GOD'S INVOLVEMENT IN AMERICA'S THANKSGIVING

GOD’S INVOLVEMENT IN AMERICA’S THANKSGIVING:  

THE STORY OF SQUANTO – A TRUE AMERICAN HERO

God inspires actions and interaction with people across the entire world. He is magnificent, intricate with details, and miraculous in all His ways. Following are the events of the first American Thanksgiving. This version of the story comes from two Christian-based historical references, and is an example of how deeply our God is involved in our human history. I love this Thanksgiving story and like reading it every year. I think you’ll like it too.

 

Within the first year, half of the 102 Pilgrims who landed in America, died. Of the 50 who remained only 6 or 7 were strong enough to care for the others. William Bradford was their leader. He survived the first devastating winter of 1620 and went on to serve as governor of Plymouth for 33 years. From his book, Of Plymouth Plantation, comes his perception of what happened; this amazing story of how God intervened so that the Pilgrims could survive in this new land. He writes in Old English which is a bit hard to navigate, but with a little patience, you will be able to figure out all the words and content.

 

“About ye 16. Of March a certaine Indian came bouldly amongst them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand, but marveled at it… He tould them also of another Indian whos name was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England & could speake better English then him selfe.

 

“Afterwards they (as many as were able) began to plant ther corne, in which servise Squanto stood them in great stead, showing them both ye maner how to set it, and after how to dress & tend it. Also he tould them excepte they got fish & set with it (in these old grounds) it would come to nothing, and he showed them yt in ye midle of Aprill they should have store enough come up ye brooke, by which they begane to build, and taught them how to take it, and wher to get other provisions necessary for them; all which they found true by trial & experience… And thus they found ye Lord to be with them in all their ways, and to blesse their outgoings & incomings, for which let his holy name have ye praise for ever, to all posteritie.”

 

Bradford added, “Squanto… was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation.”

 

How God worked in Squanto’s life is really amazing. In 1605, a member of the Native American Patuxet tribe, Squanto was captured by an English explorer and taken to England where he learned to speak English. In 1614 Captain John Smith brought him back to America but he was captured again and taken to Spain to be sold as a slave.  Local Catholic friars rescued him and introduced him to Christianity.

 

He went back to England and got on a ship to his native America. But when he got home, he found that all of his tribe had been killed by a plague. The sudden death of the whole tribe scared the neighboring tribes and so they never went onto the property, making it available for the Pilgrims. Also because of the odd circumstances of the tribe’s annihilation, the other tribes didn’t attack the Pilgrims and Squanto facilitated a peace treaty that lasted over 50 years.

 

With Squanto’s help, the Pilgrims’ second winter was much better. To celebrate, Governor Bradford appointed a day of Thanksgiving and invited Squanto’s newly adopted tribe to come and give thanks to God with them. The chief and 90 of his men came and feasted. They ate deer, turkey, fish, lobster, eels, vegetables, corn bread, berries, pies and popcorn that the Native Americans showed the Pilgrims how to make.  They competed in games of wrestling, shooting and running. The chief had such a good time he and his men stayed and celebrated for three days.

 

This was the first official American Thanksgiving.

 

If you’d like to read more about this time in America, I recommend America’s Providential History by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell and William Bradford: Plymouth’s Faithful Pilgrim by Gary Schmidt.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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GUNPOINT

GUNPOINT

It was summer at the Bible college, and we were paired up for an outreach challenge. We had two days to get from our campus in Kansas down to an onion farm in Texas. We were sent out in teams of two. My partner was blind, so I took the lead in our venture. Neither of us had cars, so we had to hitchhike. An 18-wheeler stopped, and up we innocently climbed.

 

My partner folded his white cane and felt his way up into the back seat. I got in on the passenger side of the front seat.

 

The driver was a burly, unshaven man, around fifty-something, I guessed. He seemed okay at first. In a low, gravelly voice, he barked, “Where you kids goin’?”

 

“Down to harvest onions on a farm in Texas,” I answered.

 

“Uh huh, Uh huh.” He wasn’t much of a talker, so we drove on in uncomfortable silence. The A/C was on, but his forehead was red and sweaty and his brown hair was all greasy looking and sweaty too. He was getting fidgety, and I could hear him breathing louder and louder. His hand snaked down under the seat between us, and I saw the gun come up in slow motion. He pointed right at my face.

 

He drawled, “You’re gunna do whatever I want.”

 

I stiffened and gasped, holding my breath as my body froze for what seemed like forever. At that point I had no cognizance of my blind partner in the back seat. I was all alone, physically frozen in time, but my mind was racing frantically, “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Help me!”

 

My body seemed to melt, but then I felt instantly strengthened from the inside as a palpable and powerful peace poured down over me and through my soul. I drew in a deep breath and slowly made myself as tall as I could in the seat, as I slowly turned sideways in the seat to face my aggressor.

