Untitled article by A. O. Tait.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · September 3, 1891

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 6, No. 35

The Christian’s Source of Power.

By A. O. Tait.

In the Missionary Review for January, Rev. John Rutherford, M. A., of Scotland, has an excellent article on “Examples from Modern Missionary History of the unmistakable interposition of God in answer to prayer, and in behalf of his servants and their work.”

Beginning with the remarkable deliverance of Leyden, when besieged by the Spaniards in 1574, he presents quite numerous instances of the remarkable interposition of God in answer to prayer. And, evidently, with the thought before him that the rum, opium, and slave traffic carried on by Christians in heathen lands, is among the greatest difficulties with which the missionary has to contend, he closes with this paragraph:—

Whether we are opposed by immoral legislation or the opium trade or the cruelties of slavery or of the African trade in alcohol, or by the vast force of heathenism, let our resources be the power of God made available for all the needs of his Church. Yes, in all Christian work God supplies all our need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

This is the expression of a faith that believes that God’s own power is all-sufficient for his work. The sentiment of the foregoing paragraph is, when difficulties confront the work of the Christian, instead of turning to human agencies for help, let him go to his God in the strong confidence of abiding faith; go, believing that God is able to carry forward his work against any form of opposition, and raise it above the greatest difficulties. The Christian believes that his God created the world, aye, the worlds, that he upholds all things “by the word of his power,” and that there is nothing too great for him to perform. Then how foolish it is to turn from the strength of the omnipotent God to seek help from the finite arm of man, or to cower before any of his adverse decrees.

It is said of the ancient prophets that they, “through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” The God of the prophets and ancient Israel is the God of the Israel of to-day. From this principle, certainly no Christian can dissent.

These thoughts are recommended to the consideration of our National Reform friends who are so loud in their demands for human laws to assist Christ in carrying on his work in the earth. Christianity is not dependent upon the favors of human enactments; it often shines at its brightest when its advancing columns are marching in the face of opposing legislation.

A. O. Tait.