)

Those stone tablets that Moses brought down from the mountain were in reality a wedding ring for Israel; and the ladder that Jacob saw in a dream, with angels ascending and descending, was really a wedding ring for the one who would be named “Israel”. The rock that was rolled away from the tomb in Jerusalem was the greatest of wedding rings, sealed with the blood of the groom.

We, too, can experience the euphoria of assurance that we are forever loved by our most wonderful God.

Love in Him,

Prue