Moments in History When God Intervened: When God Shows Up

Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints, and impact our culture. Everybody in this episode, I think you'll be encouraged. God provided for our nation when our soldiers were starving, Washington went to his knee, and also when George Mueller was raising up a bunch of orphans. They'd ran out of all supplies. What would God do? Stay tuned. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to Jackhibbs.com slash podcast. Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. Hey guys, we're going to be bringing you, I hope to be a four-part podcast, a little mini series right now, kind of like the, maybe it's going to be the first of its kind for us in an ongoing series as we see fit. And that is, I want to combat the wokeism and the revisionism in light of God in American history. The reason why Americans and the world has heard the term American exceptionalism, most people today, young people certainly do not know. The meaning of that term, it doesn't mean that we're better than anybody else. It means that God has done things in our country that he has not done with other nations. And that list is almost infinite if you take the time to study from the times of going back even as far as 1605 in my recollection with Pastor Hunt in what would later become Virginia. That said, I want to just bring you some, just drop into no particular order. I want to just drop you in to scenes in American history. These will obviously not be exhaustive. They're hopefully will get you to go in research. And we just checked a moment ago. Beware of Wikipedia, please. Beware of even some of the US history sites that will question or cast doubt regarding things that remarkably are enshrined and granite or marble in our country that you can go. These monuments have been there for decades, some over a century are more where these great events have happened. I witness accounts. And then you know, you click on because you want a 15 second answer. And it tells you, well, it may or may not be true that George Washington fought this battle here or said this there. And it just is demonic. Hath God said, well, it's certainly true when it comes to American history. And I just want to bring to your attention one of those things. And again, I'm going to paraphrase and draw up a recollection. But if you want to know more, I encourage you to go, I encourage you to go to books like this, miracles in American history by Susie Federer. I encourage you to go to anything by William Federer, her husband, William Federer. Look at American minute with William Federer, American minute, great history lessons, all documented. But one thing I want to just bring to your attention is something that is so inspiring. And I see it every day in my office in my office behind me is a replica of the oil painting, which was given to me. I originally purchased it at Mount Vernon. And then I wound up actually exchanging that one out because a great, great grandson, I believe, Feinberg is the original painter of that. The great grandson gave me a very rare collector's item of that painting that's in my office. So I know a lot of people have the painting. I've been blessed to have an actual Feinberg give me that. And so what is that? It's that famous posture of George Washington kneeling beside his horse in prayer in the snow. The first thing that a critic is going to ask is, well, how do we know? There is no selfie taken. There was no pictures and photography. How do we know that they really happened? And then the prayer is recorded. Did you know that in history, the prayer of Washington is recorded. When I say recorded, I mean written down. How do we know that? Well, because there were several, certainly one guy for sure, could have been up to three guys, who for either mischief, we're not sure exactly where Isaac Puts stood. Was he a spy by the British infiltrating our camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania? Or was it that Peter Gabriel Muleenberg, the awesome soldier commander and pastor overheard this? Or was it another individual whose name I forget right now? Anyway, by either one or three witnesses, this is what happened. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where I encourage you to go visit because it's epic. It's just preserved perfectly is where the US troops had been, I want to say bed down for the winter, which is what you had to do in those days, but they had no beds. They were gathered together. We had, listen, our troops had no shoes. They were worn out. Because of that feet of the soldiers were being frozen, turning black. Many of them were amputated. We were losing in Valley Forge in the middle of winter with no war. We're just waiting for spring to come. We were losing 12 guys a day, 12 soldiers were dying per day at Valley Forge because of being frozen to death or starvation. Valley Forge is where they began also to add to their own problem in desperation. They began to boil the leather of some of their gunpowder packs, their souls of their shoes. They began to boil leather and drink the broth and chew on the leather. Have you ever tried a chew on leather? But when you're starving to death, that's what you do. Then they wound up taking their knives and they went and they carved bark off of trees to eat the bark. And Washington was so concerned and so daily in prayer that at a time of profound grief, he rode a little distance away from this horrible sight and Washington prayed this epic prayer asking God to perform a miracle. And it is understood and it's recorded that it was the spirit of liberty that kept those alive who were alive. It was the love of liberty that kept them going. And as Washington, by the way, went around the camp, he would encourage them about freedom, about liberty. Listen to this. We in America know nothing about this level of depth of commitment, integrity and of endurance. Washington encouraged the troops that their cause that they were fighting for and dying for was worthy that it was a noble cause to bring and to fight for liberty and for the birth of a nation. You think about that. If you don't