Reading from the Book of Ezekiel 3:22
And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me,
Arise, go forth unto the plain, and I will there talk with thee" Ezekiel 3:22
Did you ever hear of any one being much used for Christ who did not
have some special waiting time, some complete upset of all his or her
plans first; from St. Paul's being sent off into the desert of Arabia
for three years, when he must have been boiling over with the glad
tidings, down to the present day?
You were looking forward to telling about trusting Jesus in Syria; now
He says, "I want you to show what it is to trust Me, without waiting for
Syria."
I laid it down in silence,
This work of mine,
And took what had been sent me--
A resting time.
The Master's voice had called me
To rest apart;
"Apart with Jesus only,"
Echoed my heart.
I took the rest and stillness
From His own Hand,
And felt this present illness
Was what He planned.
How often we choose labor,
When He says "Rest"--
Our ways are blind and crooked;
His way is best.
The work Himself has given,
He will complete.
There may be other errands
For tired feet;
There may be other duties
For tired hands,
The present, is obedience
To His commands.
There is a blessed resting
In lying still,
In letting His hand mould us,
Just as He will.
His work must be completed.
His lesson set;
He is the higher Workman:
Do not forget!
It is not only "working."
We must be trained;
And Jesus "learnt" obedience,
Through suffering gained.
For us, His yoke is easy,
His burden light.
His discipline most needful,
And all is right.
We are but under-workmen;
They never choose
If this tool or if that one
Their hands shall use.
In working or in waiting
May we fulfill
Not ours at all, but only
The Master's will!
--Selected
God provides resting places as well as working places. Rest, then, and
be thankful when He brings you, wearied to a wayside well.
