“I Am Canadian!” It’s too bad a beer commercial had to popularize that slogan. A beer company shouldn’t have to tell us that we have much to be proud of and thankful for in this country. No, Canada isn’t perfect but it’s better than many other countries. At least here we don’t have to hire an armed escort to drive out of town. Nor do we have to fear imprisonment should we disagree with the Prime Minister’s policies. Here we have adequate food, clothing, and shelter. It’s great to be Canadian.
Still, Canada can’t compete with the greatness of God’s kingdom. This kingdom is everlasting and its king takes a personal interest in each one of his subjects. Therefore instead of revelling in the cry: “I Am Canadian!” why not be bold in proclaiming: “I Am Christian!” This is a fitting cry of thankfulness for God’s faithfulness in preserving our body, mind, and soul.
Psalm 145 was written by King David, the strongest king Israel ever had. Of course David hadn’t always been in a position of strength and wealth. Perhaps you remember how he started out life as a shepherd boy working long hours without much pay to protect sheep from marauding bears and lions. Later, he suffered abuse at the hands of the envious employer – King Saul. And then in his golden years one of his own sons tried to take the throne from him. Through it all God was faithful in providing for David’s physical needs. Therefore David wrote, “15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing…20 The LORD watches over all who love him ” (Ps. 145:15, 16, 20a).
David was confident that God provided for every living thing. That sounds impossible doesn’t it? How can God care for the six billion people of the world? In fact some would say that he doesn’t and point to famine stricken areas to prove their point. Although certain regions of the world have less food than others, over all there is more than enough food in the world to go around. In fact God uses Canada to this end. Even when we have poor harvests, we still have more food than we can eat. Thankfully our government ships this food to people who need it. God is faithful in his promise to provide, not just for all people, even for every insect and every blade of grass.
Still, there are times when it doesn’t seem as if God provides. Maybe it’s in regard to finding a decent job or a place to live. When things aren’t going the way we would like in regard to these matters we need to keep in mind what David said about when God provides. In verse 15 of our text David said that God gives at the proper time. God knows best when to give us a job. David learned that lesson first hand. It wasn’t until fifteen years after he was anointed king that he actually became king. Even then he had to wait another seven years before he ruled all of Israel. God used that time to train David. Although David spent most of those years on the run from King Saul, God protected and provided for David proving that, even though David himself didn’t have much strength or wealth to protect himself, God did. Later in life David would recall how God had been with him during those tough times. He could be confident then that God would continue to provide for all of his needs. Friends, God still deals with us in the same way. If he hasn’t yet given you what you think you need, be patient. God will give you what you need (although this may not be the same as what you think you need) when you need it.
Still, it’s hard to wait for the Lord. At times even David thought so. In Psalm 55 David wrote: “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger” (Ps. 55:1-3). David begged God to save him from whatever peril he was in but didn’t seem to receive an immediate answer. Did that mean God had abandoned David? No. In our text David admitted that God not only cares for our bodies, he cares for our minds as well. David said: “The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down” (Ps. 145:14).
Just as you shook the heavy snow off of the trees in your yard this past September so that they wouldn’t snap, God holds us up so we don’t snap under the pressures of life. If we do snap, we have only ourselves to blame. It’s like this. On the west coast of Japan, especially in the mountainous areas, every home has a steeply pitched roof – about as steep as our church roof. It has to be this way because they get a lot of heavy wet snow and if you built a house with a flat roof, it would cave in under the weight. A steep pitch, on the other hand, causes the snow to slide off, protecting the house. When we get flat in our spiritual life – flat from not reading God’s Word, flat from not coming to God’s house and receiving the Sacrament, the burdens of life will pile on top of us until we snap under the pressure. We can keep that from happening by staying active in our prayer and devotional life. As we aim our thoughts heavenward towards God’s promises, faith, like a steeply pitched roof, will cause the burdens of life to slide right off of us.
While we’re thankful that God is faithful in providing for our bodies and minds, let’s not forget how he also provides for our souls. Without the forgiveness of sins and without faith to believe in this forgiveness, God’s care for us would only be temporary since it would end the day we die. David said in our text: “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Ps. 145:17-19).
David had much to be thankful for spiritually. He had been born into a family who taught him about the true God. He himself had been privileged to teach others, even us, about God through the seventy-three psalms God inspired him to write. But God didn’t just give David his faith; he also protected it for him.
Do you remember how, for a time, David threw away God’s promise of eternal life so he could enjoy a carnal one? Yes, I’m talking about David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba. Not only did David sleep with someone who was not his wife, he arranged to have Bathsheba’s husband murdered. For about a year David lived without repenting of these sins and would not have gone to heaven had he died in his impenitence. Still, God was faithful to David. He sent his prophet Nathan who pointed out David’s sin and called him to repentance. David listened to Nathan and was reassured that his sins had been forgiven.
God remains faithful to us in the same way. Even though we have been blessed with the Word, many of us from the time we were born, we often take it for granted don’t we? Although God has every right to abandon us for this thanklessness, he doesn’t. When we wander away he sends us faithful preachers in our parents, siblings, fellow members, or a pastor. Sure it hurts when they point out sin in our life. It hurts when they demonstrate how our priorities have gotten out of whack, but thank God for these faithful preachers. Thank God that they call us to repentance so we don’t end up throwing away the gift of eternal life Jesus won for us.
“I am Canadian!” Being Canadian is certainly something to be thankful for. It’s just another example of how God has provided for our physical needs by placing us in this peaceful and wealthy country. Let’s not let physical blessings, however, overshadow the importance of our spiritual blessings. Because Jesus paid for our sins we have eternal life. Because the Holy Spirit brought us to faith, we will benefit from the forgiveness of sins Jesus won. Sure, “I am Canadian!” but I’m a lot more happy this Thanksgiving that “I am Christian!” Amen.