have Christ in your life, what do you have worth living for? And there are those good people who know history. They understand this stuff really well. They understand that America is worth dying for. I would hope that a Canadian thinks and believes that Canada is worth dying for. I certainly know for effect that the Israelis know and believe that Israel's worth fighting for and dying for. But the remarkable thing is that Washington went around and one of the things that he said is what I'm quoting to you here now is he told the soldiers fear God and trust in the Lord. Our cause is great. And so he kept drilling that into their hearts into their minds. And so I want to encourage you that you're talking we're talking about a group of fighters soldiers, citizenship soldiers mind you. This is not a standing army. These are farmers. If you read about our American history and the American continental army, you know that they were farmers and did you know that they would they would come and fight for a few months and then go back to their home and harvest the fields and plant seed and then leave and go back to the battle. And Washington had the juggle. He was he was he and his brigadier generals were the full-time guys. The other guys fighting the battles were citizen soldiers, minute men. And so they weren't even professionals or like the British called their own regulars. The British had literal full-time paid warriors. Well, we had nothing but farmers and but the amazing thing is is that those farmers those farmers had to hunt for their food. They shot rabbit. They shot fesent. They had to shoot. So the age now this is the this is the age of those guys at Valley Forge. But it really it does speak regarding almost all of our battles. The ages of our soldiers were somewhere between 20 and 60. That was the bulk. But there are some outliers in the book of 1776 written by David McCullough. He points out that some of the soldiers were 14 years old. 14 years old. And yet it was observed by the British command that these kids were better marksmen than his regulars. And the answer for that was because the American citizen had to hunt for his food. He had to use his gun daily to sustain and to provide meat for his family, thus with a very, very difficult instrument to use. That is the Flintlock or Pan-Fired musket. A huge long barrel rifle. I say rifle. That's not exactly true at that moment. The barrel was not yet rifled. They it was just pure bore musket ball where they would shoot this ball out of a long musket. And the aim was horrible. It wasn't until later that they started rifling the barrels. So that would cause the the bullet to to spiral and be more accurate. These kids all the way up to men of 60 years of age, they were able to pick off British soldiers at a huge alarming rate to the British regulars because one American citizen soldier was extremely skilled because he knew his rifle or he knew his musket and he knew how to use it. And so in light of all this stuff, we were outnumbered, we were outarmed, but God gave like David, Lord David prayed, give me skill, give me skill in battle. And God did that to our founding soldiers for our founding nation. And as they were starving to death in Valley Forge, it seemed like it was completely over. At that time, by the way, keep this in mind, Washington with the troops at Valley Forge, Valley Forge, there are about 25-ish miles away from Philadelphia, which is now under British control. In fact, the Liberty Bell that is now on display in Philadelphia at the Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell was taken down from the hall and it was carted away almost a hundred miles, 80 miles away, I believe it is, to Alentown, Pennsylvania to hide the Liberty Bell. Isn't that awesome? And they held it, they held it, hit it in the basement of the first Zion Church in Alentown, Pennsylvania. They look, think about that. Who's going to go through the effort to save a big bronze bell? Well, it's not that it's a bell. You know what was written on the bell? Lebedicus 25 verse 10, proclaim Liberty throughout all of the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. And that bell was our symbol of freedom, but we were dying. And what happened was, this is awesome, look this up. The troops were starving to death and it is most certain that we are going to now lose any hope of freedom and liberty. And I believe it's two or even two and a half months ahead of spawning season. And I'm trying to remember the name of the fish. The water was shallow, the spawning season of these fish that would move in from the sholes of the Atlantic up river to spawn. I want to say, Shad. I'm not a fisherman, so I don't know. Doesn't matter, look it up. Shockingly, a miracle happened. The fish began to show up in advance and they swam. Oh my gosh, one of our Shad, I was correct. I'm 65 and a half years old and I haven't totally lost my mind yet. These Shad showed up and it was written by eyewitness accounts that they were so numerous a number that you could walk, you could use, you could walk across the fish on the river because the river was so shallow. And what happened? I think I believe I know. God sent them two months ahead of schedule because those soldiers that were dying began to feast on Shad and they were strengthened and restraintened for the battle and the rest is history as the saying goes. But my friends, listen, that's what makes America exceptional. It's not us. It's what God does. And what's amazing is that how in the world does a citizen army defeat the greatest power on earth? Okay, that would be like that would be like Cuba destroying the United States, defeating the US entire military forces. Our citizen soldiers defeated the biggest war machine on earth. You get her, remember, at the time of 1775, 1775, London was considered to be the largest city in the world of a population of one million people and it was also understood to be the capital of the earth, London. Did you know that at the time of our independence, Britain, Britannia ruled the waves. They ruled the oceans. From the bay of Bengal to Canada, to North America, India. The sun, listen, the