MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED: 2017)
TEXT: Psalm 150:6
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!" (Ps. 150:6)
Throughout history, God has shown His love by providing hope where there seemed to be no hope, salvation when it seemed that all was lost, & provision of every kind for those in need.
For example, the early Pilgrims in America experienced God's special provision when it seemed that death might take them all.
ILL. Peter Marshall's book, "The Light & the Glory", tells how the Pilgrims at Plymouth endured extreme hardships in America. Three long months at sea aboard the Mayflower & a brutal winter left them worn-out, desperately hungry, & vulnerable to disease.
Their daily existence was a struggle. Their only barrier against the harsh New England weather was makeshift homes of branches & dried mud. Because they were not yet knowledgeable about their new environment, their gardens failed to be productive.
Food was precious & every meal was measured out carefully. And during their first winter nearly half of them died. But despite their hardships the Pilgrims continued to thank God, & daily asked for His strength to help them endure.
Then one Sunday morning, the Lord sent evidence that He had heard their prayers. Their service was interrupted by an unexpected guest, an Indian chief who saw their hopeless situation & returned with a helper named Squanto.
You see, 12 years before, a group of English traders led by Captain Hunt had sailed to this area. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, Hunt took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, & sold them into slavery.
But God had a plan for one of the Indian slaves, a boy named Squanto. Squanto was bought by a Spanish monk who treated him well & taught him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually ended up in England, working in the stable of a man named John Slaney. Slaney befriended Squanto, & promised to put him on a ship back to America.
Finally, in 1619, a ship was found that would take him, & Squanto was home-ward bound. But when he arrived, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had wiped out his entire village. We can only imagine how he felt., "Why has God allowed me to return home, only to find everyone I love to be dead?"
A year later the answer came. A shipload of Pilgrims arrived & settled on the very land once occupied by Squanto's people.
And that next spring, when Squanto was brought to meet them, he greeted the startled Pilgrims in English. Listen to these words from the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford:
"Squanto became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good ... He showed [us] how to plant corn, where to take fish & to procure other commodities ... & was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, & never left [us] till he died."
Who but God could so miraculously weave together the lives of a lonely, heart-broken Indian & a struggling band of English Pilgrims?
When that first full harvest yielded abundantly, Gov. Bradford declared a day of feasting & thanksgiving. He invited the Indian chief to the feast, but the small group of Pilgrims were overwhelmed when he showed up with 90 of his braves.
You see, they didn't have nearly enough food for that many, & no idea how they would be able to feed them. However, the problem was solved as the Indians presented them with 5 dressed deer & 12 fat wild turkeys for the feast.
But the Pilgrims' trials were far from over. A ship called "The Fortune" arrived with 35 more colonists who had brought no provisions - no food, no extra clothing, no equipment - just themselves.
With such a population increase the food supplies began to dwindle. Then the rains failed to come & their crops began to wither before their eyes. At their lowest point, the Pilgrims were reduced to a ration of 5 kernels of corn apiece.
In desperation they called a prayer meeting of the entire settlement & cried out to God for 8 hours. Their prayers were answered & rain began to fall. And when they harvested their crops, a second Day of Thanksgiving was declared.
Once again the Indian chief was an honored guest; & this time he brought along 120 braves. Again the feast included wild game & turkey, only this time one course was different.
The very first course, served to each Pilgrim, consisted of just 5 kernels of corn as a reminder of God's answer to their prayers.
SUM. The Pilgrims' response to their affliction is seen in their writings that express deeply thankful hearts. We can learn many lessons about sincere thankfulness & the amazing providence of Almighty God from their example.
ILL. 242 years later, in the midst of a terrible Civil War, Pres. Abraham Lincoln wrote: "We have forgotten the Gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, & multi-plied & strengthened us, & vainly imagined all these blessings were produced by some superior virtue or wisdom of our own.
"Intoxicated by unbroken success we have become … too proud to pray to the God who made us." Then he appealed to the nation to join together in "a day of Thanksgiving & Praise."
Oh, how much we need to heed his words today! Gratitude can change the course of a nation. Gratitude can cause us to think less of ourselves & more of Almighty God who provides everything we need!
ILL. Paul Harvey told us that gratitude caused an old man to come to a broken-down pier on the east coast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973 he would come, walking slowly & slightly stooped, with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, & he would feed them from his bucket.
You see, many years before, in October, 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea.
But somewhere over the So. Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost & out of radio contact. When their fuel ran out, they had to ditch their plane into the ocean.
For nearly a month Capt. Eddie & his companions floated in 2 life-rafts, fighting waves, weather, & the scorching sun. They spent sleepless nights in fear as sharks rammed their rafts. But of all their enemies, the worst was starvation.
After 8 days of floating their rations were gone. Now only a miracle could save them. And a miracle occurred. Listen to Captain Eddie's words:
"Cherry," that was the B-17 pilot, Captain William Cherry, "read the service that afternoon, & we finished with a prayer for deliverance & a hymn of praise. There was some talk, but it tapered off in the oppressive heat. With my hat pulled down over my eyes to keep out some of the glare, I dozed off.
"Then something landed on my head. I knew that it was a sea gull. No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull. The gull meant food. . .if I could catch it."
And the rest, as they say, is history. Captain Eddie caught the gull. Its flesh was eaten. Its intestines were used for bait to catch fish. The survivors were sustained & their hopes renewed because a lone sea gull, for some unexplained reason, landed on Captain Eddie's head.
