British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and United States President Franklin Roosevelt met in 1941 to issue a joint declaration that became known as the Atlantic Charter.

They anchored their warships off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

In a joint worship service, including the crews of the warships, British and American voices joined in hymns that spoke of the most sacred beliefs that the British and Americans shared.

These sacred beliefs anchored their historic proclamation:

[A]fter the final destruction of the Nazi tyranny, they hope to see established a peace which will afford to all nations the means of dwelling in safety within their boundaries, and which will afford assurance that all the [peoples] in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want.

In addition to inspiring the British and the Americans, these sacred beliefs inspired many other peoples (who were neither British nor American) to destroy the Nazi tyranny so that all the peoples in all the lands may establish a peace with freedom from fear and want.

In the Bible, the Psalms are “hymns” that express sacred beliefs that guide all of us who love our one God—our one LORD—with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Matthew 22:36-38).

Who is our one and only God? Who is our one and only LORD?

The gracious God. (Exodus 34:6).

Our gracious God who prepares a feast for us and makes our cup overflow! (Psalm 23:5).

When I think of a feast with overflowing cups, I think of our family reunions near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania when I was a boy.

Aunt Nellie stuffed us with her fried chicken. Then Aunt Mabel stuffed us some more with her “pot pie” (not in the form most people think of—an actual “pie”—but in the form of the “dumplins” at Cracker Barrel).

Between these feasts, we savored Aunt Mabel’s molasses cookies that managed to be simultaneously sweet, soft and crunchy.

But my favorite memory arose from cutting a watermelon to share amongst all the members of our family.

I was in the living room at Aunt Nellie’s house. My grandfather (Lake), Aunt Nellie, and Aunt Mabel were in the kitchen. They were admiring a watermelon we were about to consume.

I felt transported in time back to when they were children growing up together on the Harner Farm. They laughed! They joked! They shared their happiness! They shared their joy! They shared their enthusiasm over something as simple as cutting and sharing a “perfect watermelon”.

Their laughter, jokes, happiness, joy, and enthusiasm were contagious!

I couldn’t wait to taste the watermelon!!!

And so it is with the graciousness of the LORD our God.

Our enthusiasm about the graciousness of the LORD our God should be contagious.

Everyone—including ourselves—should be eager to taste and see that the LORD is good. (Psalm 34:8).

To consume the goodness—the graciousness—of the LORD our God!

To be stuffed with the goodness—the graciousness—of the LORD our God.

Many Psalms extoll the graciousness of the LORD our God in literally feeding us.

The Psalms teach us that [the LORD our God] satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things”. (Psalm 107:9).

But far better than feasting on literal food is stuffing ourselves on the words and the wisdom of the LORD our God.

As the Psalmist rejoices:

How sweet are your words to my taste,

     sweeter than honey to my mouth.

     (Psalm 119:103).

Sweeter even than my Aunt Mabel’s molasses cookies!

As the Psalmist rejoices:

I love your commands

   more than gold, more than pure gold

   because I consider all your precepts right.

(Psalm 119:127-128)

I love them more than feasting on Aunt Nellie’s fried chicken, Aunt Mabel’s pot pie, and sharing a perfect watermelon.

Why?

Because:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

     all who follow his precepts

     [all who follow his words]

have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise. (Psalm 111:10)

And so, feast on the words and wisdom of the gracious LORD our God.

Feast on the precepts of the gracious LORD our God.

Feast on the wisdom of the gracious LORD our God.

Stuff yourself with his words and wisdom. Consume them. Savor them. Share them with others enthusiastically!

For if you do these things, the cup of your life will truly overflow!

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

What times in your life has the graciousness of the LORD our God literally satisfied your thirst and literally filled you with good things?

What times in your life has the graciousness of the LORD our God figuratively satisfied your thirst for his words and wisdom, or figuratively filled you with his words and wisdom?

What times in your life have you experienced that the words and wisdom of the LORD are sweeter than honey?

What times in your life have you loved the words and wisdom of the LORD more than pure gold?

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For my related thoughts, please read my blogs “Healing with Psalms: The Atlantic Charter”, “Healing with Psalms: Light Overcoming Darkness”, and “Healing with Psalms: The LORD Is Compassionate”.