The Incredible Survival of George Washington

Prior to the American Revolution, George Washington gained notoriety by fighting for the British crown in the French and Indian Wars. In 1755 at the ill-fated battle of Monongahela (near present-day Pittsburg), Washington exhibited remarkable courage and leadership when the British were ambushed by French soldiers and Native American braves.

History records that Washington emerged from that hellacious battle miraculously unscathed. His coat and hat were riddled with bullet holes and two horses were shot from beneath him.[1]

When the smoke cleared, the Indians were perplexed at Washington’s survival. Many claimed that he had been cloaked by the Great Spirit. Chief Red Hawk of the Shawnee claimed to have personally shot at Washington eleven times, but all bullets missed. Another chief, amazed at Washington’s grit, is said to have predicted, “He will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the father of a mighty empire.”

Shortly after the fight, Washington wrote from Fort Cumberland to his younger brother, John on July 18, 1755 saying: “By the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!”

Washington’s heroics created a sensation in the Colonies, and many felt God’s hand was on him for a special purpose. That opinion was expressed in a famous sermon preached in Virginia on August 17, 1755 by an evangelist named Samuel Davies. In a sermon he entitled, “Religion and Patriotism,” Davies preached to a crowd from 2 Samuel 10:12 which says, “Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God.” Davies’ sermon focused on the sovereignty of God and in his manuscript he made a comment about Washington saying, “I may point out to the public that heroic youth, Colonel Washington, whom I cannot hope Providence has hitherto preserved for some important service to his country.”[2]   

That dear preacher did not understand how prophetic his words were! The more I study the American Revolution the more I am convinced that God’s invisible hand was at work in the background. This is just one of many stories that I have read about where circumstances unexplainably aligned in favor of the Americans. In his 1982 Thanksgiving Proclamation, President Ronald Reagan wrote, “I have always believed that this anointed land was set apart in an uncommon way, that a divine plan placed this great continent here between the oceans to be found by people from every corner of the earth who had a special love of faith and freedom.”[3]

With the exception of Israel, we know that America, more than any nation ever before, was started on Christian principles. And its also true that the Bible declares God’s sovereignty over the rise and fall of nations. Daniel 2:21 reads, “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings,” while Psalm 22:28 reminds us, “For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations” (see also Job 12:23; Ps. 46:8-10; Pro. 21:1; Is. 41:2; Acts 17:26). God has a secret, sovereign plan for this nation. While I am a citizen of America by birth, I am a citizen of New Jerusalem by second birth. I pledge allegiance to the ideals of America, but I kneel before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords—Jesus Christ. One day this nation will be a footnote in history, but Jesus’ kingdom will live forever! Let’s not forget that! -DM

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[1] Eric Metaxas, 7 Men and The Secrets of their Greatness (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013), 10.

[2] Robert J. Morgan, 100 Bible Verses that Made America (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2020, 53-55.

[3] “President’s Proclamation,” New York Times, 21 November 1982 <https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/21/us/president-s-proclamation.html>

Kill Your Idols!

Missionary John Williams (1796 – 1839) was one England’s first to embark to Polynesia in 1816. The tribes Williams was trying to evangelize were not only cannibals, but polytheistic (worshippers of many gods). Each tribe had their various idols that they prayed to and revered. William’s big breakthrough came when he was able to lead one of the tribal chiefs, a man named Romatane, to Christ. Williams preached to him from Isaiah 44:15-17 about the folly of idolatry. When Romatane was converted his first command to the tribes was to collect all the idols and burn them! John Williams repeated this process on 50 little islands in Polynesia and several tribes renounced their idols for the Gospel. Tragically, In November 1839 John Williams and a colleague, James Harris, were killed on the beach at Erromanga, Vanuatu (New Hebrides) and believed to have been eaten.[1]

Rev. John Williams 

           

The holy boldness of John Williams to call for an end to idolatry reminds us to do the same in our lives. From cover to cover the Bible warns against the sin of idolatry. The second commandment of Moses’ original ten says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Ex. 20:4). When Paul rolled into Ephesus, he started preaching the Gospel. As the Holy Spirit started convicting people, they gathered their idols and “a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all” (Acts 19:19). The last verse 1 John reminds us, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (5:21).

