Rest and Quietness and Confidence by F. M. W.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 20, 1914

Rest and Quietness and Confidence

By F. M. W.

THE work and people of God have passed through trying crises in their history. There will be many more through which they must pass before the day of final victory. But never has God left his people in the darkness without a guiding star to direct their course; never has he permitted them to be surrounded by danger without giving them assurances of his grace. Without, disquietude and unrest may exist on every side; but within, in the consciousness of their own hearts, he desires his people to find rest and quietness in him.

This was his message to Israel of old in the days of the prophet Isaiah. Israel was sadly distraught. On every side they were threatened by their enemies. Forgetting God, they felt that their reliance must be placed upon human power. They sent messengers to Egypt for aid. The prophet told them, “The Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose.” Their strength was in the Lord: “for thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.”

This is the word of the Lord to his people today. We, no more than could Israel of old, can find help in human confederacy. The Lord is the strength and the shield of his people. This is our assurance in the eventful times upon which we have now entered.

The present situation places before our people an unparalleled opportunity for the presentation of the special truth for this time to their fellows. As God’s minutemen we should stand ready to respond to the calls of his opening providence. As the thousands in the Old World are enlisting and placing their lives and their property upon the altar of their country’s service, so the soldiers of Christ should enlist today, heart and soul, in the service of their King. Recreant will we be if we fail to sense the significance of these times and the opportunities which this present situation presents of bringing to others a knowledge of the soon coming of the Lord.

But such conditions as now exist in the world carry with them great dangers. Nearly all Europe today is divided into hostile camps. Even the nations which have declared their neutrality cherish strong sympathies for one or the other of the combatants. That spirit of sympathy will extend to all classes throughout the civilized world. In this country it will be natural for every citizen to sympathize with the struggles of his fatherland. If we are not careful, a spirit of excitement, of partisanship and unrest, will so take possession of our hearts and so control our lives that we shall neglect to maintain that close and intimate connection with God that will keep us in the love of his truth. Our safety today is in rest and quietness.

We need to “be still” and to know that God is over all, that he still controls in the destinies of men, and that he will shape every situation for his eternal glory, and every personal experience for our good.

These are times when we need to pray much, to meditate much, to thoughtfully and prayerfully study the Word of Truth. Let us keep partisanship and national feelings from controlling our lives and prompting our conversation. Let us never forget that God has placed Seventh-day Adventists in the world as his messengers to all peoples and nations. All are alike precious in his sight. The black man of Africa, the heathen worshiper of China, the German scientist, the English statesman, the Russian serf, the Jew, the Protestant, the Catholic,—the Lord Jesus died for all. He yearns for the salvation of every soul. Born of a Jewish mother and reared in the faith and customs of that nation, his sympathies were so broad, his heart so large, his impulses so generous, that his soul went out in longing for the salvation of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. He is no respecter of persons. In every nation “he that worketh righteousness” is accepted of him.

It is this spirit which should actuate our hearts today. Possessing it, every feeling of nationality and patriotism will be subordinated to the controlling principle of love, which will fill our hearts for the great race of mankind. Let us keep our hearts so quiet before God that we can hear continually his voice speaking to us. “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.”

F. M. W.