Psalm 45:10-11  10 Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house.  11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

Today’s verses are the beginning of a section of Psalm 45 (verses 10-17) that is very dear to my wife Donna and to me; to her because God used these verses so powerfully in her life; to me because God so touched the woman I love through them.  It is a section where God speaks to His daughters.

Donna’s father’s house was painful for her both as a daughter and as a woman.  Her daddy was an alcoholic.  Possibly key to that was the fact that when Donna’s older sister was 3 years old, she was killed when he accidentally ran over her backing his car out of the driveway.  Donna’s parents were married, divorced, re-married and re-divorced.  He was not someone who knew how to show love.

When Donna was 19, she had a marvelous salvation experience where God gave her an amazing vision of Jesus on the cross.   When she saw the blood dripping from his hands and feet  she knew he died for her.  Over the years her relationship with the Lord grew and she has been a blessing to so many.  But there was something the Lord wanted to heal in her and that happened in a woman’s conference in Canada back in the early 90s.  The Lord freed Donna of the hurts and wounds that lingered still as a result of her daddy not being a loving father – not being the man God intended him to be.

The Lord wanted her to have the joy and freedom that come from a healthy, vibrant view of Him as her Father; to receive His love and affection.  As part of that healing process, God spoke these verses to Donna as speaking to His daughter.  I vividly remember the tearfully, joyous phone call I received from her when this happened.  She was overwhelmed by the love from her Heavenly Father and with love for Him.  The pain from her daddy was gone.  In its place was the joy and wonder that she was a beloved daughter of the King.

God is a master at freeing us from whatever restrains us.  He wants us to know and experience Him as the loving Father He is.  If we have ‘stuff’ like Donna had, He will set us free too.