The Hope of all the Ends of the Earth

Psalm 65                     Joel 2:23-32                  2 Timothy 4:6-8; 16-18                      Luke 18:9-14

The Hope of all the Ends of the Earth

Wonders in the heavens and on the earth…blood and fire and billows of smoke…the sun turned into darkness, the moon into blood…the imminent appearance of a great and terrible day! Our Old Testament reading for today sounds a lot like lines taken from an apocalyptic or horror or science fiction movie script…The Exorcist, The Night of the Dead, Zombieland, The Return of the Jedi, The Matrix Reloaded…

Christian doomsday and end-of-the-world alarmists often latch on to such images whenever there is an eclipse or a blood moon or a stray asteroid in space. “You see,” they cry! “Just as Joel predicted! It’s the final countdown. Are you ready? Don’t get left behind!”

But…was that what Joel was predicting? 

The first indication that our Last Days Madness promoters may be wrong in their fearmongering assumptions is the Spirt-filled Apostle Peter’s interpretation of this specific prophetic word as being fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost…more about that later…but first some background.

In the Ancient Near East, the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars either represented gods and goddesses or earthly kings and rulers. One still sees remnants of this ancient pagan religious belief today in the use of astrological signs or the so-called “Signs of the Zodiac” to predict the future or to define personality traits. 

Just as an aside, I saw a wonderful meme the other day in which the one person asks the other, “So, what’s your zodiac sign?” to which the other person answers, “Dinosaur.” “But that one doesn’t even exists,” the enquirer replies. The comeback is classic. “None of them exist.” The natural celestial objects were created by God and have no independent power of their own, so it is a monumental waste of time asking an alignment of planets to predict my personal life.

Now, unlike the other nations around Israel, the people of God were expressly forbidden to worship the heavenly bodies, but, like the other nations, they did often use them as symbols or images to describe authority figures or even empires. 

For instance, in Genesis 37:9-10 Joseph told his brothers about a dream he had had. “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” His father immediately interpreted this dream as referring to Joseph’s family. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 

Then, in Isaiah 13 the overthrow of Babylon was portrayed in terms of stars and their constellations not giving their light; the sun being darkened and the moon no longer shining; and the heavens being shaken, and the earth being moved out of its place. 

None of these things happened literally at the time of the fall of the Babylon, nor did anyone at the time expect them to be literal events – everyone understood that they were metaphors used to describe the overthrow of an empire.  

Here’s another example: In Ezekiel 32 the prophet depicted the demise of Pharaoh of Egypt in terms of his light being extinguished, the heavens covered, the stars, the sun, and the moon darkened. 

Earlier in Joel 2, the prophet spoke of the earth quaking, the heavens trembling; the sun and moon growing dark, and the stars diminishing their brightness in his description of an imminent invasion of Israel by their enemies.

Now, bearing all this in mind, let’s go back to the Apostle Peter and his sermon on the day of Pentecost. Without any explanation, Peter simply stated that what the Jerusalemites had just witnessed with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a fulfilment of what Joel had prophesied, complete with blood, fire, smoke, dark sun, and red moon. Some scholars have indicated that the sky was darkened at some point during the crucifixion and that there may well have been a blood moon that Passover, but I think they are barking up the wrong tree.

Why do I say that? 

Well, because I think Peter was simply repeating what he had heard Jesus say when describing the period between the crucifixion in AD 33 and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. In Luke 21, Jesus warned his disciples that when they saw Jerusalem being surrounding by the Roman armies, then they would know that Joel’s prophecy (among others) was about to become reality.  “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” 

You can also find this in the parallel passages in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. 

A careful reading of the context of each of these parallel passages, together with the cultural understanding of what was meant by these cataclysmic images, shows that Jesus was speaking of the destruction of the vestiges of the Old Covenant, the collapse of the old regime and the old system, symbolised by the razing of Jerusalem and the Temple by Roman armies in AD 70. The “sun, moon, and stars” that would fall were the members of the governing body of Israel who had rejected and crucified Christ, as well as the system they upheld. Their house, Jesus said, would be left desolate.

