Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1919-03-15

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. II was no surprise
10 him. and h" had deliberately sent
them into the place where he knew
the storm was coming. The presence
Of the storm therefore was no proof
that they were out Of his will. There
Is some tcHrhug today that If one will
only yield or surrender wholly to the
Lord, all storms Will thereby be avoid
ed ami that one viii have II life sur
rounded by peace and nothing that dis
turbS will be- able to find entrance.
But both the Scripture rs we'll MS the
experience of NIL the saints Of God
who have lived sanity lives bear tcs-
timony to the opposite. The Scripture
says that "in the world W Shall have
trlbulntion" ana "all swh0 will live
godly In Christ Jesus Shall suffer"
And such a saint rs Paul bears tcSti-
mony that in following the Lord he
found he was "in WEAKNESS and pain.
fulncsS in wntchingS often. In hunger
and thirst. in Hastings often, In cold
and nnkcdness."
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 unfaithfulncSs, while all the
time II may be rs 1t was with the dis
ciplcS. the "contrary wind" is expert.
enced because of wholly following the
Lord.
2. The lack Of seeming progress 10
no sign OF being out Of the will Of
God.
Before Jesus sent his disciples out
upon the lake he knew they would be
hndcrcd by the contrary wind. Some
times we are tempted To think that be-
cnuS" there are no seen results from
our work. because things seem TO be
nj stnndstill or apparently no prog
rcSs is being made. We have slipped
out OF his will or cours" this may
be possible hut before We give our
selves worry and care, lei Us he sure
that we urc not being mlslcd 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, aud what would b" 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 10 roaping. We
are IN danger Of thinking that only the
reaper is making progress, The diSci-
pies were told Ia cross the lake. All
they could do was 10 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
1t they did without trying something
else Just because they We're not max
ing any seeming progress. We need
to learn to have more of nm 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-
ice.
g. The sense Of fear and loneliness
10 no sign that we are out OF the will
OF God.
With the contrary wind rising high
er and the darkness falling upon them.
together with the absence OF the Lord,
II Is little wonder that these disciples
should experience n feeling OF lonell-
ness and fear. But such feeling
should not give rise to self-recrimlna-
tons. for II Is by no means a proof
that one IS out Of Gods way. II was
into the darkness and the loneliness
that the Lord had sent these disciples.
At the proper time no would come
TO them. and until that time came
they had just one thing to do. and that
was to keep the boat pointed In the
right direction. wen though they made
no progress. and believe that as he had
sent them there. there was where he
wanted them 10 be. We may not I'M
derstand all Of his dealings with us.
and sometimes when we aecm to be In
dense darkness and can Sec no ray
of light. we are tempted TO become too
retrospective. In such times OF dark
ness let us remember the words of
Isaiah the prophet: "Who Is among
you that fearcth the Lard. that obey
eth the voice of his servant. that wink
eth in darkness and hath no liSht7 Let
him trust In the name Of the Lord and
stay IpOn his God"