The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-01-10

wind Is no sign OF
being out Of the will Of God.
Before Jesus sent his disciples out
upon the lake he knew the contrary
wind was coming. It was no surprise
to him, and he had deliberately sent
them into the place where he knew
the storm was coming. The presence
pf the storm therefore was no proof
that they were out of his win. There
Is some teaching today that If one Will
bnly yield or surrender wholly to the
Lord, all storms will thereby be avoid
ed and that one will have a life sur
founded by peace and nothing that dis
turbs will be able to find entrance
But both the Scripture as well as the
experience Of all the saints Of God
who have lived sanity lives bear tes-
tlmony to the opposite. The Scripture
says that ''ln the world We shall have
tribulation" and "all swho will live
cody in Christ Jesus shall suffer-"
And such saint as Paul bears testi-
mony that in following the Lord he
found he was "in WEAKNESS and pain
fulness, in watcblngs often, in hunger
pnd thirst, In Hastings often, in cold
and nakedness."
No! The presence of the storm is no
proof that one is out of the will or the
way of God. Some reader of these
words may be passing through deep
waters, and the devil may be suggest
Ing that the deep waters are there be-
cause of unfaithfulness, while all the
time 1t may be as 1t WIS with the dis
ciples, the contrary wind" Is expert
enced because of wholly following the
Lord.
2. The lack Of seeming progress Is
no sign Of being out Of the will OF
God.
Before Jesus sent his disciples out
upon the lake he knew they would be
hindered by the contrary wind. Some
times we are tempted to think that be-
cause there are no seen results from
our work, because things seem to be
at standstill or apparently no prog
ress is being made, we have slipped
out of his will. OF course this may
be possible, but before we give our
selves worry and care, let us be sure
that we are not being mrsled by Satan.
To worry is against Scripture as well
as common sense. All the members OF
the body Of Christ have not the same
Office. and what would be progress to-
one may not be progress to another.
The Master sets one to blowing, an
other to sowing, another to watering
the seed and another to reaping. We
are in danger of thinking that only the
reaper is making progress The disci-
pies were told to cross the lake. All
they could do was to keep the bow Of
the boat pointed In that direction, and
the Lord knew when he sent them out
that this was all they would be able
to do. But they could do that, and do
Il they did without trying something
else just because they were not max
Ing any seeming progress. We need
to learn to have more of an eye for
obedience than looking for results that
we can see and tabulate. To do what
he tells us to do without thinking OF
the results Is the highest form of serv-
Zee.
8. The sense Of fear and loneliness
d no sign that we are cut Of the will
" God.
With the contrary wind rising high
n and the darkness falling upon them.
ogether with the absence of the Lord,
I is little wonder that these disciples
'hould experience a feeling of loneli-
less and fear. But such a feeling
'hould not give rise to self-recrimina-
ions, for II is by no means a proof
hat one is out Of Gods way. 1t was
nto the darkness and the loneliness
nat the Lord had sent these disciples.
At the proper time he would come
o them, and until that time came
hey had Just one thing to do, and that
vas to keep the boat pointed In the
fight direction. wen though they made
10 progress, and believe that as he had
emit them there, there was where he
Vanted them to be. We may not un-
erstand all OF his dealings with rs.
nd sometimes when we seem to be in
ense darkness and can see no ray
( light, we are tempted 10 become too
irrespective. In such times OF dark
ess let us remember the words OF
salah the prophet: "Who Is among
on that feareth the Lord. that obey
n the voice Of his servant that walk
tn n darkness and hath no lighff Let
i'm trust In the name CT the Lord and
tay upon his God"