God’s Work, Our Work, God’s Time, God’s Way

God’s work, our work, God’s time, God’s way.

IMINDER date of Oct. 9, 1875, Mr. Müller y writes: = “This work has now been upheld for forty-two years, and though generally year by year it has been enlarged in one or more of its departments, God has never failed us, but always supplied us with the needed pecuniary necessities. How could this be wanting, if the work in which we are engaged is His work; if we are the persons to do this His work; if the time is come when we should be honoured to do this His work; and if, at the same time, we trust in His power and willingness to help us? But all these four different points need carefully to be attended to. We have then, in the first place, to be sure that the work in which we are engaged is really the work of the Lord, and fully so. I lay stress on this, because iT have seen, how, in order to keep persons from certain evil things, there have been substituted other evil things, which, though in the sight of some they may be less objectionable, yet are of such a character, as that they are unworthy of the name of God’s work. How then could help be expected from God under

such circumstances? Next we have to ascertain, that

) we are the persons to be engaged in that work,

which is veally God’s work; for we are not our own, but we are bought with a price, the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.

We therefore may not spend our time, our talents, our bodily, mental and spiritual strength as we please; but we have to seek to know, whether the Lord would have us to be engaged in such and such a way or not. But even this is not enough. We have still further to seek to ascertain, by patient waiting upon God, watching His hand, whether His time is come, that we should do this His |work. How important these last two points are, we have clearly shown to us in the building of the temple. The work was a good work, and quite according to the mind of Jehovah; but His time was not yet come, that this work was to be done, when David desired to build the temple; nor was he to be the man to do it, but his son Solomon. Suppose now lastly, that the work is not only God’s work, but that we also are the persons to be engaged in that work, and that His own time is come, when we are to be engaged in this His work, we have lastly to

trust in Him for all the help we need. If we do not I do so, how could we expect to go on well? And here I state that the pecuniary necessities for which we have to wait upon the Lord, great though they are, amounting to about forty-four thousand pounds yearly, are very far from all we need. We have constantly to look to the Lord for counsel and guidance in our difficulties; and but for His constant guidance, we should make only mistakes and take wrong steps.”