Thankful for Thanksgiving

 

In her ministry of compassion, Mother Teresa rescued numerous people from the mean streets of Calcutta. When she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian efforts in 1979 she told the following story in her acceptance speech.

     “The poor people are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things . . . One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition – and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other three, I take of this one that looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: Thank you – and she died.

       I could not help but examine my conscience before her, and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself, I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more – she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.

        Another man we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. He said, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.” And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything.”[1]

                                                                      Mother Teresa 

Have you ever been in a situation like those street urchins that Teresa rescued, where the only thing you have to offer someone is simple gratitude? Few things are more humbling. I would submit to you that’s how we are before Almighty God. We are spiritual beggars that have nothing to offer Him except our thanks. Ephesians 5:20 says, “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

According to Bible scholars, the Scriptures tell us over a hundred times, either by imperative or by example, to be thankful.[2] So, if quantity implies gravity, then it’s quite evident that God takes thanksgiving seriously. But have you ever stopped to think why? Why does our gratitude matter to God?

Psalm 50:23 offers a clue. “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies Me.” Thanksgiving is about properly ascribing glory to God’s goodness, faithfulness and kindness. When worshippers glory in something they revel in it and draw attention to its worth. Yes, thanksgiving is for God, but its also for us. When we glorify God in gratitude, we actually benefit from it. We need thanksgiving or else life would be full of grumbling, complaining and discontentment. It has been said, “Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.” Gratitude, like a vaccine, can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled spirit. Like an antitoxin, gratitude can prevent the effects of the poisons of cynicism and grumbling. Like an antiseptic, a spirit of gratitude can purify our perspective—showing us all that we have.  

Thank God for thanksgiving! We need it and God deserves it. It’s the right and fitting thing to do for the Lord and the best thing we can do for ourselves. -DM

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[1] Mother Teresa, Nobel Lecture, 11 December 1979 <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1979/teresa/lecture/>

[2] Max Lucado, Before Amen: The Power of a Simple Prayer (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2014), 83.

But God, How Could You Say "No"?

 

Just the other day my one-year-old daughter brought me something that left me wondering how she got ahold of it. Let me preface this story, by saying that little Lydia is a BUSY baby. She’s into everything: climbing on chairs, playing in the toilet, opening up cabinets. We do the best we can to “baby proof” our house, but let’s just say that she’s constantly on the move.

Anyway, back to my story. Lydia came trotting into the kitchen and handed me a small package. Upon closer examination I discovered that she had brought me a sample size bar of soap. She had been digging around under the sink again! As I held it in my hand, I tried to explain to her what it was and that it was not edible. “This is soap, baby. You can’t eat it.” She must have thought it was a cookie or a piece of candy because when I hid it from her, she threw a tantrum. The tears started rolling! How could I have deprived her of a tasty treat? Such is life with a busy-body toddler.

Later when I reflected on that moment, I realized that her response to my parental guidance must be like the way our Heavenly Father deals with us. How many times do we bring our requests to God in prayer, only to be given the dreaded “NO” answer? We protest, become disappointed and even jaded that somehow God is withholding some great blessing from us.

Or what if God closes a door to a job, ministry or move that we thought was a sure thing? Are we willing to accept God’s wisdom and way better than our own? I know that many right now are upset about the 2020 election and the overall direction our country appears to be going. We prayed. We voted. We campaigned and tried to persuade others to our point of view. Yet, it appears that for half of America they will not get the candidate they supported. But isn’t the Scripture true when it says, “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings” (Dan. 2:21). The reality is that we don’t like it when God says “NO” anymore than when a child doesn’t get his or her way all the time.  

Here’s what the cry of Lydia taught me when I didn’t let her eat that bar of soap. First, often times we ask the Lord for things that’s either not His will or will be a curse rather than a blessing to us. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Second, God is more loving and wise than we could ever fathom and He will always answer our prayers the right way. Luke 7:9-11 reminds us what Jesus said, “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” It has been said that “If we knew everything that God knew, then we would answer our prayers exactly how He does.” Third, when God gives you a “NO” then simply give Him a “Thank You” because He was protecting you from less than the best. When God says “NO” we are tempted to wonder if He really loves us, but the fact is that because He says, “NO” proves His love. -DM

If the Foundations Be Destroyed

 

Did you ever see the old WWII movie, Force 10 from Navarone? In it the audience follows a group of British and US commandos dropped in deep behind German lines to carry out a top-secret mission. Led by Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw, Force 10 is tasked with blowing up a bridge in Yugoslavia that is vital to the Nazi war campaign.

