Listener Feedback

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, July 26th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Time now for Listener Feedback. We begin today with a correction.

On July 16th we made a historical error … putting Donald Trump’s third presidential nomination as a Republican into a class with Thomas Jefferson. The Grand Old Party is old … just not so old as to include Jefferson. Jefferson’s party was the “Democratic Republican Party.” Different thing. Our mistake.

BROWN: And now for some feedback. The first refers to a story on July 11th.

BECKY: I just wanted to say thank you very much for the…report that you did on food pantries this week…

My husband has been pretty much the primary breadwinner but he has not been able to find work for 10 months…We have been starting to go to food pantries and…I'm suspecting there are a lot more people like us out there than people would like to admit, because things are hard right now economically…

And so we are very thankful for churches that have food pantries, and our home church, you know, that supports us and loves us and and does what they can to help us and they have truly been helpful and Godly brothers and sisters as well who have helped us out. So all of it works together to care for God's people. And I just want to say thank you for bringing attention to that food pantry.

BROWN: Next we turn to the Psalms. Three different listeners wrote in with encouragement from the songbook of the Bible.

Here is longtime listener Doug Woodford:

WOODFORD: I generally think of your podcast as based on WORLD’s key verse: Psalm 24:1. But I was pleased to note God's ownership of everything, including the cattle on a thousand hills reading Psalm 50 today. In verse 12, he says, “if I were hungry, I would not tell you for the world and everything in it is mine.” Thank you for recognizing God's supremacy in all you do.

EICHER: On July 10th commentator Janie B Cheaney reflected on late bloomers, and that appealed to listener Mary Stella of Midlothian, Virginia. She stopped what she was doing to listen, then she listened again two times more. She says she’s had a 40-year professional career but has done songwriting on the side and was kind to send us a sample. We’ll play a few seconds here as it fits our feedback theme, a rendition of the 138th Psalm.

PSALM 138 ENDING
STELLA: And let us sing of the ways of the Lord,
If He shall tarry we’ll sing all the more.
Giving Him praise,
All of our days,
With are whole heart,
We sing of His way.

BROWN: And one more comment. This one on Paul Butler’s piece last Friday.

DAVIS: My name is Brenda Davis from Antioch, California. And I really enjoy The World and Everything in It. I listen every day for a fuller perspective of news here and in other countries. Yesterday's history commentary on Psalm 23, it was excellent.

I didn't know it was sung at Queen Elizabeth's state funeral. It was also sung at President Eisenhower's funeral in 1969. It was sung a cappella by a boys and men's choir to the tune, Evan, which I love.

CLIP FROM EISENHOWER FUNERAL: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me down to lie, in pastures green He leadeth me the quiet waters by…

The middle verse was sung at a crescendo. Yeah. Though I walk in death's dark veil. Yet will I fear no ill for thou art with me and thy rod and staff me comfort still.

CLIP FROM EISENHOWER FUNERAL: For thou are with me and thy rod and staff ye comfort still…

But I remember it as a child watching that on our black and white TV. And my dad who I rarely saw cry had tears running down his face when this song was sung.

CLIP FROM EISENHOWER FUNERAL: My head thou doest with oil anoint and my cup overflows …

It's a wonderful memory. And Paul Butler's piece brought back that memory. I commend to you Dr Robert Godfrey's excellent book: “Learning To Love the Psalms.” He points out Hebrew poetry is Chiastic and the key verse is found in the middle of the Psalm.

So the key verse of Psalm 23 is “for Thou art with me.” Praise the Lord. He is with us. Thank you for reminding me Christ is in the Psalms. We can sing them back to him with praise for his faithful presence. Thank you for your research and your timely news every day. God's best to you all.

CLIP FROM EISENHOWER FUNERAL: Amen.

Thanks to all who wrote and called. We’re thankful for the time you give to listen each day and even to provide thoughtful feedback.

If you have a comment to share you can email editor@wng.org. You can include an audio file attachment to your email and we’ll consider it for air. You can even call it in at 202-709-9595.

And that’s Listener Feedback!

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