Now, if you remember, the major outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit in Israel’s history (besides his coming on various individuals like Moses and the prophets) occurred during the opening ceremonies of the Tabernacle and the first Temple. In Exodus 40 we are told that the pillar of cloud that had led the Israelites out of Egypt, covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle…a cloud by day and fire by night…” (Not to mention the fire and smoke and loud sounds that accompanied God’s presence on Mount Sinai!) 

Then in 2 Chronicles 7 we read that when Solomon had finished praying, “fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.” 

God poured out His Holy Spirit on the Tabernacle and then later, on the Temple to indicate his presence with his people. God was with them. 

But what is interesting to note is that we don’t see this happening again…not with the rebuilding of the Temple under Zerubbabel, nor with the rebuilding or renovation of the Temple by King Herod. 

Until Pentecost…the Holy Spirit of God came down upon the 120 members of believers gathered together in the Upper Room in the visible form of fire…but this time the fire did not fall on a building or on any one, single individual. No, rather it divided and came upon every believer. In other words, from Pentecost onward, believers are the New Temple. The old order has passed away. The new has come.

Paul said as much in 1 Corinthians 3. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 

So, what does this mean for us living in the 21st Century? 

Well, first, it means that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – God in us – the effects of the Fall have been reversed. The gates of Paradise have been flung wide open and we can once more walk with God as did Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Remember Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross – TODAY you will be with me in Paradise.) The full meaning of Immanuel or “God with us” has been fulfilled. The Tabernacle or Temple of God is us. God is not far off…God is near…God lives with us and in us. 

But it also means that the promise made to Abraham, that in his Seed all the families of the earth would be blessed…that his offspring would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore, the stars in the night sky…this is being fulfilled in and through us. The Israel of God has now become what it was intended to be…a light to the nations…all nations are being drawn into Israel. In Galatians, Paul called the church both the Jerusalem from above, as well as the Israel of God. Jesus rules over and in and through us. We are the New Israel and Jesus reigns over us as the Davidic King from his throne at the right hand of God…and through us, he is reconciling the world to God.

Consequently, all the distinctions from the past…all the divisions between sons and daughters, old men and young men, servants and masters…all dividing walls have been broken down. All who have been baptised into Jesus are all sons and daughters of God…there is no more division between Jew and Gentile, slave or free, male or female…we are all one in Christ Jesus…we are all members of Abraham’s family because we have been united in the family of God by the indwelling Holy Spirit. As the Psalmist said, God, our Saviour, is the hope of all the ends of the earth.

All…all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus…all are delivered from death…all are saved from a transitory lifeless life…we have been given the eternal life-giving breath of God…all who believe are filled with the Holy Spirit. In fact, the fulness of the Godhead is resident within us…according to Jesus, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit come to make their home with us. All that is required, according to Peter and the other New Testament authors, is a turning away from the old and an embracing of the new…repentance and incorporation into Jesus. In Jesus all are united as one…one family…one Body.

This is the beauty of what Jesus taught us in our Gospel parable. Notice, it is the outcaste…the rejected…the despised tax collector who returned home from the Temple justified by God rather than that self-proclaimed squeaky-clean Pharisee. Why? Because the tax collector realised his sin…he realised his need for forgiveness…he realised that he could not earn his righteousness…that only God could forgive him, cleanse him, and bring him back into the family. 

As Paul said, the crown of righteousness is awarded to everyone who fights the good fight, who finishes the race, everyone who keeps the faith…

Blood, fire, and billows of smoke…the destruction of Jerusalem served both as the final sign of judgement on apostate Israel as well as the vindication of all believers in Jesus. Deliverance has come. So live out your freedom in Jesus…your trust and reliance on the righteousness and mercy of God…live it out before the world so that those who are blind might see and be attracted to your light – the light of Jesus shining in and through you. 

You, dearest beloved brethren, you are filled with the greatest power in the universe! So, live like you are! Live like you are filled with the Holy Spirit of God – live like you are the means through which Jesus the King of kings is reconciling the world to God – live out your true identity as sons and daughters of the Most High and Almighty Creator God – live in this reality so that all who encounter you might see and experience the power and goodness and mercy and love of God and be added into our family as well.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2022

FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD: The Multiplication of Simon Peter

This is the sequel to Breakfast on the Beach: The Development of Simon Peter. 

It examines the last phase in the disciple- making model used by Jesus. 

