Insights — William MacDonald

God's Care Revealed in Scripture

Single verses of scripture and try to extract some honey from them and The first verse I'd like to turn to tonight is first Peter chapter 5 and verse 7 first Peter Chapter 5 and verse 7 and maybe the first brother who gets it would read it out in a loud clear voice.

Yes, and I just like to Take the last part of that verse tonight. Just those words he and the King James he Cherith for you does the Lord really care? Well, the Bible is filled with tokens of his care.

We go back to the Old Testament and we see God leading his people through a waste howling wilderness Where there were no Safeway stores, no lucky markets and yet he fed them for 40 years with the food from heaven the manna and not only that he provided a bountiful water supply in the midst of the desert and he gave them clothes that never wore out and Shoes that never needed to be tapped.

Wasn't that wonderful for 40 years and They should have had no doubt as to the fact that the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob Really cares. Well, then when we come over to the New Testament, we find the Lord Jesus borrowing Figures from nature to tell us of his infinite care for us.

He cares for sparrows. That's really wonderful. So small so insignificant so many millions of them and He provides their food. I Was impressed to read again in the Gospels. It says not one of them is Forgotten before God just think of that not one of them.

I've forgotten most of them that I've ever seen. I Wouldn't know them if I met them again, but not one of them is forgotten Before God and it says not one falls to the ground without your heavenly Father.

My what a God he is that his care for Sparrows is so great that not one of them dies Without his knowing all about it and being there. Because that's what it says not one of them died falls to the ground without your heavenly Father.

And then the Lord Jesus goes on to give us the moral of the story you are worth more than many sparrows. Marvelous, isn't it? And then the Lord Jesus borrows that figure of the the lilies of the field the wild anemones there on the hillsides and He says that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed.

Like one of these God cares for wildflowers. The divine artist takes such Care such precise care in designing them and In growing them and yet, they're just born for a day and then they're cast into the oven and he says why if I care for wildflowers like that.

How much more do I care for you? And then of course Paul reminds us doesn't he in writing to the Corinthians that God cares for oxen and Isn't it wonderful that in the Old Testament God? Legislated about oxen.

He said thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. You have an ox and you're using it to tread out the corn. That ox has a right to partake of the fruit of its labor. Does God care for oxen?

Yes God cares for oxen, but it wasn't just written for oxen oxen. It was written for our sake as well and the God who legislates about Oxen is interested in the provision of his people's needs. Ah, we have a God who cares.

Christ's Priestly Care for His People

We're reminded in the Old Testament that in heaven we have a great high priest the Lord Jesus Christ and Just as the priest in the Old Testament he had the names of the children of Israel on his shoulders and He had the names of the children of Israel on his breastplate.

The shoulders of course speak of the place of strength don't they. And the breast speaks of the place of Affection and that reminds us that we have a high priest and he carries our names on his shoulders.

And he carries our names on his breast as well. And if that isn't touching enough just remember he said I've graven your names on the palms of my hands and It's quite impossible for us to think of that without thinking of Calvary and the nails that pierced those hands there.

At such a cost he engraved our names on the palms of his hands. It says he numbers the hairs of our head and In the Psalms, it tells us that he numbers our tossings on our beds at night. Just think of that.

Are you an insomniac? Tossing around thrashing around in the bed. He counts every one of them and not only that he keeps our tears in His bottle and keeps an accurate account of every one of them. Does he care?

I'll say he cares. He says in Zechariah whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. Just think of that. I think the apple of the eye is Probably one of the most sensitive parts of a human body and God uses that figure of the human body.

And he said whoever touches you. It's just the same as touching the apple of my eye and no weapon Formed against you will ever prosper. Is that wonderful? No weapon formed against his people will prosper.

There's a lovely passage in the book of Isaiah. It says that the heathen Carry their gods on their shoulders, you know gods of wood and stone the heathen the pagans. They carry their gods on their shoulders, but God Carries his people.

Quite a difference, isn't it? And he not only says he carries us it says he bears us up on Eagles wings when we go through the waters the rivers or the fire. He is with us in all our afflictions he is afflicted.

The Good Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. Will not withhold any good thing from them. Who love him. We read in Deuteronomy. He cares for much. He cares for us from the beginning of the year unto the end of the year.

He bears us even to old age. In Fact he will never leave us no forsake us. Just remember when you leave the meeting and go home and go to bed and sleep. God isn't going to do that. He slumbers not nor sleep.