When the heroes scout out the bridge, they realize they don’t have enough explosives to do the job. Mission over? Not hardly. The men improvise their plan by hiking upstream where there’s a huge dam. If they can demolish the dam, then it will unleash a torrent of water that will knock out the bridge.

Harrison Ford and Robert Shaw dress up as Nazis, sneak into the bottom of the dam, find the right spot, place the explosives, set the timer and wait. The dynamite goes off, creating tons of smoke, a tremor or two and loud boom, but nothing happens to the dam.

The camera catches up with the rest of the Force 10 team outside the dam and when it doesn’t instantly collapse, the demolitions expert confidently lights a pipe and says, “Patience. You’ve got to have patience. Let nature take its course.” After a few tense moments, cracks start forming in the foundation of the dam. Then water begins to spurt through the cracks.

Ford and Shaw start running for their lives as a small fracture explodes into a gaping hole. Our heroes barely make it out before the dam collapses and an avalanche of water hurdles downstream. When the torrent hits the mighty bridge, the columns sway and finally the bridge collapses at the very moment the Nazis are crossing with their tanks and jeeps.

There’s a powerful lesson in that movie sequence—big damage can start with just a small crack in the foundation. That reminds me of what David wrote in Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” David wrote this Psalm at time in his life when he felt like the ground beneath his feet was moving. Saul and his cronies were attacking him. If the Lord did not intervene, it would only be a matter of time before his world would crumble.

In the wake of the 2020 election there are many who feel like the foundations of this nation are being undermined. The structures which made our country strong and stable are showing cracks—COVID-19, mobs in the streets, appalling violence, deception by the media, voter fraud, the redefinition of marriage / sexuality and apostasy in the church have been like sticks of dynamite to our national foundation. Millions of Americans believe that if the Democratic party gains power then their radical plan will only accelerate the erosion of the American bedrock.

Writing over 30 years ago, Bible scholar John Phillips commented on Psalm 11, “The foundation of society is law and order, justice and truth. If these are undermined in a society what can the righteous do? Yet, these are the very foundations being destroyed in Western society today. Humanist and libertarian views prevail in our schools, our courts, our governments, and our media. A determined attack is being mounted against everything decent, moral, and Christian in our society. The foundations are being destroyed to make room for the coming reign of the man of sin.”[1] If that was true then, then how much more does it apply today?   

David spends the first verses of this short song lamenting over his plight. But by the end, he goes from the valley to the mountaintop as he focuses his faith over his fears. As he does in so many of his Psalms, David’s doubts become shouts as he rehearses in his mind what he knows to be true about God. He states four facts about God that bolsters his confidence even though circumstances were bad.

·         Where God sits: “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven” (11:4). God had not abrogated His sovereign rule over the universe. Man may rule, but God overrules. Satan is mighty, but God is Almighty! It doesn’t matter who sits in the Oval Office of the White House because God has no term limits and cannot be impeached. 

·         What God sees: “His eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (11:4). God is omniscient and he sees our every need before we do. He sees His people struggling to hang on to their faith, just as He sees the wicked and crooked doing their dirty deeds in the dark. He even sees ahead with 20/20 clarity into the future. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t have to watch CNN or Fox News to “the rest of the story?” 

·         What God sends: “5 The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” The Lord sends trials to perfect His saints, honing their character to make them more like Christ. We will get through this difficult time and be made better by it. However, to the wicked God will send His wrath to punish them. Think of all the villains in the Bible who were judged swiftly—Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, Hamann, Pharaoh and Judas. There is a pay day someday.

·         What God stands for: “For the Lord is righteous” (11:7). God’s righteousness will prevail. There’s a divine thumb pressing down on the scales of justice and it tilts toward the good and the right. As Abraham said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Gen. 18:25).  

Friend, if the foundations be destroyed, we will not fear, fret or flee. Be reminded of these precious truths. Let the boxcars in your train of thought be in this order: faith, facts, feelings, fears. -DM

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

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[1] John Phillips, Exploring the Psalms: volume one (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 1988), 88-89.