Come and See (Winning), Follow Me (Building), Make Fishers of People (Equipping), and Go (Multiplying).

FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

Preorder: 

https://langhamliterature.org/books/for-the-life-of-the-world

In his previous book, Breakfast on the Beach, Rev. Dr. Johannes W. H. van der Bijl retold the gospel narrative through the eyes of Simon Peter, inviting us to experience Jesus’s life and ministry anew. Now, in For the Life of the World, Van der Bijl continues the story, following the disciples on their journey as they become disciple-makers and fulfil the Great Commission, expanding the kingdom of God into every corner of the earth. 

This book weaves together New Testament accounts from Acts and the Epistles with early church writings and tradition to give us a glimpse into the life of Peter in the aftermath of Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension. Once again, Van der Bijl reminds us that the disciples were not storybook saints but flesh and blood men and women of faith, whose calling to obedience, transformation, and multiplication is no different than our own. This refreshing narrative approach provides an accessible introduction to the New Testament for seekers and new believers, while also providing church leaders and lifelong Christians the opportunity to re-encounter the transformative power of Jesus’s ministry and the calling to replicate it in our own lives and times

Persisting in Prayer

Psalm 119:97-104          Jeremiah 31:27-34             2 Timothy 3:14-4:5               Luke 18:1-8

Persisting in Prayer

In what way is God like an unjust judge?

To many believers, such a question is simply inappropriate and completely unacceptable. There is no resemblance between the character of our God and the man described in this parable. The God revealed to us in the Scriptures is nothing like an unjust judge! 

And so we will all agree…

Until perhaps at a time when the wheels of life come off in a brutal and vicious way…or when we are confronted with the horrors of disease or death…or when we witness the inescapable evidence of barbaric inhuman crimes committed against the defenceless in war or in other acts of violence…

At such a time, our cries to God for intervention appear to bounce off the ceiling. 

Then we might well be tempted to ask…is God like this unjust judge? If not, why does he appear to be as disinterested, as indifferent, and as inactive as this despicable judge?

With those uncomfortable thoughts echoing in your minds, I’d like us now to ask the question: what exactly did Jesus want to teach us in this strange Gospel parable?

Now, before we look at the parable itself, we need to take note of two things about the immediate context: 

Firstly, the parable is sandwiched between Luke’s purpose statement in verse one (on how one should not give up on prayer), and then our Lord’s own basic interpretation of the parable in verse 7 (concerning God’s certain positive response to his children’s prayers). 

Then secondly, we need to note yet another layer to this sandwich  - that the parable was told just after Jesus’ teaching on his return at the end of time…a time at which he will put all things to rights…and also that the parable was followed in verse 8 by another reference to justice achieved at the return of the Son of Man. 

As such the parable fits snugly between two layers – the first championing the value of persistent prayer and the second dealing with discouragement as a result of an apparent delay in the coming of the final just kingdom of God…a time, according to the prophet Jeremiah, when all will know God and when his Word will be internalized and thus be the source of just governance. 

So, given these two elements to consider, there are three dissimilar and yet similar interpretive possibilities.

The first focuses in on God as the Good Judge

The point here is precisely that God is not like the unjust judge who eventually gives in to the persistence of the widow. In one sense it is an echo of Jesus’ earlier teaching in which he compared human fathers with our Divine Father in the giving of good gifts to children. In Luke 11:13 Jesus stated: “If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father not give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” If we compare that teaching with what Jesus said in our parable here, then the meaning is quite simple: “If this unjust judge who neither feared God nor cared about people, would finally yield to the persistent supplications of a powerless and unprotected widow, then how much more will God — who is a good judge — answer your supplications!”

The point of the parable would then be that if persistence pays off with a corrupt human authority of finite power, how much more will it pay off with a good God of infinite power. As such, the purpose of the parable would be to encourage believers to persevere in their faith against all odds. 

But it also can be applied to those who work in positions of leadership. The comparison between a bad judge and a good God suggests that God’s purpose will be established even in a fallen and broken world in spite of a lack of human justice. This echoes the proverb: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) In fact we can see this clearly if we look at history…no human being…no empire…no matter how powerful or how awful…triumphs in the end! 

