----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Francis Harper
Francis Harper Message for 7/10/2020
The Lord Will Provide
Isaac asked his father, “. . . where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Abraham said, “My son, God will provide . . . a lamb . . .” (Genesis
22:9-10). This lamb was a type and shadow of the Lamb of God the Lord
provided for all of mankind; the greatest of all that God has provided.
“This God is the God we adore, our faithful unchangeable friend . . .
Tis Jesus, the first and the last, whose Spirit will guide us safe home:
we’ll praise him for all that is past, and trust him for all that’s to
come” (Hymns of the Restoration #40).
During a recent telephone conversation with a friend, he suggested we
close our fellowship with prayer. He offered to lead. He began by
repeating The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23. I was blessed by this
introduction to our time of prayer.
Jesus taught us to pray: “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by thy
name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in
heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And suffer us
not to be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever, Amen”
(Matthew 6:11-15 IV). So few words, yet so complete. What more do we
need?
He continued: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me
to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He
restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I
will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Psalm 23).
What beautiful soul-restoring words! They are an unsurpassed expression
of faith and confidence in the Lord’s bountiful care for us all the
days of our mortal lives and beyond. A child said it best: “The Lord is
my shepherd, that’s all I need.”
The words of a hymn support the thoughts expressed in the shephard’s
Psalm: “Why should this anxious load press down your weary mind? O seek
your heavenly Father’s throne, and peace and comfort find. His bounty
will provide; His saints securely dwell; that hand that bears creation
up will guard his children well. His goodness stands approved, unchanged
from day to day; I’ll drop my burden at his feet, and bear a song away”
(Hymns of the Restoration #284).
Another hymn comes to mind: “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for
years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home”
(Hymns of the Restoration #228).
Later, as I meditated upon the time of prayer spent with my brother in
the gospel, I wondered about the length of time utilized in quoting
these favorite scriptures. It took me only a few seconds more than one
minute to read them.
David who wrote the immortal words of this psalm was well acquainted
with the Shepherd. Because of this, his words written so long ago still
speak with power and authority to us who are facing our own difficulties
today.
An account has been told of an event at which two persons were asked to
read Psalm 23. One of the individuals selected to read had been trained
in reading scripts for broadcasting and theatrical programs. The other
was an elderly man who had not been trained in public speaking. The
program had been designed to illustrate the importance of being taught
the art of conveying a message by reading it.
The person who had been trained in all the techniques of delivering a
message to an audience read first. He received a good applause. Then the
elderly man came slowly to the podium to read. When he finished he
received a standing ovation. When asked to explain the difference in
response to the readings, the moderator said, “the second reader knows
the Shepherd!”
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Ones,
My assignment for Sunday, June 14, 2020, was to preside at the
preaching service held at the Woodbine Restoration Branch. Usually
before selecting hymns for a service I consult with the one who will be
preaching. The hymns selected for the service should support the theme
of the sermon.
Although we had not spoken to one another about the service, both of us
had prayed for the Lord’s assistance. We were blessed. I selected two
hymns: God Is My Strong Salvation, and God Will Take Care of You.
Imagine my great pleasure during the sermon which was based upon the
account of how God took care of the two thousand young soldiers led into
battle by their commander, Helaman!
“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death . . . yea, they
had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt; God would
deliver them” (Alma 26:56). They believed that God would take care of
them and their faith was rewarded. After the battle, Helaman reported:
“. . . behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to
the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God . .
.” (Alma 26:65-67).
After the sermon, I said to the congregation; some may say it was a
small thing that the hymns and sermon delivered the same message today.
No, this is huge thing! This is a powerful witness that God will take care of us
in all the difficulties we may encounter in the future. God has said:
“My people will I preserve” (Doctrine and Covenants 36:12e). Our God is
trustworthy.
One of my roommates at Iowa State was Hale Collins. His mother Camilla Holben Collins wrote a book titled In The Hollow of His Hand.
On pages 23-27, Camilla shared her testimony of how the Lord provided
for her family during the Great Depression. On a Saturday, after she had
put the money they had pledged to the church, into the tithing
envelope, her purse was empty. Then she remembered they needed milk,
matches and some laundry soap. Payday was not until the next Wednesday!
She was tempted to remove the money she had put in the envelope. But she
and her six year old son decided to go to God with their problem. They
prayed.
On Sunday morning, as they prepared for church, a neighbor came with
six quarts of milk. Their cow was giving more milk than they could use
so they wanted to share with them. Later on Sunday afternoon a
missionary who was traveling through their city, stopped at their home
for a couple of hours between trains. As he prepared to shave he began
removing matches from his pockets and suitcase. There was enough to fill
a small bowl. They wondered why he was carrying so many matches? They
knew he did not smoke. The missionary left without the matches! Now all
they needed was the laundry soap.
On Monday morning, wash day, the doorbell began to buzz. Camilla
hesitated to open the door. Finally she relented. It was a man handing
out free soap samples! Among the samples was a giant box of laundry
soap. Without any questions he handed her the giant box of soap. After
he left, Hale and his mother knelt and thanked God for providing the
three things they needed.
The Dil Gurung family moved to Kathmandu, Nepal, in 2003. They suffered
in poverty until Dil was given part time employment at the American
Embassy. One morning Dil’s wife, Rebecca, told him they needed some
meat, shampoo, and chocolate, she not knowing, he said, that my pockets
were empty. That evening before leaving the embassy Dil’s employer asked
him to wait, because she had prepared something for him and his family.
She gave him a large, heavily loaded box, and taxi fare to get home.
When the box was opened, the couple found her shopping list had been
filled with even more than she had asked! There were two large dressed
chickens, a giant sized bottle of shampoo, and yes, among other items
there was a chocolate bar! Dil wondered how his employer knew they
needed two chickens; one for them and one for those who were providing
for their two older, teenaged sons? I have often heard Dil say, “The
Lord knows our needs.” (In the Shadows of the Himalaya’s pp 57-58)
I could hardly wait until Dil had finished sharing his testimony of how
the Lord provided meat, shampoo and chocolate for their family, so I
could tell him how God provided milk, matches and laundry soap for the
Collins family in America many years ago.
These double witnesses give us proof and evidence that God is the same
yesterday, today and forever, and he hears the prayers and knows the
needs of his people no matter when or where they live in this beautiful
world. By these miracles, we know the Lord will continue
to provide for his people until his kingdom is established and every
needful thing will be fully supplied.
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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