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." (Ezek.
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.
My own case is far less severe, but the same in principle, that when I thought the door was flung open for me to go with a bound into literary work, it is opposed, and doctor steps in and says, simply, "Never! She must choose between writing and living; she can't do both.
That was in 1860. Then I came out of the shell with "Ministry of Song" in 1869, and saw the evident wisdom of being kept waiting nine years in the shade. God's love being unchangeable, He is just as loving when we do not see or feel His love. Also His love and His sovereignty are co-equal and universal; so He withholds the enjoyment and conscious progress because He knows best what will really ripen and further His work in us. --Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal.
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.