11. THE OLD LADY AND ANA -PSALM 64:1-10 (Dealing with Evildoers)

Ana listened quietly at the dinner table, as her mother recounted the rumors that were being spread about her brother and his wife. Some wicked people were determined to destroy his good name by accusing of him of illegal business activities and mixing with questionable people. This was causing him to worry a great deal and he was getting very depressed.

Later that night while her grandmother was helping her get ready to go to bed, Ana asked her;
“Gramma why does God let these bad people say these things and hurt Uncle Joe. Everybody knows he is a good man?”
The old lady, sensing an opportunity to teach her grand daughter, replied that she was not correct in thinking so, for while God does not control what evil people may do, he certainly does not abandon his faithful. Sitting at the side of the bed, she beckoned Ana to sit next to her as she opened her favorite bible to Psalm 64.
“Listen to these words and see if you recognize them”. she said::

Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint;

protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,

from that noisy crowd of evildoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim their words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;

they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.

Ana thought for a minute and then confidently responded;
“That sounds like the person is pleading to God to protect him from all these bad people.
They seem to be trying to destroy him with words and arrows, just like what they are doing to Uncle Joe”.

The old lady nodded her head in agreement and by way of reinforcing the idea she added:
“Yes Ana, this is what they do when they want to destroy good people. They don’t hesitate
to plan and devise any means to trap them, malign them and spread lies about them. Let me continue reading from the bible:”

They encourage each other in evil plans,

they talk about hiding their snares;

they say; "Who will see them?"
They plot injustice and say,

"We have devised a perfect plan!"

Ana, obviously perplexed and confused that God, knowing all this about evil people, allows them to continue to cause so much injustice and suffering to the good, God fearing people.

Turning to her grandmother she wondered whether God might be too busy to pay attention to all these people.
The old lady reacted quickly and replied:
“Heavens no my child, God knows and cares for all people. He is all powerful and does not hesitate punish those who deserve to be punished. Listen to these words:”

Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.
But God will shoot them with arrows;

suddenly they will be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them

and bring them to ruin;

all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

Visibly relieved, Ana smiled broadly, for her confidence in God was restored, and raising both arms high over her head she proclaimed:

“Thank you God for never forgetting your faithful”
The old lady happy to see the relief in the face of her grand daughter, smiled broadly and replied:
Yes Ana, we must never ever forget that God will never abandon his faithful. We should never be afraid to declare our loyalty to him and always praise and honor him. Listen how the Psalmist spoke on behalf of all of us:”

All mankind will fear;

they will proclaim the works of God

and ponder what he has done.
Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD

and take refuge in him;

let all the upright in heart praise him!

Bouncing out of the bed with renewed joy and confidence, Ana hugged her gramma tightly, kissed her, and announced at the top of her voice, as she ran out of the bed room:

“I’m going straight to Mommy and tell her that she does not have to worry about Uncle Joe
anymore, because God will take care of the wicked people and destroy them!”