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Submitting to the Lord |
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Friends who wait on the Lord with much anticipation, discover, as Stephen Crisp discerned, that we are a poor people in desperate need of God's guidance. This Friend realized that Jesus's wisdom, His courage, and His insight is much greater than our human powers. Small wonder early Friends waited on the Lord for true guidance. They were aware of their own limited faculties. Ohio Yearly Meeting Friends together with their Christian fellow workers in Christ, prayed to the Lord while waiting for inspiration and true guidance. They knew that they needed to silence themselves from worldly cares before they were able to hear and obey the Lord. And then these Friends could witness in the love and power of the Almighty. They understood that Jesus was directing them. Sometimes Friends would wish to pursue concerns that the Lord did not consider right for the time. Of course sincere Friends were somewhat disappointed. Often they sought to perform ministries for which the Lord had not prepared them yet, even though they may have been right for some fruitful time. But because these Friends were in unity with early Friends, they knew that they needed to obey the Master. More often than not, they heard our precious Lord. Yet if we are not careful to resist temptation, we too can begin resisting the Lord. Today some religious groups have been tempted by their intellectual powers to render decisions independent of the Lord's judgment. In that way, groups can separate themselves from the Lord. Remember that we do have a perfect guide, Christ Jesus Himself. Therefore, if we utilize our mental capacities to hear and obey Him, we are in the power of the Lord. When we become cognizant of the fact, that we need to depend on the Lord may not always seem too pleasing. We strive to be a creative people that is bereft of shortcomings. On those occasions we submit to ourselves and not the Lord. But God is aware of our limitations. Our prophetic voices have discerned God's call to obedience. This Jesus gathers us to implement God's concerns in love and truth. That is why we need to remember that we are a poor people in desperate need of God. May we continue to obey.
Arthur Berk |