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 loving kindness 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 neutralises 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?  Even when old age may afflict our  body we still have much for which to thank Him.

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 recognise 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)   - Pastor John White

His Eye Is On The Sparrow......

Our young granddaughter  had come up from New South Wales to spend holidays with us. She had gotten her first small watch for her birthday. One afternoon I took her to the beach. On the way down the long winding path through the sand and sea grass she somehow dropped her small watch without being aware of the loss. After her swim, she missed her watch and we spent a good while searching the sand all around  the beach where we had placed our towels. But to no avail.  On our way back to the car, with the innocence of a child, she asked me to stop along the path and pray with her that someone might find her watch or that her mother, who had given her the watch, might not be hurt because she had lost it.

As we knelt together to pray, she placed her hand in the tall grass growing along side the path. We had only been praying a minute or so when she felt something underneath her hand and I heard her cry, "I've found it! God has answered my prayer. He's given me back my watch!" I believe the so-called "odds" against this happening in an accidental way would been mind boggling. So did my granddaughter. We should have Thanksgiving to praise and thank God for even His smallest mercies!

So As By Fire

I believe it was in the Summer of 1966 while we were planting Avalon Avenue Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama that I was invited by Pastor Ben Powers and Zion Baptist Church in Winfield, Alabama to participate in a revival in that Church.  I can still remember the blessings of that experience.  But there was one incident that was not altogether a happy occasion.   As was the custom, Pastor Powers and myself spent a few hours each day of the week knocking on doors and sharing the gospel with the lost and encouraging Christians to support the services.  As was and I assume still is the normal practice of Pastors there,  we also made daily visits to the local hospital to visit members and friends and relatives in particular who were ill.  One such visit was a real blessing but also placed a heavy burden on our hearts.

The patient was terminally ill and obviously had very little time left on the earth.   Brother Powers gave me his background.  His wife was a faithful member of the Church.  She and the members had been praying for her husband for a number of years.  A number of Pastors had tried to lead him to the Lord but to no avail.  His attitude had been stubborn and defiant,  But Pastor Powers was not ready to give up and ask me to challenge him to be saved if the man would allow me to do so.

The Lord was gracious and loving and the Holy Spirit was present in all His power and the man was gloriously saved on his death bed. Jesus said there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels when one soul is saved and  we Pastors were rejoicing as well.  But after a few moments the newly born Christian began to weep bitterly.  Puzzled, we asked him why he was doing so.  He responded something like this:  "My wife and her friends and a number of Pastors have shared the gospel with me and begged me to be saved.  But I have stubbornly refused God's love.   Now I know for sure I am saved and will stand before Jesus at the Judgement Seat.   Here I am in this bed and cannot even be baptised now and will really soon go to see Jesus but I will have nothing in serving him.   I will be empty handed there."   Even though he was happy that he was on his way to heaven he was sad that he would be ashamed before Jesus at the Judgement Seat.  (See I John 2:28, II Cor. 5:10, I Cor. 3:1-5)

This from a Mission Report Shared With

Supporting Churches In 1975

".....But the highlight of the month had to be the service held at the Kilbride Nursing Home. About 60 people from our group went bearing gifts and the gospel to the lonely old people there. For weeks the people had planned and saved and made and bought enough gifts that we were able to give at least two gifts to every person there. In addition each one was presented with a gospel of John. The children's choir sang for them. Scripture readings and testimonies were interspersed and God really blessed us with a spiritual blessing. At the end the ladies of the church served all of them with "Christmas Cake" and punch and the very warm response of these so very lonely people was touching. In spite of their obvious longing for us to stay, we finally had to leave.

Five of us remained behind and were able to share out testimony of Christ with a few who could not leave their rooms for our service. Of all we met that day we only had two to tell us they were born again Christians.  I will never forget the testimony of one of them, an eighty year old man. As we talked to him about Jesus he began to cry. We tried to comfort and reassure him  but he would have no part of it. Here is exactly what he said, "I was a young man, and once thought I was called to be a missionary, but I would not go. I have lived a checkered life. I have done nothing for my Saviour and now I will never leave this bed. It's too late to serve Him now. I am ashamed to meet Him face to face." And this man, who according to his wife  had been a hero of Gallipoli, and had been severely wounded in two World Wars, cried like a babe. May we all read again I John 2:28 and dedicate ourselves anew to His service.