Some Reasons To Thank God

In Australia we do not have a national Thanksgiving Day. We do not have a day set aside especially for giving thanks and praise to God for His blessings upon our nation. Of course, this does not mean that the people of God in our land do not have as much to be thankful for as others who have a national day of thanksgiving. Nor does it mean we should not pause at every opportunity and especially give thanks to our great God for His bounteous blessings upon our great land.

We should thank God for His gracious protection. Sometimes we are like Elisha’s servant and are blinded to the reality and dimensions of the great blessing of His gracious protection. In order to really see it we need to understand the vindictive war Satan’s wishes to wage against us. He would like to see the terrorists succeed in their quest to obtain and explode WMD’s in large cities and population centres of our world. He would like to see epidemics of aids, bubonic plaque, small pox, anthrax and other more deadly exotic diseases, sweep planet earth and especially hurt and destroy the people of God. Since he is the god of this world and we wrestle against his principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in high places, why does this not happen?

When we consider Job’s experience we could ask in a more personal and practical sense, “Why didn’t Satan destroy you, your loved ones and your home last night, since he would obviously like to do so?The psalmist gives us the only viable and believable answer, “Bless the Lord O my soul who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth the life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies . .” (Psalm 103:3-4) And again, “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Psalm 34:7)

Just think for a moment about the times injury or death has perhaps brushed you by. Most of us can remember times when a split second made the difference between destruction and survival. I

can name a few, but I am sure there are many more that only God knows about. Perhaps when we get to heaven we will be blessed to have a “video replay” of the times the Lord’s hand has been upon us, protecting us from disaster and giving us a new lease on life on earth. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14)

When we thank God for His gracious protection we should always remember the blessings of good health. Why are we not overcome with disease and illness every day of our life? It is because He neutralizes and negates the effect of sin upon our environment and our body and graciously gives us good health. “He heals all our diseases.” Do we have to meet a man with a white cane and seeing eye dog before we can truly thank God for our eyes and good sight? Do we need to see a paralytic in a wheel chair before we can thank God for the use of our lower limbs?

Do we need to hear the awful wail of an ambulance before we can thank God for daily giving us travelling grace? Do we need to visit the intensive care ward in a hospital before we can thank God for the health to live an abundant life? Do we need to see a hearse go rolling by before we can thank God for sparing our loved ones that we might enjoy their companionship for one more day? I have been asked a number of times, “Do you believe in divine healing?” I always reply, “Yes, all healing is divine!”

We should thank God for His gracious providence. This means we should daily gratefully recognize and acknowledge the operation of the central truth of Christian existence in our lives, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (Ro. 8:28)   

Facing The Future Without Fear

We live in terrible times. The threat of cruel barbaric terrorism pervades the atmosphere at home and abroad. Hardly a day passes without hearing news of another unimaginable atrocity perpetrated upon innocent women and children. It seems there is no depths of depravity those who are the adversaries of freedom and truth will not plumb in order to bring terror and fear to those who advocate and advance the principles of a Judeo-Christian civilization.

They make it clear they hate us for being us. They tell us in no uncertain terms we do not deserve to live on the same planet with them. They say ultimately we must convert to their religion or die at the point of a sword. It seems they would prefer the latter fate.

We seem to be given the options of dying on our feet resisting their tyrannical brutality or living on our knees in slavish subjection to an extreme and perverted form of a religion. The make no secret of their ultimate goal. They seek to impose their barbaric, uncivilized code upon all the world.

Is there any hope? Surely God will answer the prayers of those who will stand for righteousness in the land and in the world and grant the continuing freedom we need to live and serve Him. Surely we are still privileged to pray for such a victory in our time. Surely we can use the weapons of spiritual warfare He has given us to face our fears of the forces arrayed against us and forge ahead into a future of real freedom in Christ Jesus!

In Christ we can always be optimistic about the future. We can be sure the sun will rise tomorrow and the future will come, if Jesus does not come in the meantime, and then that will be our future!

Tomorrow may bring its own share of troubles and trials, but it will bring along with those the overruling providence of our great God. The words of our Saviour assure us of this, "... In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Our Saviour is saying the obvious, if we will just stop and consider it. Each day has enough burdens and blessings of its own.

God only gives us grace and strength to live one day at a time. That's all we really need. Tomorrow's problems and challenges can be dealt with by His grace if and when tomorrow comes. Prudent planning and provision for tomorrow is wise, but undue worry about tomorrow is foolish and futile and fails to face the future with faith that the God of today is also the God of tomorrow.

The scriptures tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and that God's mercies are new each morning. When we are too fretful and fearful about tomorrow, we often rob ourselves of the peace, joy and victory God would give us today. Even today it is as the weeping prophet said, "It is of the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, because His compassions fails not, they are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

. Our outlook about the future should be reflected in the words of the Psalmist, "This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)