Thanksgiving

Consider the work of God…” we Meet Paul and Barnabas on Their first mission journey in Lycaonia, where they preached the Gospel in the cities of Lystra and Derbe. In faithfulness and love they pointed out to the heathen the work of God. In the name of the Lord they confirmed the words which they spoke by signs and wonders.

A lame man had been wonderfully healed; and the people were amazed because of the wonders which had taken place. They wanted to honor Paul and Barnabas as gods. Paul they called Mercurius, and Barnabas they called Jupiter; and they wanted to sacrifice peace offerings and thank offerings unto them. Paul and Barnabas were filled with alarm when they heard and saw what these people wanted to do, and they rent their clothes and ran in among them, crying out, “We also are men of like passions with you.” In other words, “This was not our work, not our wisdom, not our power, which brought about this miracle. It was all and only the work of the living God, who made heaven and earth.”

Dear readers, if we know our own heart and the time in which we live, then in the reactions of these heathens we can see that our heart and life is not much better. The twentieth century is the century of man. It is the century of technical science and machines. Nothing is too difficult for man. It appears that all things are in his hand. The laurel crowns are laid at his feet. We bring offerings to the thoughts and abilities of man and no longer have place for God. We are all in danger to join in the singing of praise and honor to man, “Is this not this great Babylon that I have built?”

But this was not the case with Paul and Barnabas. They see the danger in which they are. How easy it would have been to permit themselves to be honored! How often we are captured in the snares of the evil one so that we take pleasure in honor! Paul and Barnabas point away from themselves. They point upward unto the living God.

God had not left Himself without witness. He had revealed Himself in His power, wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, and longsuffering. In the healing of this lame man you have not seen our power and wisdom, but the work of the living God.

“God has not left Himself without witness.” Must that not be our confession at the end of this season? The fields filled with all kinds of vegetation are not the work of man, but God has revealed Himself there. Because of sin the earth must bring forth thorns and thistles, but it is a wonder of God’s goodness that He has brought forth food out of the earth. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over. From heaven God has not left Himself without witness. He gave rain, wind, cold and heat. “He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Oh, how mercifully has the Lord provided!

The house in which we live, the clothes which we wear, the bread which we eat, are not the fruit of our diligence and wisdom, but gifts from above. The Lord in His common goodness and longsuffering has sustained and spared us, has cared for us and borne with us. Do we take notice of the Lord’s hand in this? Oh, count the blessings with which the Lord appears before us from day to day—in the family, at school and in our daily life!

Stand still for a moment and consider what the Lord has given. He has not only provided for our bodies, but also for our souls. He has not left Himself without witness, in that He did good to us. The Lord has followed after us with His precious Word. God’s Word may still be freely heard at school, in the families, in catechism classes, and in the church. The Lord has not yet removed the candlestick of His Word from us. His Word is still proclaimed and the sacraments administered. Also in these the Lord has not left Himself without witness.

He has cordially invited us to come unto Him and to cast all our cares upon Him. He has urgently admonished us to forsake the paths of sin and of self-righteousness. How often the Lord has piped with the Gospel and mourned unto us. Have we danced and lamented?

Oh, how many temporal and spiritual benefits the Lord has granted us, doing good! “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Have we seen His hand and bowed ourselves in humility of heart, giving Him the honor? Have we cried out with Jacob, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth shown unto me, a poor sinner?” Has the goodness of the Lord led us to repentance? If, with all the benefits which the Lord gives us, we have served the lust of the flesh, then all these benefits shall one day testify against us. Yes, the Lord has not left Himself without witness.

In the dust of humiliation we may look upward unto the praying and thanking High Priest, who always stands at the right hand of the Father with His blood for thankless thankers.

He has also revealed Himself in His judgments. It is evident that the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the earth. We hear of wars, earthquakes and disasters in various places. We hear of the threat of the fearful sickness of AIDS which is spread over almost the entire world. Are not all these things a sign that the Lord also does not leave Himself unwitnessed in a life of sin? Shall He that formed the eye not see? The Lord sees when men place themselves above God and He visits them with bitter punishments. Should we not take notice of the smiting hand of the Lord and, as Nineveh did, humble ourselves in dust and ashes, begging the Lord that He will be gracious unto us and our children for Christ’s sake?

“O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.” “The lion hath roared, who will not fear?” It is not yet too late. The Lord yet waits, and still postpones the revelation of His full wrath. But if we serve the world and sin and the lusts of the flesh with the rich gifts which the Lord has granted us, we can expect nothing else than that the blessings shall be changed into a curse. Therefore, “while He proffers peace and pardon, let us hear His voice today; lest if we our hearts should harden, we should perish in the way.”

It yet pleased the Lord to do good, filling our hearts with food and gladness. This is a different gladness than the empty gladness of the world. It is a spiritual joy in the Lord. If we observe how the Lord has provided, and upon whom he has bestowed all that care, then we bow in the dust with shame. Then we confess our sins and guilt and shortcomings, our foolishness and unworthiness. Then we have sinned away all blessings, and we bow our knees beside David and plead, “Wash me, make me pure within; cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin.”

If we may receive God’s blessings in such a frame, then all these benefits become the greater because they are bestowed upon such an unworthy creature. Then from Zion’s gates we hear sweet strains of praises swelling to Israel’s mighty Lord. “Not unto us, O God of heaven, but unto Thee be glory given.” Then the Lord is great, and we are nothing but dust and ashes. Then our hearts are filled with a spiritual joy in the Lord.

Thank offerings are not then expected from ourselves, for then we are not only humble supplicants for undeserved blessings, but also humbly give thanks in Christ Jesus. Then in the dust of humiliation we may look upward unto the praying and thanking High Priest, who always stands at the right hand of the Father with His blood for thankless thankers.

We then thank, not only for temporal blessings, but in our hearts we sing, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”

Rev. H. Hofman is pastor of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

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