I saw a verse this week that I’d never seen before.
It was on a board that someone had painted as a gift for a family. I saw it on Facebook.
On the board was this:
“God Settles the Lonely in Families” Psalm 68:6
I really liked that verse—I had so many thoughts about it; I wanted to study it more. Unfortunately, my Logos Bible Software is not working right now (I need to give the company a call), so I pulled out my big, huge, ESV Bible with Study Notes.
The ESV translates the first part of this verse as:
“God settles the solitary in a home;”
Checking the study notes, I found that “solitary” could mean the fatherless, an orphan, a widow–someone who is alone. This makes sense when we read the verse right before it; verse 5:
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
What a beautiful verse, and even more so when accompanied with the first part of verse 6. God is protector–of the fatherless, of widows.
I’m not a widow. And my children technically are not fatherless. But in some ways we fit those categories—and God has been our protector in so many, many ways. He has kept us safe. He has provided for our needs. He has proven that He sees and knows.
But back to verse 6. “God settles the solitary in a home.” This verse really has struck my soul on this cold Friday morning. Everyone is still asleep (no school today), and I am alone, working on work tasks and now writing this post. I’ve been up since 5:00, and it’s been so quiet.
I enjoy the quiet. I’m an introvert. I enjoy time alone. But can I admit something to you? I am lonely. I’m lonely for the companionship and love of a spouse. Yes, I miss Jack, my ex-husband. I am heartbroken over what tore our marriage apart. And I’m lonely for friends. Now that is mostly my fault, because I tend to stay isolated at home right now–it is my comfort zone. I need for 2014 to be a year that I push out of that comfort zone. But I am lonely for friends–friends that I have lost, friends I rarely get to see, friends that are nearby.
But all that to say, I am solitary. But God knows this. I have to believe that He knew what would happen in our lives to lead us to where we are today. So I look at this verse and think how it applies to me and my crew.
First off…..God settles the solitary. So often I am unsettled in my mind and in my soul. And when I am, the only one who can truly settle me is my God. Just like this morning. I was unsettled after my prayer time this morning; unsettled over some heartbreaking things. But then I was reminded of seeing this verse–and the study of it and writing about it has settled both my mind and my soul. God settles the solitary. God settles the lonely.
Next, he settles the solitary in a home. This has a very practical application for me–and probably for you as well. He has provided us with a dwelling place; a place to call home. A safe place. We are so grateful to have someplace to live, when there was a time that we did not know where we were going to live.
Lastly, “home” can also signify family. And my crew is the best. Even though there are many ways in which I am lonely and it hurts, there are just as many ways that I am surrounded by the blessing of four amazing kids. Kids that actually like being together. Kids that actually don’t mind hanging out with mom. Kids that like to have fun, that are willing to talk to me when they are struggling, kid that love God.
God has settled this lonely soul in a family, and for that I am thankful.
