Developing Daughters for the King – Psalm 45:13
Musings from Grandma
Bertha High – March 17, 1992

Psalm 45:13 “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.”

I am thankful for the godly heritage God has given me. As I was meditating on the subject, my mind took me back to the three dear women who had a part in molding my life for the Lord.

Tonight I want to introduce you to a woman who was a blonde with sparkling blue eyes, rather plump, and small stature, and had a sunny disposition. She was one of my wonderful grandmas, my father’s mother.

The evidence of her life showed that she was in submission to her own husband as unto the Lord. She was a faithful and very industrious person and has done her husband much good all the days of her life.

Her family was of more importance to her in her home furnishings and her hospitality was of greater value than to have her house like the worldly neighbors.

Psalm 127:5 a happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them… There were 13 children born into this family. As I recall visiting their, there was much singing, joy, and laughter. Happiness could be felt and seen as they lived together.

It took willingness on the part of the children to have such a home running smoothly.

Housework, like prayer, is never ceasing and should go hand-in-hand as we ask God’s blessing upon our labors.

Grandma lived at a time when most of the food had to be prepared at home. Can you imagine how much food she had to prepare for so many hungry ones? How many loads of bread that had to be baked every week? Think of all the lunches she packed until the children were all out of school! There was nothing like snacks to buy at the store. Would we know how to pack lunches without these many snacks and ready-made foods?

The Lord blessed her with a talent for sewing. She made most of their clothes because many things cannot be bought. If you ever tire of mending pants, just imagine how many pants she patched for her husband and nine boys!

How would you like to have done her laundry for just one week? She pumped her water with a hand pump and then heated it on the stove. She made her own soap from animal fats that she saved from cooking. Her washing took her out to the backyard wash lines where she could enjoy the beauties of nature and also get her exercise. We miss blessings by tossing our wash into the automatic washer and dryer?

It is said a man’s work is from son to son, but a woman’s work is never done. Grandma’s cleaning was never ending. She labored long and hard because she didn’t have many things to lighten her work like we have today. Her husband supplied her with hired help until her four daughters were the age that she was able to teach them to help with the household duties. Each child had the responsibility to carry out the work assigned to them. Why did she do all this work so willingly for her dear ones?

It was her faith she had in the one above who helped her through many storms and difficulties in her housekeeping and homemaking. The Lord honored her with a long, happy life because of foreign ceasing labor of love to resident and her children.

There was another woman I would like you to meet. She was a tall brunette with serious dark brown eyes and was rather quiet and reserved. She married late in life and God blessed her with two children. The Lord took her little son soon after birth and the other was my wonderful mother. After mother married, they chose to live together even though it wasn’t always the best. I count it a privilege to be near to grandma. She showed much love to us children and taught us many things that a little girl should know. I just loved when it was my turn to sit with her in church. We had to take turns because it was seven of us girls and also five boys born into this home. We children needed to be reminded rather often to be thankful for brothers and sisters because mother never had anyone to play with and share her things.

Mother was on duty all hours of the day and night. She labored much for her family and took care of her invalid mother. She taught us many things I will never forget. She was the best mother anyone could have. I know the Lord richly rewarded her with future happiness because of the wonderful smile on her face as he left this life.

I don’t remember much of my grandma as I was seven or eight years old when she passed away. I can picture her sitting on a rocking chair in her last years. I often wondered — was he praying for us children as she sat with her eyes closed and her lips moving? I feel that perhaps it was through their prayers that four of her granddaughters were called to be minister’s wives.

The lives of these women had been like a rose jar filled with sweet – scented petals. There were sharp thorns that pressed among the petals. But without those thorns it would not have been any roses. The memories that arose from the jar of their long lives overflowing to all their loved ones with sweet memories as regular as a rose. Can we measure how many kind words, tender thoughts, whispered prayers, and joyful songs it takes to form an air of sweetness in the home? Can we measure how much gentleness, mercy, and forbearance it takes to create a godly home? Let us ponder tonight — are we the kind of wives that our husband’s deserve and the kind of mothers our children will love?

Today life seems so complicated and too cluttered. We lose our way because there’s too much room, too many clothes, too many toys, too many meetings, and many other two many’s. We lose our capacity to appreciate the way of the simple life. Luke 12:15 Jesus tells us to “Take heed and beware of covetousness; for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.” Matthew 7:33 Jesus is teaching us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things we stand in need of shall be added unto us.

The question comes to each one of us tonight — what do we want our daughters to remember of us as we leave this life?

In the Word God gives us examples of women that were noted for what they had done. 2Timothy 1:5 grandma Lois and mother Eunice were noted for their unfeigned faith they instilled in young Timothy. We also need to instill this faith in our daughters.

Genesis 3:6 mother Eve was known for her curiosity and fulfilling her own desires instead of God’s Word. Are we teaching our daughters to believe that what God says is truth and He doesn’t change; that as we accept His word, it can change us?

We see Miriam as an ambitious mother. Numbers 12:12 she wanted to do her part, but wasn’t satisfied that her younger brother was called to rule over her.

Remember the story of Ruth? She was one of constancy with a spotless name, full of love and obedience, and very industrious. These are all virtues for a daughter of the king.

1Samuel 1:20 Hannah was an ideal mother. She was prayerful, exercises self-denial, and had a very thankful heart. She was one who showed much love.

Remember Shunamite woman? You would have loved to stop at her house because she was a woman given to hospitality. She enjoyed supplying the needs of Elisha the man of God as he traveled by their house.

Esther is remembered for her beauty through and through. She was a woman for an emergency which demanded a self – sacrificing life, full of courage and faith to save her people

What do you remember about Martha? I know she had her good points, but she was as perhaps some of us are today — a worried housekeeper. 1Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:25 that the life is more than meat and the body more than raiment.

We remember Dorcas for all the good she did by sowing for the needy. Where do we find ourselves tonight? Do exercise our talents and use the time the Lord gives us to help others?

There are many other women in the Bible that we remember by their deeds. There are a few Mary’s we could talk about, but there is one very outstanding to me and that is the mother of Jesus. Mary was the only woman chosen by God to bring the Savior into the world to save all mankind. Remember her submission, faith, and piety to her Lord? Luke 1:46 & 47 Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.”

Proverbs 31:30 “favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised.” We need to instill in our daughters that this is the most important thing in life. We need to love the Lord with all our heart and obey his commandments.

The poet in the last stanza of a song says:
“Oh, when the Savior shall make up his jewels,
When the bright crowns of rejoicing are won,
Then shall His weary and faithful disciples,
All be remembered by what they have done.
… Only remembered by what we have done.
Thus would be passed from the earth and its toiling…

How do we want to be remembered when our days are done? Will our daughters profit by the way we love the Lord, that they also will als want to embrace the faith?

My prayer to the Lord is “that our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace.” Psalm 144:12b