Trust In God
Sermon
Object:
There has been an inspiring
and true story circulating on the internet, written by a doctor who worked in
South Africa.
He tells how he had worked hard to help a mother in the labour ward, but in spite of all that he and his small team could do, she died leaving them with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. They knew they would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as they had no incubator, no electricity and no special feeding facilities.
And although this was the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous draughts. One student midwife went for the box they had for premature babies and the cotton wool in which to wrap the baby.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to say that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.
They decided to put the baby as near the fire as they safely could, and the midwife would sleep between the baby and the door to keep the baby free from draughts.
The following noon, as he did most days, the doctor went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with him. He gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. He explained their problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chilled. He also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a hot water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."
While the doctor gasped inwardly and with a sinking spirit at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"
Halfway through the afternoon a message came that a large twenty-two pound parcel had been delivered from the doctor's home town. He had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and had never, ever received a parcel from home. He sent for the orphanage children to help him open the parcel.
Together they pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. They folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, the doctor lifted out brightly coloured, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as he gave them out. Then there were knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, followed by a box of mixed raisins and sultanas that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.
Then he put his hand in again and pulled out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out a small, beautifully dressed doll. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by the doctor's former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a doll for an African child five months before, and it came in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
Sometimes, amazing things happen when we trust God, as David the shepherd boy discovered.
Three of David's older brothers were in the Israelite army and young David was sent to take supplies to them, along with ten cheeses for the commander of the army. David would perhaps be a teenager at this time, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, but not yet old enough or broadened enough in stature to join the army himself.
When he arrived, David discovered a stand-off between the Philistine army and the Israelite army, under the leadership of Saul, the first Israelite King. As was common some nine centuries BCE, the Philistines had fielded one man on their behalf to take on one Israelite. The battle would be decided on the result of this head-to-head challenge.
But there was a huge problem. We're told that the Philistine representative, Goliath, was a giant standing six foot nine inches tall, which would be gigantic even today. He had continuously issued his challenge for the past forty days, yet no-one from the Israelite army had dared to stand against him.
With the brash over-confidence of youth, David immediately offered his services to King Saul and was accepted. Yet it was not simply brash over-confidence, for David had a simple and unassailable belief that God could do anything and that God was on their side.
David was too small for Saul's armour, so had to rely entirely and utterly upon God. It brings to mind that time in the New Testament when Jesus sent out his followers on their first missionary journey, telling them to take nothing for the trip, no money or spare clothes or weapons, so that they too had to rely entirely and utterly upon God (Luke 9:1-6).
The rest, of course, is history. David used his sling to accurately hit Goliath on the forehead with a stone which knocked him out and effected an Israelite victory against all the odds. And as we all know, David went on to become the greatest king the Israelites ever had.
But David's secret weapon from this early beginning and throughout his long reign was God. David listened to God and responded to him. David learned to rely not on his own prowess although that prowess was constantly needed and constantly used, but to rely upon God.
In our lives today we have many gadgets and insurances to rely upon. We have television and computers, washing machines and cars and aeroplanes. We have insurance policies against every eventuality. All of these are good in themselves, but if we then rely upon them instead of upon God, we won't get the best out of life.
We need to set time aside for God and to tune into God. We need to respond to our instincts, even if those instincts are as ridiculous as sending a hot water bottle to equatorial Africa. And when we learn to rely upon the nudges and instincts sent to us from God, then we too like David and like the doctor in Africa, will see amazing things happen in our lives.
He tells how he had worked hard to help a mother in the labour ward, but in spite of all that he and his small team could do, she died leaving them with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. They knew they would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as they had no incubator, no electricity and no special feeding facilities.
And although this was the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous draughts. One student midwife went for the box they had for premature babies and the cotton wool in which to wrap the baby.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to say that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.
They decided to put the baby as near the fire as they safely could, and the midwife would sleep between the baby and the door to keep the baby free from draughts.
The following noon, as he did most days, the doctor went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with him. He gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. He explained their problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chilled. He also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a hot water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."
While the doctor gasped inwardly and with a sinking spirit at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"
Halfway through the afternoon a message came that a large twenty-two pound parcel had been delivered from the doctor's home town. He had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and had never, ever received a parcel from home. He sent for the orphanage children to help him open the parcel.
Together they pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. They folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, the doctor lifted out brightly coloured, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as he gave them out. Then there were knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, followed by a box of mixed raisins and sultanas that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.
Then he put his hand in again and pulled out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out a small, beautifully dressed doll. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by the doctor's former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a doll for an African child five months before, and it came in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."
Sometimes, amazing things happen when we trust God, as David the shepherd boy discovered.
Three of David's older brothers were in the Israelite army and young David was sent to take supplies to them, along with ten cheeses for the commander of the army. David would perhaps be a teenager at this time, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, but not yet old enough or broadened enough in stature to join the army himself.
When he arrived, David discovered a stand-off between the Philistine army and the Israelite army, under the leadership of Saul, the first Israelite King. As was common some nine centuries BCE, the Philistines had fielded one man on their behalf to take on one Israelite. The battle would be decided on the result of this head-to-head challenge.
But there was a huge problem. We're told that the Philistine representative, Goliath, was a giant standing six foot nine inches tall, which would be gigantic even today. He had continuously issued his challenge for the past forty days, yet no-one from the Israelite army had dared to stand against him.
With the brash over-confidence of youth, David immediately offered his services to King Saul and was accepted. Yet it was not simply brash over-confidence, for David had a simple and unassailable belief that God could do anything and that God was on their side.
David was too small for Saul's armour, so had to rely entirely and utterly upon God. It brings to mind that time in the New Testament when Jesus sent out his followers on their first missionary journey, telling them to take nothing for the trip, no money or spare clothes or weapons, so that they too had to rely entirely and utterly upon God (Luke 9:1-6).
The rest, of course, is history. David used his sling to accurately hit Goliath on the forehead with a stone which knocked him out and effected an Israelite victory against all the odds. And as we all know, David went on to become the greatest king the Israelites ever had.
But David's secret weapon from this early beginning and throughout his long reign was God. David listened to God and responded to him. David learned to rely not on his own prowess although that prowess was constantly needed and constantly used, but to rely upon God.
In our lives today we have many gadgets and insurances to rely upon. We have television and computers, washing machines and cars and aeroplanes. We have insurance policies against every eventuality. All of these are good in themselves, but if we then rely upon them instead of upon God, we won't get the best out of life.
We need to set time aside for God and to tune into God. We need to respond to our instincts, even if those instincts are as ridiculous as sending a hot water bottle to equatorial Africa. And when we learn to rely upon the nudges and instincts sent to us from God, then we too like David and like the doctor in Africa, will see amazing things happen in our lives.
