Christian thanksgiving

About 100 years after Isaiah prophesied about the destruction of Israel and surrounding countries in Isaiah chapters 13~24, Israel/Judah was destroyed by Babylon. In the next 2 chapters of Isaiah, the prophet was already looking ahead to the Lord's redemption that would deliver His people from exile in Babylon and was proleptically praising Him. His was anticipating a future event that had not yet happened and in faith was able to praise the Lord. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). To the prophet, the future event taken in faith was as real as the present, because it was based on the Lord's promise.

Apostle Paul teaches us, "In every thing give thanks: For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thessalonians 5:18). How is it possible for a Christian to be thankful in EVERY THING? Bad things happen to Christians just as much as to non-Christians, or perhaps even more. A Christian gets sick, sometimes of a seemingly incurable illness. A Christian gets into an accident, both small and large. A Christian encounters a family death. A Christian may be laid off from his work, or his business may go bankrupt. A natural disaster like a tornado, an earthquake, or a flood may hit a Christian as much as a non-Christian. Yet the commandment from the Lord is that we give thanks in everything.

We can give thanks even in the valley of the shadow of death, when we believe that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). When we confess that ALL THINGS work for our good, we must surely mean that both good and BAD things work for our good. Our faith must be that with our LORD in control, even a lay-off, even an illness, or even an accident will work for our good. That's why and how we are able to be thankful and praise the Lord in every thing.

In October 1946, there was a Communist uprising in the South Korean city of Yeosu. During the week-long rebellion, the Communists were in control of the city and executed many Christians in the name of the people.  Among those martyred were two sons of Rev. Yang Won Sohn (손양원 목사님); their crime was that in the high school and middle school they were respectively attending, they were never bashful about witnessing Jesus. They were accused and killed by one of their classmates. After the rebellion was put down, a funeral service was held for the two young men.  At the service, Rev. Sohn offered ten reasons why he was thankful:
    (1) that two martyrs came out of a family of sinners,
    (2) that, among all the saints, such treasures of saints were given to him as sons,
    (3) that of his 3 sons and 3 daughters, he was able to offer up his first son and second son to God,
    (4) that when it would have been precious to have one martyr as a son, he now had two sons as martyrs,
    (5) that when it would have been a blessing to die a natural death as a Christian, his two sons were shot to death while proclaiming Jesus as the Lord,
    (6) that his elder son, who was preparing to go to the US to study abroad, instead went up to Heaven, incomparably better than the US,
    (7) that God gave him the heart of love to forgive the executioner of his sons and adopt him as his own son,
    (8) that he believed that numerous people will come to the Lord on account of his two sons' martyrdom,
    (9) that the Lord Jesus Christ gave him the joy and faith to seek the above 8 truths and God's love even in a very difficult situation, and
    (10) that God blessed him beyond what he deserved.
With these notes of thanks, he also made an offering of thanks amounting to 125 times his monthly salary.  On the envelope of the offering, he simply wrote "In gratitude for the martyrdom of two sons. ₩10,000. Yang Won Sohn." Indeed, with Rev Sohn, nicknamed the atomic bomb of love, even the death of his two eldest sons worked together for his and their good. As he thankfully declared, he not only adopted the executioner of his sons, but also raised him to become a minister of God.

Lord, let me learn from Jesus and from His witnesses like Rev Sohn and praise and thank You in everything.  Even when seemingly bad things are happening to me, let me have the faith and trust in You to continually thank you in joy. Let me be able to anticipate Your ultimate victory and redemption for me and thank you proleptically.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

God's fireworks

Last July 4th, my wife Sarah and I went to New Albany High School football field to enjoy the nighttime fireworks. New Albany is a suburb of Columbus, created by Wexners of the Limited. We figured that the affluent town would put on a spectacular show, befitting the privileged status of the town. We had to park our car a few blocks away, because there were so many people and so many cars all out to enjoy the celebration. We walked into the field and manged to get good seats right behind the field fences. As the night deepened to the midnight, patriotic songs blasted out from the PA system of the field. Then a moment of silence was followed by the much-awaited show of fireworks. We were certainly not disappointed. A blast after another lit up the sky and decorated it with diverse patterns and colors. The show went on and on and must have lasted at least half an hour. Then the display climaxed to the final fanfare and it was as if the stars of the sky were all falling down onto the football field in celebration.

Then the thought hit me. If the independence of an earthly nation deserves such a celebration, if the affluence of a rich suburban town is able to afford such a display, how much and much more would it take to celebrate and praise the glory of God?... I had often wondered like a foolish child why God created such a vast universe, when a little planet called the Earth was all that was necessary to implant us human beings and carry out His salvation plan through His Son Jesus Christ. If the stars were made to "serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years" (Genesis 1:14), would it not have been sufficient to have perhaps just a few hundred of them? But in truth, there are billions upon billions of stars -- too many for us to even count.  Why so many? ... That night at the football field, my question changed from the homo-centric "Why so many?" to a more theo-centric "How appropriate is it to have such an endless display of God's majesty?" If New Albany deserves half an hour of fake stars falling out of the fireworks in the sky, why should God not get the eternal praise of all the real stars in the universe for ever and ever? Many, many stars, much brighter than the little star we know of as the Sun, are shining in all their brilliance, each competing to shine more brightly than the other in praise of God's glory. Their circuitry through the vastness of the universe is also creating waves of sounds to sing Hallelujah.

Indeed, LORD. YOU are worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! (Revelations 5:12)
     "The heavens declare the glory of God;
      the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
      Day after day they pour forth speech;
      night after night they display knowledge.
      There is no speech or language
      where their voice is not heard.
      Their voice goes out into all the earth,
      their words to the ends of the earth." (Psalm 19:1-4).

Lord, help me join the stars in singing Your glory and praise and honor for all the days of my life and for ever in heaven. In Jesus, Amen.