Psalms 145:8:  “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, [vacant] to anger and of great mercy.”

Someone told me today that I should have patience. Considering the fact that I have always considered myself a patient person, I figured I may need to re-examine this word in light of Scripture.  I seem to be really wearing myself down fretting over my circumstances and perhaps I am not showing patience.

Actually the Old Testament does not use the word patience in the KJV.  When the English word patience is rendered in other translations it is for the word ’orek.  Orek is odd little fellow.  As you notice in today’s verse he has turned up missing – again.  How Orek ever gets assigned the English word patience is beyond me.  He is always, busy, busy, busy.   I’ve never considered a workaholic like Orek to be patient.  No doubt Orek is behind my Looking Glass once again showing a lack of patience. 

Quite frankly I really need to have Psalms 145:8 in tack today.  I mean  as I open to Psalms 145:8 this morning I was looking for reassurance and there was Chanan gracious waving at me to greet me.  That faithful little  adjective is always at the side of Jehovah reminding me that God is gracious, merciful, compassionate and kind.  “Yes, Hi there Chanan, thank you for being there to remind of the gentle loving nature of God and  you too Racham, yes, I needed to be reminded that Jehovah is full of compassion.  What’s that, oh yeah, I will spread the word.”   That Racham compassionate love is always worried that Ahav love will steal his thunder.  Ahav is the key word in Hebrew for love, but Racham is a closer runner up. Ahav is an unfailing love, Racham is the huggy, feely type love.  This is the tender, affectionate love.  Racham often works part time as a womb to express that all-encompassing total dependence type of love.  No offense to Ahav, but in this verse I would much rather see Racham than Ahav. Do you ever feel like God is just embracing you, wiping away your tears and whispering to you that everything is ok?  That is Racham not Ahav.  Ahav has his place, but sometimes I would like to just feel that love and that is where Racham steps in. “Thank you old friends for reminding me that God is gracious and kind and ready to give out a hug when I need it.”

But, hey, were is Orek?    “And you Aneph (anger) where is your adjective, what kind of noun are  you anyways, always loosing track of your adjective.”  “@#%$*#”  says Aneph. “Alright, alright already, glory, I was just asking a question, you don’t have to get all huffy about it.”   Oh, well that is just the nature of Aneph (anger) , without Orek(slow, patient) he just loses his cool.  Actually Aneph is not really a bad sort.  He is not always angry, his basic meaning is to snort, like a camel snorting.  A camel does not necessarily snort when he is angry, many times is it just frustration over things not going his way.  I often describe Aneph as just impatient, the opposite of  Orek.   Orek usually cools Aneph down.  As such I guess it is up to me to find out what happened to Orek. 

I look over at the last word, Chasad (lovingkindness)  but he is asleep, it is Orek that is suppose  wake him up.  I just have to find Orek as I not only need his claim effect on my life, but I need him to wake up Chasad.

So I step behind my Looking Glass and as I enter Hebrew Esoteric Land I am suddenly knocked to the ground by Great Wind.   “Great Wind” I say, “You do this to me every time, don’t you have better manners than that?”   “Sorry” says Great Wind apologetically, “I sometimes forget my own strength.”  “Yeah, ok” I say: “Look  I need to find Orek, I am really struggling with some situations and I need his calming nature to reassure me.  I mean Chanan and Racham have been very helpful but without Orek’s calming nature and his influence on Chasad, I am afraid I will be a nervous wreck and Chasad will just not wake up.

Great Wind said he had just met with Orek who was doing some calculations on him and then went off to meet with Forest and Bushes.  “Hang on,” said Great Wind, “I will blow you over there.”  With a might huff, I found myself flying across the wonderland of Esoteric Hebrew and landing in the midst of a forest fire. “Yow, this is hot.”   I scream, “Great Wind what were thinking anyways, sending me in the midst of this fire.”   Making a mad dash for the first opening I see I race out of the forest fire and right into Orek who is standing in front of the forest fire with a notebook and calculator.  “Orek” I say rather angrily, “What the blazes are you doing?  I need you back at Psalms 145:8.  Aneph is out of control, I am in the midst of a forest fire back home and need your attention and here you are running some figures on a forest fire in Hebrew Esoteric Land.

Now you must realize that Orek is spell Aleph, Resh, Kap.   Aleph looks up at me and replies: “I am on the job here, I cannot calm Aneph down until I make sure this fire burns out what it is supposed to burn out and does not burn out what it is not supposed to.  For the first time I look at the forest fire and I see all the trees of financial difficulties burning to the ground and all the bushes of worry and fretting being consumed. But all the fruit vines and fruit bearing trees remain untouched.  Aleph continues: “Remember, I am Aleph and I turn all  those brush and non-fruit bearing trees to nothing.  I recalled how the sages wrote that Aleph represents nothingness, no beginning or end, and out of the nothingness He brings forth life.

“Well,” I say to the next letter in Orek which is Resh, “Resh, can’t you hurry Aleph up a little?”  “Sorry, but you will notice how I am bending over?  That is because all these fires that Aleph are putting out are bending me over in humility and not until I am at the right angle will Aleph be able to end his calculation.”

In desperation I look to the next letter  Kap and ask if  he can offer any assistance.  “Oh no” Kap replies, “I am just a vessel being filled, right now I am your heart that is to be filled with Chasad.(lovingkindness)”

I watch Aleph carefully calculating the forest fire making sure the fruit bearing trees and vines are not harmed, all the while Resh is slowing bending over in humility like a gasoline gauge in a car as Kap is being filled with Chasad (lovingkindness), Suddenly Resh is at a 90 degree angle, Kap is filled and Aleph announces that they are finished and tells me to hop on Orek’s back and together we fly off out of Hebrew Esoteric Land and through my Looking Glass where Orek, unsanctimoniously  drops me off.”   Before taking his rightful place in Psalms 145:8 Orek pauses a moment and tells me: “Yes, I am often rendered as slow but you see, I am slow in the way of patience. I am just making sure all the non fruit bearing trees are burned away before I can allow Chasad (lovingkindness to light up).  In the meantime you have Chanan (mercy and grace) and Racham (tender huggy love) to comfort you while all the trash is burned away.  I, Orek (patience) makes sure it is burned away and all the fruit bearing trees are unharmed. So hang in there, keep me close at hand for when all the non fruit bearing trees are burned out and Great Wind blows away the ashes, you will find a fruitful vineyard in your life.”

With that Orek jumped into Psalm 145:8 and now that Orek (patience) has done his work, Chasad  (God’s lovingkindness) suddenly lights up and I feel the peace and completeness of Psalms 145:8.