He that keepeth Israel will neither slumber. Nor sleep. Does God care? Casting all your care upon him. For he careth for you or as one translation says it matters to him. About you for the second verse would you turn back to 2nd Kings chapter 5 and verse 4.

God Uses Unnamed Servants

2nd Kings? Chapter 5 and verse 4. This is a familiar story. Nehemen the leper. Nehemen the leper and I'm not going to go into the story tonight. I don't have to but you remember there was a little Jewish maiden and she said if my master Nehemen would just go and see the man of God in Israel, I believe he could get healed of his leprosy and I just like to read to you verse Four and one went in and told his Lord saying thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel the maid that is of the land of Israel.

What was her name? Somebody tell me unknown. She's one of the great Unnamed persons in the Bible and I think there's a deep spiritual insight here. Some Unnamed people in the Bible did great exploits for God.

We have our personality cult in Evangelical Christianity today, but I want to tell you God has God has his heroes and he doesn't even record their names in the book. I think of those three men who heard David.

David all he did was practically whispered. If I could just get a Drink of water from the well of Bethlehem and between him and Bethlehem were the enemy's forces. That's all he just breathed the wish some of that lovely water from the well of Bethlehem three of his men.

They heard it. They said that's all we need they broke through the enemy's lines. They went and they got the water and they brought it back to David and David looked at the water. He couldn't drink it.

He couldn't drink it when he thought that these men risked their lives to get him that drink of water. He poured it out on the ground as a holy offering to the Lord. But the beautiful thing is their names aren't recorded.

You just don't know what their names were, but God knows and that's really all that matters. In 2nd Kings chapter 4 you have the great woman of Shunam. Is that lovely? That's all we know about her the great woman of Shunam she said.

I think we should build a chamber for the Prophet so that when he comes by he'll have a room to himself and Her husband and she they did that very thing and her name is really eulogized in the Bible. But we don't know what her name was the great woman Of Shunam.

Somebody has said it's wonderful how much you can do for God if you don't care who gets the credit. Apparently these people didn't care who got the credit. They just wanted to do it for God. I Think of the woman who anointed the head of Jesus as far as Matthew is concerned.

At least her name isn't given and Yet the Lord Jesus said that wherever the gospel would be preached from that day on What that woman had done would be told as a memorial for her. Our country has its unknown soldier down in Arlington Cemetery.

Well, I want to tell you God has his unknown soldiers too and People who were great for him. I think of the widow the poor widow who cast in her two mates and The scripture says the Lord Jesus said she cast in more than all the rest.

He cast in all her living. I think of the lad who Who gave his five loaves and two fishes? We don't know his name, but the Lord took them and blessed them and broke them and said five thousand men plus women and Children.

The Spirit of God hasn't seen fit to give us the name of that little boy. God knows his name is written in heaven and There's a lovely touch when Paul is writing to the Corinthians in the second epistle.

He's sending Titus down to Corinth to get a collection for the needy Saints in Jerusalem, and he sends two unnamed brethren with Titus. Their names aren't given. We don't know the commentators all conjecture, but there's no way of knowing who they were.

God didn't want us to know, but you know what Paul speaks of those two. He says they are the messengers of the churches and the glory of Christ. That's a startling expression the glory of Christ to unknown Brethren who just went to pick up a collection.

And that's what they're called. And I don't know that I don't know that that expression is used to describe anybody else in the Bible the glory of Christ those of it if you who are familiar with Gray's poem the elegy in a country church yard.

You know gray is traveling through this church yard and he's looking at all the stones that the gray stones and he thinks of people whose bodies are lying there, and there was a real greatness about them, but the world never heard of them and Gray said full many a flower is born to blush unseen and waste its fragrance in the desert air.

That's what Gray said, but I want to tell you something. There's no fragrance wasted with God. Although many of these people in the Bible are Unseen and unknown God knows all about it and God is a faithful record-keeper.

So I like that. I like to come across those passages the maiden of Israel a little maiden. It is a great woman of Shunam the three men who broke through the enemy's ranks to get the water for David keep me little and Unknown loved and prized by Christ alone.

That's enough. Really is you know? Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 3. Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 3. Of course we're taking verses just in isolation but I believe as I said before that you can do this with any verse in the Bible that every every word of God is pure and The spiritual meaning and teaching in every phrase and clause in the Word of God.

Treasures of Darkness in Trials

It says Verse 3 and I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places. That thou mayest know that I the Lord which call thee by thy name and the God of Israel. I just like to take the first part of the verse.

