Sunday, June 28, 2009

God's hand with Plymouth Colony

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word Plymouth. Perhaps you think about Pilgrims, Turkey dinner, Indians, a rock, or even a type of car. When I think of Plymouth colony, the first thing I think of is God’s Providence. One of the greatest examples of God’s hand is history is seen in the story of the Pilgrims settling Plymouth. William Bradford recorded many ways God intervened in the lives of the Pilgrims in his book “The History of Plymouth Plantation.” According to Bradford, God spared the Pilgrims as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. During their trip, a huge storm hit and broke one of the masts. The crew found a large piece of wood to fix the mast. None of the crew knew why the wood was there, but it saved them from certain destruction. Due to the storm, they were blown 500 miles North of their intended destination. This seemingly “bad luck” allowed them to develop their own laws since their charter was no longer valid. The Mayflower Compact became the foundation in America for the concept of self government. Bradford also mentioned the arrival of an English speaking Indian, Squanto. I have always wondered what the mathematical probabilities would have been for having the one English speaking Indian in America show up at the exact spot that the Pilgrims had been accidently blown to from the storm. Squanto was from a hostile tribe in the area that had just been eradicated by a plague. Instead of finding hostile Indians in Plymouth, they found a friend who was eager to show them how to survive that first winter. William Bradford then mentioned that God helped the Pilgrims through that first awful winter. The Plymouth colony is a great lesson concerning God’s will. Even though the Pilgrims were in the Center of God’s will and God was in control of their circumstances, they still suffered greatly. The Group that came over to the New World in 1620, numbered 102. After the first winter, they numbered 51. Bradford himself lost his wife just as they landed at Plymouth Rock. At one point they quit marking the graves because they didn’t want the Indians to know how few healthy people were left. Today many Christians are being taught that to be in God’s will is a guarantee of having money and health. That does not match up with God’s word or with the history of God’s people. Instead of complaining about their suffering and hardships, the Pilgrims invited the Indians to a feast to thank God for His mercy and goodness. May we who have so much more learn to give thanks to God for all He has done and is doing for us.

1 comment:

  1. Oh my! You would eat this up ~ we took a "spiritual history" tour of Washington DC last year; and are presently in VA attending a seminar on America's Christian history and Biblical gov't. at the Providence Foundation Biblical Worldview University which includes Christian history tours of Jamestown and Williamsburg....wish you were here :-)

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