They all come and go like the tides – but God’s kingdom continues forever. As the Psalmist says: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever; the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (Psalm 33:10-11)

So, we could say that in this parable, Jesus teaches us that there is hope that even amid systemic breakdown of law and order, justice will be done. Consequently, as followers of this good God, we must endeavour to always work together towards this hope. Of course, we cannot right every wrong in the world in our lifetimes. But we must never give up hope, and we must never stop working for the greater good in the midst of the imperfect systems of our respective communities.

The second possibility focusses in on God as the Just Judge.

When I taught on the Intertestamental Period at St Frumentius College in Gambela, Ethiopia, the students (many of whom were refugees from South Sudan) identified with the painful struggle of Israel during this period between the two testaments – the so-called 400 silent years in which devout Jews repeatedly cried out to God for deliverance from foreign domination…seemingly without any positive Divine response. These students were also oppressed and exiled and were wondering why God appeared to be absent…why God seemed to be silent – indifferent to their anguish. 

Now, seen against this dark and sad backdrop, the parable may be seen to address the discouragement of Jesus’ followers who were and are still waiting for him to usher in the final kingdom of God, where there will be no more sorrow, or sadness, or strife.  As such, the parable is teaching us that, while it may seem that God is like this unjust judge, distant, aloof, unkind, or perhaps even cruel, it is not like that at all. God’s actions are always just, and he will vindicate his people BUT at the proper time. 

All we need to do is look at God’s track record, as it were…God has never abandoned his people…he has always come through for them.

Undeniably, it is true that ultimately only God can bring about justice in a broken and fallen world, but this means that we who claim to follow him must persist in prayer and not give up working towards establishing his kingdom here, so that his will might be done on earth as it is done in heaven. We must believe that God can and will bring miraculous justice in a corrupt world, just as God can bring miraculous healing in a sick world, as this is what Jesus wants us to understand when he adds at the end of the parable: “Will not God grant justice for his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?”

In this case, the focus of the interpretation of the parable would be to comfort and embolden those in distress and discouragement to persevere in faith and prayer. In other words, like the widow, we should persist in prayer and petition without ceasing, confident that God is just and that his justice will prevail in due course.

The final possibility focusses in on the widow as a pursuer of justice.

Widows at that time, as well as in many other societies today, were and still are extremely vulnerable. For this reason, the Scriptures often speak about the care of widows, orphans, and resident aliens, as being something we, as believers, ought to be concerned with because they need particular protection. 

But it is the persistence of this widow in her appeals for justice to the point of creating sufficient pressure to influence the actions of an unjust judge that teaches us not to desist in clamouring for justice in our world!

The reason why this unjust judge relented in the end is because of the effect this widow’s ceaseless complaints had on him. A more literal translation of the judge’s begrudging reason for capitulation would be that the woman was giving him “a black eye.”

The widow’s persistent complaints were like a two-edged sword, inflicting both physical and social distress. If there is one thing most leaders do not like it is public embarrassment or disgrace. Note that the judge relented, not because of a change of heart, but because his “appearance” was being damaged – and so his reluctant response was perhaps to deal with possible exposure and censure from society in general or even perhaps those in higher positions of authority. 

But my point is this: Sometimes it will take even intolerable behaviour…the proverbial dripping tap, if you will…to bring about justice.

When we look at the parable from this angle, we see that it functions as an encouragement for those suffering injustice, or for those who campaign on their behalf, to continue their complaints and calls for justice. We are reminded often in the Scriptures that our God gives special attention to those who are most vulnerable and so, as his children, we should also stand up for those who are oppressed in any way, even to the point of embarrassing the powers that be in order to induce change.

Whichever way we choose to look at our Lord’s parable, the main point remains the same. Persistence…never giving up even in the face of unrelenting resistance or of repeated defeat or of overwhelming discouragement. Never…never…never give up.

Now, I would like to end this talk with a story about a Native American by the name of Jim Thorpe. Jim represented the United States at the 1912 Olympics. 

Before the second day of the competition, Jim's shoes were stolen. Undeterred and unwavering in his resolve to compete, he managed to find two different shoes in a nearby garbage can.  One of the shoes was too big, so he wore an extra sock to make it fit. But here’s the kicker. Jim went on to win both the high jump gold medal as well as the 110-meter hurdle race gold medal with a time of 15.6 seconds. 

