August 21, 2026
— James Mellon Menzies · Source: Preface to Oracle Records from the Waste of Yin (Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, 1917)
Acts 14:16-17 “In the past, he gave each of the nations their own way; yet he has not failed to demonstrate his own worth by showing favor, by sending rain from heaven and by providing bountiful harvests, so that you may have enough to eat and be filled with joy.”
Before the three-thousand-year-old remains of Yin, Menzies wrote that these oracle records throw a fresh light into the dim origins of Chinese religion and culture. Believers may also reflect that God, even before the Gospel was heard, had already spread His grace and signs across the land of China. The Book of Acts reminds us that God has never left any nation. Universal grace falls like sweet rain, nourishing all things and the human heart. This compels us to abandon narrow-mindedness and arrogance, and amidst the vicissitudes of history and the order of nature, to learn to seek and cherish with reverence and humility the goodwill and yearning that God has already prepared deep within the human heart.
O Lord of history and of all nations, thank you for never leaving any evidence of your lack of grace throughout the long history of humankind. Grant me clear vision, so that I may recognize you not only in the Bible, but also see your universal grace and love in the vastness of history, the order of all things, and the lives of others. May I act in this turbulent world with reverence and humility, and with the mind of Christ, truly share your timeless love and truth with everyone around me. Amen.