THE WORK OF THE LORD

^[p. 354] THE WORK OF THE LORD

Psalm 119: 126; Psalm 102: 13, 14; Hosea 10: 12

I have read these scriptures having in mind the great importance of the work of the Lord going on, especially in such days as the present. It is sometimes said that those walking in separation do less than others; they are often accused of being idle. But this is evidently not what Scripture has in view in 2 Timothy 2: 21. If we have come truly into separation it is that we might be serviceable to the Master, prepared for every good work. We have separated from what is dishonouring to the Lord that we might do far more in the work of the Lord than we possibly could in the systems of men. There is a great deal of activity in those systems, but they greatly hinder the work of the Lord. Anything systematic tends to kill faith. It is easier to the flesh to work in a human system just because it does not call for faith. But faith wants liberty to move according to its own nature, and its own exercises before God.

The scriptures read show the conditions in which the Lord works, particularly in days of departure. “It is time for Jehovah to work: they have made void thy law”. Never was this more true than it is today. Sometimes the very evils that are present tend to discourage faith. Timothy was probably discouraged by the evil around him, for Paul told him to rekindle the gift of God which was in him. But the evil day is just the time for the Lord to work.

Then we see in Psalm 102 conditions which are favourable to God working. It is when His servants take pleasure in the stones of Zion, and favour her dust. I think it supposes that Zion is in ruins. It is not now her bulwarks, or her towers, or her palaces, but her stones and even her dust. We cannot see the glory of Zion in a public way today, but do we look at the saints as the stones of Zion or, it may even be, as her dust?

^[p. 355] The great movement of around 1830 commenced when a few saints began to think of the saints as of the assembly of God. Mr. Darby said he looked round to see anywhere the communion of the assembly of God, and he could not see it anywhere. I feel sure that if we viewed the saints more as of the assembly of God the Lord would give more of them to us. He would be gracious to Zion; it would be the set time for Him to work.

But then He does not work apart from His saints. So that there is an urgent call to us to be always abounding in the work of the Lord. This was said to the Corinthians — not a very spiritual assembly — and one feature of their unspirituality was that they were not working the work of the Lord. If our great care is to work the work of the Lord there will not be much room for what is fleshly. The world will be practically kept out if we are truly and continuously serving the Lord in His work.

But then there must be conditions if we are to be suitable for the work, and Hosea gives the conditions. We must bring ourselves into spiritual cultivation; the fallow ground must be broken up. We often lie untilled and there is no crop of fruitfulness in service for the Lord. Breaking up the fallow ground means that we bring ourselves into a condition which is favourable to the germination and development of what is of God in our own souls. Seeking the Lord is essential to this. Thousands of believers have very little thought of seeking the Lord, but we cannot work His work until we find Him for ourselves.