I will give thee the treasures of darkness now first of all in the context these words were spoken by God to Cyrus the king of Persia and And when he uses the expression the treasures of darkness I have no doubt that he's telling Cyrus Cyrus you're going to go and you're going to conquer many dark nations.

And I'm going to give you booty Treasures from those nations. I believe that's what it means in a context the treasures of darkness. That is the spoils of war from countries that he would conquer. But we don't have to be limited by that we can use the expression the treasures of darkness in quite another way we can apply it in a spiritual sense and And the insight in this verse would be this there are treasures to be found in the dark nights of That you'd never find in days of unrelieved Sunshine and I just know that there are many people here in the meeting tonight.

Who know? the truth of that there are treasures in the darkness spiritually speaking and You never find them when all is rosy in life. God can give songs in the darkest night poets that in many a rapturous minstrel Among the sons of light will say of their sweetest music.

I learned it in the night and Many a rolling anthem that fills the father's home Sobbed out its first rehearsal in the shade of a darkened room. And I guess if you and I could look over the history of the Christian Church We would find that the the sweetest hymns And the greatest messages the greatest acts of valiance for the Lord.

Were born out of the deepest trials in life. Chase Stewart Holden says there is the darkness of life inexplicable mysteries the calamities the Catastrophes the sudden and unexpected experiences which have come into life and Which all of our forethought has not been able to ward off and life is dark because of them.

Sorrow loss Disappointment injustice Misconception of motives slander. These are often the things that make life dark. Praise God the darkness passes yet. What we learn in the darkness is with us for eternity.

Humanly speaking none of us would choose the darkness and yet its benefits are incalculable. Leslie Weatherhead said Like all men I love and prefer the sunny uplands of experience when health happiness and success abound.

But I have learned far more about God and life and Myself in the darkness of fear and failure than I have ever learned in the sunshine. There are such things as the treasures of darkness. The darkness thank God passes.

But what we learn the darkness we possess forever. God says I will give thee the treasures of darkness. Maybe someone in the meeting tonight is going through a period of darkness, and you wonder what it's all about.

Let God reveal his spiritual diamonds to you in it. John chapter 14 and verse 14. John 14 and verse 14 a little meditation on prayer. And Steve was speaking to us about prayer earlier, and we've been in prayer.

Prayer, God's Will, and Answers Better Than We Ask

John 14 14 says if ye ask anything in my name I Will do it. Spiritual insight. God answers prayer. Sometimes he gives us what we ask. Sometimes he gives us something better than we ask. Always he gives us what we need.

Sometimes God answers prayer quickly and promptly at. Other times he teaches us to wait patiently. The poet said God answers prayer sometimes. When hearts are weak he gives the very gifts his children seek.

But often faith must learn a deeper rest and trust God's silence. What he cannot speak? For he whose name is love will send the best. Stars may burn out nor mountain walls endure. But God is true his promises are sure to those who speak.

We must realize there are conditions to prayer in the Bible. Sometimes you come to a verse of Scripture, and it seems like a blank check if you fill in anything you want and get it. But read carefully and you'll find there are conditions to prayer in my name according to my will if ye abide in me and my words abide in you if two of you shall agree on earth as Touching anything and so individual verses of prayer.

Promises of prayer Must be taken in the light of all that the scripture says on the subject. I confess there are mysteries to prayer, but I would rather pray than solve all the mysteries connected with prayer.

And the reason I would rather pray is because when I pray Coincidences happen and when I don't pray they do not happen. When we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus I've mentioned before it's the same as if he were making those requests to the Father.

And for that reason when we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus we come the closest that men will ever come to. Omnipotence we will never be omnipotent. We will never have all power. We have tremendous power at our disposal when we come into the presence of God and plead the merits of the name of Jesus.

Tremendous power. The best prayer comes from a strong inward necessity. We can pray best when the trials are the greatest when all is smooth and serene in life. Our prayer life is apt to suffer. Hudson Taylor said learn to move men Through God by prayer.

Learn to move men through God by prayer. And Derek Prince said and I like this we can change world events and Shape history through the simple yet powerful tools of prayer and fasting when we pray. We see things happen.

That would never happen according to the laws of chance or probability. God answers prayer. One man said this and I think it's very good. He said I measure my influence by the number of people who need my prayers and The number of people who pray for me.