 

My action obviously confused him, and he turned a little frantic himself, trying to hold the gun in my face and watch me and the road at the same time.

 

I spoke with loud and clear authority, “You put that down right now in the name of Jesus Christ!” He did it, obeying my words like a robot. “Now pull over.” He did. I knew he didn’t want to let us go, but under the authority of the Lord, it was like he was a prisoner to my words, and he couldn’t do anything but obey. “Now we’re getting out!” And we did.

 

Even as I write this, I’m a little amazed that it was real, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus was in the midst of a group of Pharisees who wanted to kill him, and He walked right through. “They up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:59).

 

In another life-threatening situation, Jesus stopped a raging storm. “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:37,39).

 

When Paul and Silas went to Philippi to preach the gospel, the magistrates “thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks” (Acts 16: 24). But after Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises, a miracle happened. They were immediately able to walk right out of that prison. (Acts 16:24-34).

 

In John 14:27, Jesus said: “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

 

We can’t always avoid trouble, but we CAN walk through it with Jesus Christ as our Lord. When that man pointed a gun at my face, I cried out to Jesus, and instantly, he gave me his peace, strength, confidence, and the exact words to speak to attain my and my partner’s freedom.

 

Jesus lived on earth as a man. He knows how to do it right. As our Lord and leader, he often guides us away from trouble. But if we get into trouble, he will do amazing things to get us out. He loves us, and we can trust him.

 

Reading about his life in the gospels, we learn that he could get around and through every kind of situation, and we can, too, with his help.

 

Let’s pray to get to know him better, trust him, and love him even more.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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PSALM 51:6 - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

PSALM 51:6: “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”

The other night, I asked the Lord what I should read before bed. “Psalm 51.” I love that Psalm, but there are verses that I don’t fully understand. I know that happens to you, too. But there are easy resources online for doing a quick study or even an extended one. So, I decided to take a closer look and do a word study on verse six:

 

“Behold, you [God] desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part, you [God] will make me know wisdom.”

 

When we look up the words in their original language, we can better understand what the verse really means. It’s a way to meditate on a scripture and let it make a more profound impact, sinking into our hearts, because we take the time to focus on it longer than the time it takes just to read it and move on.

 

David says: “You, God, desire truth in the innermost part of me.” The first word I want to look at is “desire.” The Hebrew word “chaphets” means “delight in, take pleasure in, like.” But there’s more I wouldn’t have known about unless I looked it up: In the definition of “desire” is the idea of bending down toward someone, inclining yourself toward them. So this tells me God actually takes so much pleasure in us having truth that He bends down toward us, delighting in when He sees truth in us.

 

So, what is this “truth” God likes bending down to see in us? The word “truth” is the Hebrew word “emeth,” meaning all kinds of amazing things. Among them are: “faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness, peace and stability.” But again, there is more to it. This is “truth that is spoken,” “truth as it pertains to divine instruction,” “truth in ethical knowledge,” and “truth in judgment.” So, God delights in leaning down toward us to smile at our faithfulness, our trustworthiness, His truth that we are speaking, our receiving the truth of His divine revelations to us, doing the right thing when we have ethical decisions to make, and truth in good judgment.

 

Where does God see these wonderful truths in us? The verse says He sees them in our “inward parts.” The Hebrew word for “inward parts” is “tuwchah,” and it means “the seat of the mind and thoughts.” In other words, these truths are not just flighty thoughts off the top of our heads but come from a deeper place in our minds. If someone took the time to seriously ask you: “What do you really believe?” you would go to this part of your heart and mind and say with the most conviction: “This is what I believe.”

 

God bends down lovingly toward us to see if we have embraced His truths and if they live steadfast and unmovable in the depths of our hearts.

 

The rest of Psalm 51:6 tells us what God does when He sees His truth in our hearts:

 

“In the hidden part, you [God] will make me know wisdom.”

 

The “hidden part” is one Hebrew word, “satam,” which is the ”secret part, storehouse, treasury.” The word “know” is the Hebrew word “yada,” which means to “see and know, to be sure of, discover and know by experience, feel, understand, and be able to teach.”

 

Then, the final word, “wisdom,” is “hakma” in Hebrew. Wisdom is always about applying knowledge. However, the definition of wisdom here is specific to certain areas.

 

It is defined as ‘wisdom in administration, prudence in religious affairs, wisdom in ethical matters, shrewdness or cleverness, and skill in war (both spiritual and physical).’ One example is Matthew 10:16: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (AMP).”

 

In studying the words used in Psalm 51:6, we find that our loving God is inclining Himself down toward us. He delights in seeing what He’s taught us, dwelling in the deepest parts of our hearts. When He finds them there, He can attach the blessing of discovering, experiencing, understanding, feeling, and being able to teach, like David, excellent skill in war (physical and spiritual), administrative skills in all categories of life, cleverness, prudence in religious matters, and godly ways to handle ethical issues as well.

