HOME / PROCLAMATION MAGAZINE / 2007 / NOVEMBER/DECEMBER / EDITOR'S COMMENTS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

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D E P A R T M E N T S

Editor's COMMENTS

Faithful to his promises

Colleen Tinker

 

This December marks one year and a half since Richard was fired from Loma Linda University because of his commitment to Life Assurance Ministries and his involvement in Proclamation! This December also marks another anniversary for us. It was Christmas of 1997 when God assured us that as we left Adventism and faced the losses and changes we could not yet see, our bread and water would be sure.

That Christmas we purchased a tree in the rain at night—and upon bringing it home we discovered the trunk was crooked, and the tree would not stay upright. After an hour of struggling, Richard's frustration and mine were reaching critical mass. Suddenly, as clearly as if they had been spoken, the words "Give thanks in all things" rang in my mind. Leaning all my weight into the tree as Richard did something with shims at its base, I said, "Thank you for this stupid tree, Lord—now please make it stand up!" Moments later, the tree was standing, firm and solid, and it never faltered throughout the rest of the season.

The next morning, though, that tree had not drunk any water—not a good sign for an eight-foot fresh tree. The excessive amounts of dry needles that had fallen onto Richard as he struggled the night before had alarmed him then, but now they seemed to be a sign. The "stupid tree" was not only crooked; it was dead. It was too late to get another one; company was coming. We had to make the best of it.

Remembering the command to give thanks, Richard and I told Roy and Nathanael that the tree was dead, but we were going to thank God for it anyway. Every night our sons thanked God for the "stupid tree".

Four days after the four of us began praising God for that dead evergreen, the water in its stand disappeared. I stared in disbelief at the empty water basin—but it wasn't quite "empty". A thin film of moisture remained on the surface of the bowl, as if the tree had just finished drinking, and the container was still damp. Astonished, I refilled the bowl—and I refilled that bowl every day for the rest of the month. That night Nathanael thanked God for the "good tree".

The day our company was coming I stood looking at that tree, sparkling with clear lights and white bows on its supple boughs. No more dead needles had fallen from that tree. "It's a resurrection tree, a tree of life," I whispered to myself as I breathed its fragrance. And then, as distinctly as I had heard the command to give thanks, I "heard" these words: "Your bread and water will be sure."

"Thank you, Jesus," I cried. If He could make a dead, crooked Christmas tree stand tall and drink, He could provide for us as we left Adventism and all we knew.

During this tenth year since God showed us His power to call things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17), we have experienced His promises in even more profound ways. Some months we did not receive our stipends, diverting the money toward printing Proclamation! Logically our survival makes no sense, but as God promised, we have had what we needed. Looking backward at 2007, we can only say, "We praise you, Lord Jesus, for Your faithfulness!"

In this issue, Victoria Joustra shares her story of coming to faith in Jesus through the hills and valleys of brokenness and illness. Rick Langer reminds us to contend for the faith handed down to us once for all, and McGregor Wright and Dale Ratzlaff explore the details of this faith as described in Colossians 2 and Galatians 2. Joseph River shares his appeal to use the word of God as our only reference, and Dennis Palmer tells his experience of losing his Sabbath conviction.

If you know God is calling you to follow Him with deeper integrity, to trust Him with your convictions and cognitive dissonance, we want to assure you that He is faithful. He has promised His certain care and provision, and He will provide for you. Even if you lose everything as you follow Him, He is faithful and will give you Himself in unimagined ways.

The words of Paul tell the truth: "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8).

Give thanks in all things; your bread and water will be sure. †

 

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