The Submissive Heart
"Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live ?" Hebrews 12:9
A heart resigned, submissive, meek, My great Redeemer's throne,
Where only Christ is heart to speak, Where Jesus reigns alone.
(pp. 29-32, Footprints for Pilgrims)
Faith is a divine plant that only grows out of the soil of a broken will.
Two lessons I have been learning: first, to expect nothing but from the Lord; and, secondly, to take nothing, even though it be that on which you have set your heart, and even if it be brought to you, but to wait on the Lord until He puts it into your hands. If ripe fruit, for example (I use "ripe fruit" figuratively), be hanging on a branch close to you, do not pluck it, but let the Lord, if it be His will, put it into your lips, and then you may enjoy it.
You are of no use to God until your will is broken.
The calm of a soul which reposes in the will of God is unspeakable.
When you have learnt that your only home is God's presence, and your only happiness is in doing God's will, there is nothing more that I can teach you.
The more subject we are to the will of God the more we shall grow in holiness.
(Luke 22:42, etc.) You cannot expect an answer from God unless your will is gone. You shut out answers to prayer because you have a will about the thing for which you are praying.
A sister used to say that the only difference she knew in places was where she realized most of the presence of God; so it will be with ourselves when we have no will of our own, and when we have no home but God's presence.
If we knew the heart of God we would never question any of His dealings with us, nor should we ever desire His hand lifted off us till we had learnt all He would teach us.
Paul says, "Through evil report and good report," he did not stop to explain; a true servant of God has not time for that, and to defend yourself only leads to further charges.
We are never to seek to vindicate ourselves when it is a personal matter, but when the Lord's name is dishonoured for His glory we may speak.
You never find the Lord defending Himself.
Your character may not be vindicated down here. Jesus died under a cloud.
He was never cleared in this world of the false accusations that had been made against Him.
The will of God was the only law of Christ's life. He was never governed by human considerations or affections. Are we set upon this -- that the will of God should be our only law ?
A soul who is in the secret of the divine mind must be content to be unappreciated and to walk alone.
If we are not in the path of God's will we are not in the path of power.
Our true wisdom is in subjection to the will of the Lord. To human eyes no plan of taking Jericho could have been more foolish than that which Joshua adopted; but it was God's plan, and hence its complete success.
--- E.D.