Paul Harvey continued: "You know that Captain Eddie made it. And now you also know that he never forgot. Because every Friday evening, about sunset, on a lonely stretch of the eastern Florida coast - for more than 20 years - you could see an old man walking, white-haired, slightly bent.
“His bucket was filled with shrimp to feed the gulls - to remember that one special gull which, on a day long past, gave itself . . . like manna in the wilderness - that they might live." (Paul Harvey - "The Rest of the Story" by Paul Aurandt, 1977)
The gratitude that caused Eddie Rickenbacker to set aside time for more than 20 years to remember that event should be the kind of gratitude that every Christian proclaims. Almighty God has given us more than a gull. He has given us life, provisions for every need, & even His Son. This is why it is important for us to remember God's blessings.
And this morning I want to share 3 steps to becoming thankful citizens of God's Kingdom. These are practical steps we can put into practice every day.
I. WE MUST RECOGNIZE GOD'S HELP IN OUR LIFE
First of all, we will never become anything more than what we are until we recognize God's help in our life.
The situations you & I encounter will be similar in many ways, but how we respond to them can vary greatly. We can respond in a way that gives glory to God & serves as a reminder to others of God's blessings, or we can respond in a way that hurts others & robs God of His glory. Let me give you an example.
ILL. Two golfers stepped up to the 1st tee on the St. Andrews course in New York. The older golfer was a kindly man who played a thoughtful, deliberate game.
The younger golfer was full of pride & impatience. On the first hole he sliced, lost his ball in the tall grass, hit another one, & had a score of 8 instead of 4 or 5. And the next hole was even worse.
Frustrated, he began hollering at the caddy: "Keep your eyes peeled. I'm not here to do your job for you!" Thereafter, every bad shot was the caddy's fault!
At the end of 9 holes, the younger golfer was so upset that he discharged the caddy & carried his own bag. "That caddy made me nervous. He doesn't like me, & I blankety-blank sure don't like him! I say good riddance to him!"
After several more holes had been played without a word between the two golfers, the older golfer broke the silence: "Several years ago a little kid from Yonkers came here & became a caddy. He was a sweet-natured boy; quick-witted, willing, & had a nose for golf. Everybody liked him. His name was William; he had a clubfoot. But that didn't affect his caddying. It was a pleasure to go out with him."
"A famous doctor, a member of the club, became interested in William & took him South that winter & operated on his foot. When William returned, he went back to caddying. The doctor, however, had to give up golf shortly after that because of his health. And it wasn't long after that when he died.
"Months later I was playing a round with William carrying my bag. It was Spring, & the fields & hedges were alive with blossoms. William stopped several times to gather flowers until he had quite a bouquet.
'Who's the girl, William?' I asked. 'I haven't any girl, sir,' he said. 'They're for my friend, the doctor - twice a week I take flowers to his grave.'
"Now that's a caddie worth having," the younger golfer said. "What ever happened to him?" The older man paused & then replied, "For 9 holes he was carrying your bag."
What kind of person are you? Would your family & friends describe you as a person of gratitude or as a grumbler, a complainer?
Do they see a thankful heart being formed in you, or do they see your heart growing harder day by day? Remember, before we can become a thankful citizen of God's Kingdom, we must recognize God's help in our life.
II. WE NEED TO PRACTICE THANKING GOD IN EVERY SITUATION
Secondly, we need to practice thanking God in every situation. The apostle Paul wrote, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
The Apostle Paul faced some terrible situations in his life that could have turned him into a bitter old man. But they didn't! Listen to what he said:
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night & a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.
"I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; & in danger from false brothers.
"I have labored & toiled & have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger & thirst & have often gone without food; I have been cold & naked." (2 Cor. 11:24-27)
But despite it all, Paul also said, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Again Paul said, "I know what it is to be in need, & I know what it is to have plenty.
"I have learned the secret of being content in any & every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13)
If we're going to be able to give thanks in every situation then we must begin giving thanks now.
III. EVERY DAY LOOK FOR THINGS FOR WHICH TO BE THANKFUL!
Thirdly, every day we must look for things for which to be thankful.
ILL. Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful.
One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought, "The preacher certainly won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this."
Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this." (Daily Bread, August 26, 1989)
We need to be more like Alexander Whyte & start looking for things for which to be thankful.
I'm thankful that I was able to go to sleep last night. I'm thankful the Lord gave me the strength to get out of bed this morning.
I'm thankful for a voice to praise Him because I have experienced times when I had no voice. I'm thankful I can read & spend time marveling at His Word.
I'm thankful for the ability to hear the praises of the birds offered up to their Creator. I'm thankful for the ability to see the creatures, streams, valleys, & hills that are part of His glorious plan.
I'm thankful for a cool breeze on a Summer's day. I'm thankful for a blanket on a cold winter's night. I'm thankful for electricity that gives us light.
I'm thankful, no, I'm awed by His grace in providing me with a wife & children & grandchildren & great grandchildren whom I’m privileged to know & love. I'm thankful for all of God's blessings to me!
You see, we can always find something for which to be thankful. And if we will allow thankfulness to be the foundation of our lives, then even when difficult situations arise we'll be able to give thanks.
When in doubt - give thanks. When it feels like life has you on its horns - give thanks! No matter the situation - give thanks. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)
INVITATION