Today we may not bow down to statues or leave a pinch of incense on an altar, but we must realize that idolatry starts in the heart. Adrian Rogers has said that the test for an idol goes like this: “Is there anything that you love more, fear more, serve more or trust more than God? If so, then that thing has become an idol to you.”[2] In short, anything that takes the rightful place of God in our lives can be an idol—money, sex, addiction, power, social media. Idolatry isn’t just sinful, it’s stupid because it wrongly places faith in objects that have no saving power and cannot bring us ultimate fulfillment. The truth is that idolatry always promises what it cannot deliver, and we are left empty.

Remember when the Israelites were severely punished by the Lord for making the golden calf and worshipping it (Ex. 32)? In fact, the Bible says that when Moses discovered the golden calf that he destroyed it, had it ground to powder, mixed it with water and made the people drink it! The metallic taste in their mouth was unforgettable lesson on how their sin was disgusting to the Lord.   

Moses’ action teaches us about how to deal with idols in our own lives. We cannot tolerate idols; we must annihilate them. All too often Christians try to deal with their idols by putting them in the closet rather than taking them out with the trash. We pretend that we have cleaned house, spiritually speaking, but in fact that same sin is still in the cupboard ready to come out the next time we are tempted. The sin we tolerate, infiltrates and then dominates!

Moses never gave his people the chance to resurrect the Golden Calf and in the same way we need to do the same thing in our lives. Instead of dabbling with our idols we need to destroy them; instead of playing games we need to declare war! -DM

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[1] Robert J. Morgan, From This Verse (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998), May 4.

[2] Adrian Rogers, “Is There an Idol in Your Life?” Love Worth Finding, October 16 < https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love-worth-finding/read/devotionals/love-worth-finding/is-there-an-idol-in-your-life-love-worth-finding-october-16-11816237.html>

How To Bless Our Children

As we approach another Father’s Day, I am reminded again how Dad’s play an important role in determining the destiny of their children for good or ill. I had the rare and incredible privilege of living under the care of a man of God, Joe McCarson. I can recall on several occasions seeing my Dad in the early morning light with his Bible open, knelt in prayer. On our birthdays, Dad was always present, and he made a point to pray over us as children. Dad would thank God for our lives and pray for our physical and spiritual growth. It was a normal thing to find handwritten notes from my Dad in our lunchbox with words of affirmation and encouragement. When I was ordained to preach, my Dad laid hands on me and blessed my future ministry.

In short, my whole life was covered by my Dad’s prayers. I never grew up wondering who I was or whether I had value, because my father continually reinforced that with his blessing. I learned a lot about by Heavenly Father by seeing the heart of my earthly father.

Whether Dad knew or not, he was practicing a Biblical pattern seen throughout the Old Testament. Fathers of faith always took time to bless their children and interceded on their behalf before the Lord. Job “would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings” for his ten children (Job. 1:5). Abraham gave all that he had to his son Isaac (Gen. 25:5). Isaac spoke a blessing to his son Jacob (Gen. 27:27-29). Jacob gave a blessing to each of his twelve sons and to two of his grandchildren (Gen. 48-49). Finally, the Heavenly Father, said of His Son, Jesus, on two occasions, “Behold this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).

If you study these tender encounters you notice a few key elements. First, there is meaningful touch, usually a laying on of hands which indicated the transfer of blessing. Dads your hugs and kisses are needed just as much as moms. I have talked to several men who never had a meaningful touch from their father unless it was a spanking or abuse. What a shame! Wrap your kids up in a bear hug and let them know that they are safe and loved.  