sun never set on the British Empire. That's how big it was. And the United States colonial forces lost more battles to the British than we won. So how do we win? It makes no sense. The victory at Yorktown was an absolute miraculous victory. By the way, these are places that are national parks today. You can go to visit those spots. You should take your kids on a field trip and go and play. You can actually go there and the readouts are still there. They've never changed. They're not, they didn't remake them. The readouts where they set up their cannon fire and all of that, you can still go there. In fact, just down the street in Yorktown is Thomas Nelson's house. You know, Nelson's Thomas Nelson publishing Thomas Nelson. His house, many of their homes still stand in his house. There's cannonballs still stuck in the walls in Yorktown. We lose more battles, but we win the war. This is some familiar Christian. How many battles to you and I lose? You and I lose battles all the time. But the Bible says that the war has already been determined. We fight our battles as believers every day. Could be depression, could be finances, could be relational challenges, could be the drama and the terror that divorce brings to a family. It could be life and death situations. It could be just you standing for righteousness and being hated by your community, including your own family. You've been isolated and cut off, whatever it might be. If you notice, the battles that we have so many times, we fail at them. And yet according to the Bible, it says that the war has already been determined. Washington, unless God told him something that we didn't know, Washington never flinched. He never gave up. He never quit. He felt like it. And you can read his own writings, by the way. I've read them many times. He was so severely depressed that he wrote his, his family members, London, London, Washington and others about how he had never been more depressed and despairing of his life than at this moment, he said. And if I would have known our plight in dilemma that when Congress commissioned me, I would have denied the challenge. He said, if I had to do it all over again at that moment of depression, I never would have said yes to being general. You ever feel like that? Of course, we do. But Washington hung in there because listen, you know, five a.m. every morning, Washington read his scriptures and prayed according to Washington. And then when time allowed it, if they were not engaged in battle, he did it again at 10 a.m. George Washington. Incredible man of God, a man of destiny. That's why it's called the Father of our nation. There's nobody like him ever. And if we were writing the Bible today, Washington would know without being included. But what I want to leave you guys with is the fact that you may be in your valley for its situation where it's just hopeless. I don't even know how we're going to eat tonight. I want to remind you that all of these moments of God's divine intervention in our lives were to read them, friend, student, mom, dad were to read this stuff to give us courage. Because I'm reminded right now of another group of people who were starving. In Germany, there was an orphanage and that orphanage was dependent upon the donations of people in that town. And without the donations of the people in that town, these orphans would have nothing. And George Mueller, you ever heard of George Mueller? George Mueller was the overseer of that orphanage. And they had run out of milk. They had run out of bread. And Mueller didn't know what to do except what to ask God for help. And all the boys sat down at the table. Think of the faith this takes. Muleenburg didn't say a word to the guys, to the kids, that there was no food or milk. And Muleenburg, a famous painting. By the way, some of you have this in like the daily bread devotions. There's a picture of a man praying like this, sideways like this. It's George Mueller and he's praying. And he's thanking God for the food and there's no food. The little boys are there praying. And they don't know nothing. And why would he burden them when they can't do a thing about it anyway, but pray. And Mueller said, God, we thank you for this food today. And Jesus, name amen. And if I do remember the story correctly, if not, I stand corrected. While he was praying, or shortly after he prayed, there's a knock at the door. And there was a wagon driver. And he said, the wheel of my wagon has broken off. And I'm in route to deliver this morning's bread to market. If I don't unload this bread, it's going to rot. Can you use it? They brought it in. The guy left. They're eating bread. Mueller goes to the door. I'm sorry. Mueller goes to the door, opens it up. And there's a driver of a cart. And it was a milk cart. And it had broken down. And he said, Mr. Mueller, this milk's going to spoil. If I can't unload it now, it haven't be used. And they had milk. God's intervention. God will intervene in our lives. Listen, almost always, not according to our timing. Almost always, not when we expect. In fact, almost always, when we have lost heart or almost, we live come to the end of it all. And we say things like, I have no reason to live anymore. The cart arrives. The milk comes. The bread is on the plate. The fish swim. And you're saved. Look to God to provide for all of your needs. We'll come back with more of these really moments in American history that we can bring to your attention. But by all means, study them yourself. And so, listen, please, please, you can thank us. Really, listen, keep your money. You can thank us by subscribing. You can thank us by sharing this with others. Hit subscribe, share with others. And by all means, remember this. We believe strongly here that it's time for you and I to live out what we believe in because it's time for real life. It's time for authenticity. God is waiting to move in your life. God bless you. This Jack Hibb's podcast, as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener-supported. Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibb's.com to learn more and stay connected. 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