Should
Christians express thanksgiving for painful lessons? Alice Reynolds Flower,
co-founder of the Pentecostal Evangel, suggested that suffering,
even when the benefits are doubtful, should not be forgotten.
In an article published 75 years ago, Flower warned that "we are in danger
of forgetting" the seasons in life of bitter loss, weeping and heartache.
Noting that "life [comes] out of death," she reminded readers that "the
cruel plow cutting and overturning the earth" brings forth life and beauty
in a field of daisies.
"Are you at an uprooting stage this particular season?" To this
question Flower responded, "Lift a song of praise out of the midst of this
present confusion. The past reveals to us His benefits; the present is full of
them if you could but discern; and the future shall declare them through all
eternity." She encouraged Christians to express thanksgiving for all
things and to "shout together" the imperative found in Psalm 103:2: "Bless
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!"
Read the entire article by Alice Reynolds Flower, "And Forget Not: A
Thanksgiving Reminder," on pages 2-3 of the November 20, 1937, issue of
the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
* "A Life of Constant Thanksgiving," by Stanley H. Frodsham
* "A Thanksgiving Eve Transformation," by Zadok Arkush
And many more!
Click here to read this issue now.
Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal
Heritage Center.
For current editions of the Evangel, click here.