Second, there is a message taught. In the Bible, fathers blessed their children by saying something positive about their character. Children are starving for attention, identity and self-worth. Dads are in a unique position to speak that truth into their impressionable hearts. Kids who don’t hear these messages from their father will fill in the blanks with what the world says about them or go looking for someone else to affirm them. Generally, boys will do this through achievement such as sports, and girls will search for this from another man. Dads can give their children incredible confidence by encouraging them with positive words of encouragement.

Third, the father mused about tomorrow. What I mean is that often Biblical fathers spoke prophetically of their children’s future. For example, Jacob blessed his son Judah saying, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet” (Gen. 49:10). With these words Jacob predicted that the royal line would rise from Judah, which would go on to include descendants like David and Christ. As dads we may not be able to predict our kids’ future, but what we can do is call out their God-given potential. Our child may be a natural born leader, a gifted musician, athletic or have a knack for numbers. It’s our privilege to see these qualities in our children, develop them and bless our children to use those abilities for God’s glory. -DM  

Be of Good Cheer!

“Remember one thing, dear: God said he would never leave us nor forsake us.” Those words were spoken on March 13, 1942, and were the last words Darlene Diebler would ever hear from her husband, Russell, as they were permanently separated in Japanese prison camps during World War II.

Darlene married a pioneer missionary to Southeast Asia named Russell Deibler on August 18, 1937. She was only nineteen years old. He was twelve years her senior. The Deiblers eagerly returned to Russell’s pioneer missionary work in the interior of New Guinea. Darlene accompanied Russell into the jungle to establish a new mission station near a previously unevangelized, primitive tribe that had only been discovered just a few years earlier. Darlene, the first white woman any of them had ever seen, grew to deeply love the local people.

When World War II broke out in that part of the world, the Dieblers chose to stay. And when the Japanese soon took control of the area, the Deiblers were put under house arrest. Later, Japanese soldiers herded all foreigners into prisoner-of-war camps, separating the men from the women and children. During the next four years, Darlene endured separation from her husband and, eventually, widowhood.

The brutal conditions of a WWII Japanese internment camp included near-starvation, forced labor, inhumane conditions, false accusations of espionage, serious illnesses, solitary confinement, and torture. Through it all, Darlene was sustained by God, who never left her nor forsook her, just as he promised. He remained her light and salvation.[1]

In her book, Evidence Not Seen, Darlene explains how she went into that POW camp with her Bible, but guards took it away. However, they could not remove the memorized Scriptures from her mind. She wrote:

“Much time passed repeating Scripture. As a young person, I had a driving compulsion to memorize the written Word of God. In the cell, I was grateful now for those days in Vacation Bible School, when I had memorized many verses, complete chapters, and Psalms. The Lord fed me with the Living Bread that had been stored up against the day when fresh supply was cut off by the loss of my Bible. He brought daily comfort and encouragement—yes, even joy—to my heart through the knowledge of the Word.”[2]  

Darlene’s story is a challenge for us to commit to memory God’s Word. You never know what life may bring our way or when we will need a quick memory verse to lean on. Darlene’s witness is also a reminder that the Word of God is like a Swiss-Army Knife—a multi-use tool that is fitting for every problem this world throws at us. One place to start memorizing the Bible is with Jesus’ “Be of good cheer” statements. They are simple, short and applicable to a wide array of situations we may face. On five occasions in the Gospels, Jesus spoke to grieving and distraught souls, reassuring them to take courage. Take a gander at each verse and the life issue it addresses.

·         Jesus forgives our DEEDS. When a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus, He said to the lame, “Son be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven” (Matt. 9:2).

·         Jesus heals our DISEASES. When a woman with a 12-year sickness crept up behind Jesus and touched the hem of His robe seeking healing, He turned to her and said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well” (Matt. 9:22)

·         Jesus is present in our DESPAIR. When the disciples were exhausted, frightened, and tossed about on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came to them walking across the waves saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27).

·         Jesus is greater than our DIFFICULTY. When the Twelve were distraught on the night Jesus was arrested, He told them, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).    