 

Studying the words God gave David to speak in Psalm 51:6 really helps us see the bigness of God’s heart of love toward us. He bends down to us, desiring to see His gift in the innermost part of our hearts and seeing us discovering and knowing by experience His wisdom in ethical matters, religious matters, and skills of spiritual warfare.  

 

Studying a verse is easy to do online. Just go to the link below, put a word or scripture reference in the search box, choose the Bible version, and click the arrow. Then click where it says “STRONGS.” That gives you the option of looking at the definitions of the original words. I found in this resource that I had to use the KJV or the NASB, but there may be other sources if you prefer reading a different version.

 https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/psa/51/6/ss1/t_conc_529006

 

Try this, even if you only look up a couple of words. I think you will really be blessed.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

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TALKING TO JESUS

TALKING TO JESUS

Several years ago, I realized I didn’t know Jesus as well as I wanted to. I’d been taught a lot about relating to and praying to God, but Jesus somehow got bypassed. I’d been taught that it was Christ in us but not how to connect with Him as a real person. I couldn’t help questioning, “If He is our brother, shouldn’t we be able to talk to Him? We don’t have to go through our parents to talk to our human brothers, so why should it be different with Jesus?”

 

In Acts 2:36, we’re told that God “made the same Jesus, both Lord, and Christ.” Hebrews 13:8 tells us it’s “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” We read in the Gospels that when people came to Jesus, they called Him “Lord.” When the disciples talked to Him both before and after the resurrection (John 20:26-21:25), they also called Him “Lord.” Should we do any less?

 

The Greek word for “Lord” here means “supreme in authority; by implication, Master (as a respectful title).”

 

According to Romans 10:9, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

 

I was born again when I was about eight years old. But it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I consciously realized I wasn’t doing such a great job at being my own master. I went back to Jesus, confessed that I was a mess and needed Him to rescue me and be my Lord in guiding me in life. He was here on earth and experienced everything we’ll ever face, so He knows how to handle every situation, and he can guide us through. But sometimes, we slip up a little in that category. We direct all our prayers and communication to God Almighty and leave Jesus out.

 

I was reading Acts 7 about Stephen: “And they stoned Stephen calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (v. 59). In the King James Version of the Bible, whenever a word is in italics, like the word “God” in this verse, it means that the translators added it. Since the word “God” was added to the original text, we can take it out, and the verse reads: “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” And guess who was standing right there? Saul of Tarsus!

 

“The witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul” (v. 58). Saul heard Stephen speak to Jesus.

 

Later, when Saul was on his way to Damascus, “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), a light from heaven shone, and Saul fell to the earth, and everyone there heard a voice. When Saul asked, “‘Who art thou?’ The Lord said, “‘I am Jesus’” (v. 5). When Jesus Christ spoke to Saul, it didn’t surprise him at all because he had been there when Stephen talked with Jesus.

 

When Saul got to Damascus, the Lord Jesus told a regular disciple, Ananias, to talk to Saul.

 

“And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 9:17).

 

Isn’t that awesome?! Many more verses in the Epistles document a real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul tells the Corinthians: “Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” (1 Cor. 9:1). Peter writes: “Even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me” (2 Pet. 1:4).

 

I’m not trying to direct anyone away from praying to God Almighty, our Father, and the kind of relationship we have with Him. I’m saying that our relationship with our Lord Jesus can also grow.

 

I learned a long time ago that my secular work is directed and orchestrated by Jesus Christ. That realization wasn’t an instantaneous revelation. It didn’t come in a dream or audible announcement or anything flashy. I prayed to God about it; then, one day, I just knew in my heart that Jesus was the one in charge of my work. He would supply the jobs and money I needed to live, pay the bills, and do what I needed to do.

 

Whenever I was out of work, I consciously went to Jesus, expecting direction as to what’s next, and I thanked Him for what He was arranging. In this category of my life, I know that God wants me to trust in the directions of His son Jesus Christ.

 

First Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.”

 

I believe there is a wonderful balance in our spiritual lives: things that God handles with us, things that our Lord Jesus handles, and things the holy spirit teaches too. We have all the help we need at our fingertips, closer even than breath itself.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

This preach letter is part of Volume 2 of my book series WINGS: A Journey in Faith. I write books that can be used as spiritual workbooks, with 52 anecdotal stories showing how to apply Biblical principles to daily life and grow into the spiritually sharp person we’ve always wanted to be. At the end of each story, there are questions to ponder or talk about, to personalize your experience with the message. The following are the ones for this story:

.

1. In addition to praying to God as your Father, do you talk to Jesus Christ as your Lord? How often would you say?

2. Name three or four Bible figures who spoke with Jesus after He was raised from the dead. Document this with scriptures relating to these encounters.

3. If you haven’t talked much with the Lord Jesus, name some possible ways you might begin to acknowledge Him more often in your daily life.

 

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