Wearing discarded, dissimilar shoes, Jim won two gold medals that day. He could have given up – no one would have blamed him – after all his shoes had been stolen…those he found did not fit him properly. Had Jim focussed on his losses…on his misfortune…on his lack of adequate equipment…he would not have persevered, and he would not have won two gold medals. 

Like the persistent widow, Jim teaches us that we ought not to give up nor resign to the excuses that threaten to hold us back from achieving whatever just and virtuous goal we may be pursuing. 

We must persist…we must persevere…

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2022

The Witness of Praise

Psalm 66:1-12                 1 Thessalonians 5:16-25                      Luke 17:11-19

The Witness of Praise

In their book, Contagious Disciple Making: Leading others on a Journey of Discovery, father-son team, David and Paul Watson write: “In a meeting of the top one hundred disciple-makers in our ministry, we looked for common elements among these high-producing leaders…we found many common elements among the different groups, but the only element that was present in every team was a high commitment to prayer…as we started looking at disciple-making movements worldwide, we made a critical observation: a prayer movement precedes every disciple-making movement.”

 In their talk at the New Wineskins Missions Conference regarding mobilising believers to pray, they recommended that every church member make a calendar list of at least thirty individuals whom they will commit to pray for every day of every month for every year. Their method is quite simple. Call or text or email the person whose name falls on the particular day and ask how you could be praying for them. Then, pray for them immediately, either verbally on the phone or in person or by writing out the prayer and texting or emailing it back to them. Repeat this each day, every day for everyone on the list of thirty people each and every month, every year…

However, they also highlighted the need to praise God for answered prayer. This means that in addition to contacting the individual you are praying for the following month, you will also need to reconnect with them soon after praying for them to ask if and how your prayers have been answered. If the situation is still the same, pray again, asking God for clarity and guidance in your prayers and thanking him for always knowing what is best for us…but if God has answered the prayer or prayers, then praise him for it together with the person you are praying for. 

Praising God for answered prayer may, at first, seem obvious. Of course, we need to express gratitude to God for answered prayer. But you would be surprised to discover that more often than we would care to admit, we neglect to thank him, much less praise him for his kindness and mercy and grace and compassion. 

Now, just a quick disclaimer here for the sake of basic safeguarding principles. Unless the individual specifically gives you permission to share their prayer requests with others (and unless the request is criminal or life-threatening), all the information is to be kept strictly confidential. 

Not keeping prayer requests confidential is the worst form of Christian gossip I have come across…and I am sure you know exactly what I mean. “I don’t mean to gossip, but (fill in a name) really needs your prayers.” “Oh, why?” “Well, I shouldn’t really be telling you, but…” And so, it begins…soon the whole community knows that (fill in a name) has a problem with chronic stinky feet, and (fill in a name) is left wondering why no one wants to sit next to them during the church service. So, keep the prayers between you and the person you are praying with and for. 

Be that as it may, in our Gospel lesson for today, ten men who had leprosy received healing. They had prayed to the Lord, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” In response to their prayer, Jesus had instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests, an act usually performed by one already healed from leprosy. Their obedience to this command demonstrated a certain faith…a belief that in going, they would be healed. And that is exactly what happened. As they went, they were cleansed. That kind of faith is commendable, don’t you think? They were acting on a promise not yet fulfilled.

But it is what followed the healing that is of interest to us today. They had prayed and they had believed and they had received what they had asked for. They had been healed. 

But…they neglected to thank God for their healing. All except one man. “One of them,” Luke tells us, “when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.” What was more remarkable in this particular case, was that the man was considered a foreigner…an outsider by devout Jews…Luke tells us he was a Samaritan.

Now, it is interesting to note that Jesus seemed to have been taken aback by this lack of gratitude of the other nine men. “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And in expressing his surprise, Jesus reveals to us a key principle in the way we ought to relate to God. When we pray and God answers us in the affirmative, we ought to thank him and praise him for his gracious response.

Last week, Tom Marinello urged us to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude”, and so we should. But why? Why is giving thanks to God for answered prayer so important? Is God a narcissistic megalomaniac or a pathological egotist who demands recognition from his subjects? Or is he perhaps an insecure God who desires constant affirmation to reinforce his fragile self-image? Or does gratitude have more to do with us than with him? 