I measure my influence by the number of people Who need my prayers and the number who pray for me? That isn't the way we usually measure our influence. I mean if I could get up and speak to 10 ,000 people in an auditorium.

Well, that's quite an influence. No no prayer the work of God Is more done in prayer? Than in any other Way and our influence. It's greatest when we're the object of the prayers of people and when we are praying For them.

The Sin of Complaining

Okay, maybe we have time for one or two more first Corinthians that that five minutes we took on the hymn didn't count. I forgot to tell you that. Okay, first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10. And that says neither murmur he as.

Some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. This has to do with the sin of complaining. Neither murmur he as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the story that the the Israelites were Chronic complainers.

Well, you know the story in the in the Old Testament. They're going through the wilderness. God I told you he gave them that marvelous food. And what did they say? They said Oh for the leeks and the onions and garlic of Egypt.

Imagine and the leeks and onions and garlic of Egypt didn't come along. They came with the lash of the taskmasters. That is they want and God provided a wonderful water supply and they said he said let us out in the wilderness to kill us out there.

Let us die in the wilderness. They complained about Their leadership and they said concerning the manna. We loathe this light food. We loathe this light food God provided for all their needs and they were ungrateful every mile of The journey and times haven't changed men are still the same.

The heart of man is still the same. Man complains about the weather. It's either too wet or it's too dry. It's either too hot or it's too cold. Never right. How could God make it right for everybody? Some need the moisture.

And some need the hot dry weather. Complain about the food. Lumps in the gravy. Somebody said how did you enjoy the conference? Oh, it was alright, but there were lumps in the gravy. Um. Burnt toast. People complain about their work and their wages.

They have a job they're working. They complain about the work and then when they're out of work, they complain about the unemployment. Isn't it right? Neither murmur he is some of them murmuring people complain about the government.

The taxes are terrible aren't they and yet the same people who complain about the taxes are always demanding increasing benefits from the government. Which doesn't lower taxes. Unhappy with other people.

With the car with the service in the restaurants. Minor pick pains and aches. Wish I were taller wish I were skinnier wish I were better-looking. No matter how good God has been to us we say. What has he done for me lately it must be a trial to God to have people like us on his hand, isn't he?

Must be a trial to God to have people like us on his hand. He's been so good to us providing not only for us the luck the necessaries of life the necessities of life, but Luxuries that his own son didn't enjoy when he came to this earth ever think of that.

But think of the Lord Jesus coming there at 1 ,900 years ago, he never slept on a beauty rest mattress never. I Don't think he was ever in a house with running water. Do you? The modern facilities. I don't think they had them most of those countries.

They don't have them today. I mean he could have come to the world. I suppose in the 20th century with all its modern conveniences, but he didn't. And many nights when the disciples went to their home.

He went to the Mount of Olives. We have good food pure water comfortable homes clothes in abundance sight Hearing Appetite Memory and so many other mercies that we take for granted. He's protected us guided us sustained.

Best of all, he's given us eternal life Through the Lord Jesus Christ. And what thanks does he receive? Nothing, but a tirade of complaints. I used to have a friend in Chicago. Some of you may have known him.

His name was Jim Humphrey. And when you ask Jim, how are you Jim? He'd say it'd be a sin to complain. That was his invariable answer. It would be a sin to complain. And I often think of that it is it really is a sin to complain.

The antidote to complaining is Thanksgiving when we think of all the Lord has done for us. Really? There's no reason to complain neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed Of the destroyer I spoke on that last night out of Bethesda and after the meeting I said to a sister How are you?

Closing Prayer for Thankfulness and Faithfulness

And she said what can I say? She had been listening shall we look to the Lord in closing prayer. Father we do. Thank you tonight that you are a God who cares and we just stand amazed when we think of your Individual and infinite care for each one of your people.

We thank you that you're a good record keeper to and that so many of the things done by your people unknown and unnoticed. By men, they're all known by you and they will be rewarded in a coming day in a manner that's worthy of yourself.

We thank you tonight Lord for the treasures of darkness for the lessons that you teach us in the dark places of life. That we could never learn in the light. We thank you for the promises of prayer that we have in the Word of God and pray that we might avail ourselves more of Them than we do.

And finally Lord. We pray that you'll deliver us from a complaining spirit help us to be buoyant thankful Christians. Pouring out in our heart pouring out our hearts and praise and adoration and worship to you who are supremely worthy.

We ask it in the Savior's name giving. Thanks. Amen. You can keep that.