·         Jesus is comforting in our DEFEAT. As Paul sat in a lonely, dark jail cell, feeling like a failure, Acts 23:11 says that the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified of Me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness at Rome.”

I don’t know what you are facing today, but I bet one of these passages will help strengthen you. When Jesus gave these sayings, He wasn’t just making a suggestion, or uttering a cliché, but He was issuing a promise filled with His powerful authority to minister to the specific needs of our lives. Let’s lean on these five promises and learn how Jesus can sustain us through it all.

-DM   

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[1] Daniel Aiken, “Darlene Diebler Rose: Unwavering Faith in God’s Promises,” IMB, 10 May 2017 <https://www.imb.org/2017/05/10/darlenedieblerrose/>

[2] Darlene Deibler Rose, Evidence Not Seen: One Woman’s Faith in a Japanese P.O.W. Camp (Carlisle, UK: O.M. Publishing 1988), 129-30.

5 Racial Equality Verses Every Christian Needs to Know

John Perkins was born in Mississippi in 1930, the child of poor sharecroppers. His mother died when he was an infant and his father abandoned the family. Raised by extended relatives, John was 17-years-old when his elder brother, a decorated World War II veteran, was fatally shot by a policeman and died in his arms. Filled with rage and grief, John left Mississippi for California, where he married, had children and eventually was transformed by the Gospel of Christ.

In 1960 John felt the Lord calling him to return to racially torn Mississippi to work in the church. So he moved his family to Mendenhall, MS, a neighboring town to the one he was raised in. There he established the Voice of Calvary Bible Institute.

In February 1970, Perkins and two associates went to the local jail to post bail for a group of black college students. He and his associates were surrounded by racist police officers and arrested. Perkins was severely beaten and tortured simply for being a black leader in the community. Witnesses incarcerated with Perkins thought he might die as he lay unconscious on the floor of the jail cell.

As he reeled from that beating, Perkins realized the white people in his community needed the Gospel as much as those in the black community. Perkins vowed that if God would deliver him out of that situation, he would keep doing good by preaching the Gospel and seek racial reconciliation.

Amazingly, two local doctors—one white and one black—oversaw his healing. At the same time, God was working in Perkins’ soul, revealing more and more how the Gospel was the only thing that freed people from evil, hatred and racism. John realized that Jesus had suffered unjustly at the hands of hateful people, yet He still prayed that God would forgive them. In time, God gave John Perkins the ability to forgive his attackers and truly love them.

John Perkins became a champion for healing broken communities across the country through the power of the Gospel. In his incredible life he received fourteen honorary doctoral degrees and wrote nearly a dozen books extolling the power of God’s love to overcome evil with good.[1]

John Perkins

In the wake of the vicious killing of George Floyd by the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, an old wound was reopened in America. We have all watched as protests and looting mobs have ignited in numerous major cities. Burning the business of hard-working citizens and stealing property will in no way exact justice for the heinous treachery of suffocating an innocent man.

What our nation needs now more than ever is to be reminded of the Gospel and how it’s radical message of love and justice can heal these deep wounds. If John Perkins can overcome evil with good, then so can we by understanding these basic Biblical truths.

1)      All people are created equal because they bear the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).” Simply put, all lives matter. Red, yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.

2)      There is only one race, the human race. All people are descended from Adam. “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:24).

3)      We all have a common problem; humanity is broken by sin. This means that “racism” is not a skin problem, but a sin problem. We hate our fellow man because our hearts are broken and depraved. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

4)      Christ died for the whole world and God desires all people to be saved by the atoning death and resurrection of His Son. “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:3-6).

5)      The Gospel of Christ unites the redeemed through a common Savior and brings them into the church, which is made up of people from every kingdom, tribe and tongue. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Perhaps, Billy Graham said it best, “The closer the people of all races get to Christ and His cross, the closer they will get to one another.”[2] -DM

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[1] David Jeremiah, Overcomer (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2018), 78-79.

[2] ‎Donna Lee Toney, Billy Graham in Quotes, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 286.