Paul tells us that giving thanks in all circumstances is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. In our passage from 1 Thessalonians, Paul is actually taking us a step further. He is not only saying that we ought to give God thanks if and when He grants our petitions…no, rather Paul says that we ought to thank God no matter what happens. Really? No matter what happens?

Tom hinted at this in his talk last week when he mentioned the story of Joseph. Do you remember? Joseph was the beloved son of his father…everything seemed to be in his favour…his future looked bright. But then his jealous brothers turned against him. At first, they plotted to kill him, but because of the intervention of first Reuben and then Judah, he was not killed but rather sold to Midianite traders as a slave. Taken to Egypt, he first served as a slave in Potiphar’s household, but due to the false accusations of Potiphar’s wife, he was thrown into prison. Then, after interpreting a dream of the temporally incarcerated cup bearer of the Pharaoh and securing a promise from him to make his case known to Pharoah once he was released, Joseph spent another two years in prison because the cup bearer forgot about him. He only remembered Joseph after God sent disturbing dreams to Pharaoh and finally, Joseph was vindicated. I’m sure you remember the rest of the story and how his brothers grovelled before him for food during the famine. 

But did Joseph thank God no matter what happened to him? Sadly, we are not told explicitly about his attitude, but we are told that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did – in slavery and in prison. We also know that God gave him insight and wisdom to interpret the dreams of Pharoah’s two servants as well as Pharoah’s own dreams. So, it seems that Joseph’s relationship with God was not blurred or soured by bitterness or resentment. Only once in his request to the cup bearer did Joseph speak about his misfortunes. “But when all goes well with you,” he said to the cup bearer, “remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharoah and get me out of this prison for I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” 

But it is surely in his speeches to his brothers that Joseph reveals his heart. We don’t know exactly when he realised that his suffering was part of a much bigger and better plan of God to preserve the life of his family, but I think we can safely say that that kind of understanding is no born in a moment. That kind of comprehension is founded on a longstanding conviction that God is good, no matter what our circumstances may be…that because of God’s unchangeable character and because of his unthwartable plan God always works all things – the good, the bad, and the ugly – God always works all things together for the good of those who love him. 

It is that firm bedrock conviction that enables us to be thankful in all circumstances. But mor than that. It also gives us the ability to overcome fear. 

In Colossians, Paul urges us not to be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to present our requests to God. In doing so, he says that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

It is in knowing that our God is good, kind, compassionate, merciful, gracious, generous, and forgiving that we can give thanks at all times and in all circumstances…no matter what happens. And I think, herein lies the answer to our question. Why is giving thanks to God for answered prayer or, I hasten to add, for unanswered prayer, so important? As I said earlier, I think it has more to with us, than with God.

You see, by giving thanks regardless of our situation in life, we demonstrate the kind of faith displayed by the three friends of Daniel when threatened by the king of Babylon. Remember? “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your Majesty’s hand. BUT…(and here comes the crucial part)…BUT even if he does not, we want you to know, your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of god you have set up.” Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego served God because they knew he was God…not because of what they could get out of him! 

None of us are privy to all the mysteries of God. None of us know all there is to know. But that is what faith and trust is all about! We don’t need to know the unknowable when we know the knowable. If we know God and believe him to be who he reveals himself to be in the holy Scriptures, we don’t need to be anxious for the future because we know him who holds the future in his hand! 

That kind of faith speaks loudly and clearly about the greatness of our God! That kind of faith is a witness…a more powerful witness than any argument or proof we may seek to offer for the existence of the God of the Scriptures. There is nothing more compelling than a life lived in gratitude. A god served only when he does what we want is not really a god worth following at all.

So, to bring together all that I have said thus far: 

We need to be people of prayer as a life of prayerfulness demonstrates a humble acknowledgement of our own limitations and finiteness. 

But we also need to be a people characterised by gratitude and thankfulness at all times and in all circumstances as that demonstrates a humble acknowledgement that the God we pray to and the God we serve is worthy of our adoration regardless. It is this attitude that carries us through the darkest moments of our lives…in fact it would be true to say that it is often in this darkness that we really get to know the presence of God…that there is, as Corrie Ten Boom once said, no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still. And, I dare to add, it is often in this darkness that our witness of praise to Jesus burns the brightest.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2022