“The Call of the Hour Is Answered by the Coming of the Man”
By V. O. COLE
In every crisis in the history of the world, the Lord has had a people willing to meet the issue. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” Before the flood, when “the wickedness of man was great in the earth,” and “every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” a crisis arose: God found in Noah a man whom he could trust to meet the issue; and as a result of his efforts, a remnant was saved. Soon after the flood the world was again found in wickedness. The people began the erection of the tower of Babel. Confusion of tongues and a scattering of the people resulted. Later, idolatry became well-nigh universal. Abraham was called out, to begin a new order of things. He was a keeper of God’s law, and he knew when God spoke. A few hundred years later we find the servants of God in Egyptian bondage, greatly oppressed. Moses appeared on the scene, called of God to meet the crisis; and although he was permitted to lead Israel only to the border of Canaan, yet at this point God found in Joshua one who would lead them across Jordan, and before whom the walls of Jericho would fall. Little more than two hundred years after this, the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian. They were in great distress, and earnestly poured out their hearts to God for help. A poor farmer’s boy was chosen to free them from Midian. In trembling modesty he hesitated until the Lord gave him a sign that he would be with him. God chose only three hundred men out of thirty-two thousand to help Gideon fight the battle, but these were men that had no divided interest,—men who depended, not on the strength of man, but on the power of God. A great victory was gained. Thus it can be seen that with every call, God gives his Spirit to accomplish the object of the call. Later, Nineveh was about to be destroyed, the wickedness of that great city having come up before the Lord. Jonah was called to give the warning message, but he rose up to flee from the Lord’s presence. In turning aside, he had a hard experience. He was delivered from the sea only to hear the same call to service. The warning was given, the Spirit of God was in the message, and a great city of six-score thousand people who knew not their right hand from the left was saved. Thus a great work and a quick work was accomplished through the efforts of frail humanity coupled with the power of God. In a later period all the Jews were under sentence of death. Esther and Mordecai were present to meet the issue and to cause the guilty Haman to hang from his own gallows. We are told that the “decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther.” Next, the time came for the Redeemer to appear. Although the church as a whole was asleep, yet the Saviour had a few humble souls to make the announcement to the world. This offended the Jews, who felt that God had passed them by, to communicate with ignorant shepherds and uncircumcised heathen. The time came when Jesus was to begin his ministry. John the Baptist appeared on the scene, to introduce him to the world. Afterwards came the long struggle of the Dark Ages, but God preserved such men as the Waldenses, Wyclif, Huss, Jerome, and Luther, to meet every issue that Satan was able to bring upon the world. Now, at the close of this great drama, the real climax of all ages and the culmination of the gospel work in the earth, when the last great issue is on, cannot we believe that God will have a people who will meet the demands of the hour? Or, to put it in other words, Would it not be a strange thing if God had not16a people at this time to meet the present issue? Surely God still has power in the earth, and he says, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” The great questions for us to settle are, Who is that people? Am I one of them? Methods That Will Be Largely Used in This Closing Work
“In a large degree through our publishing houses is to be accomplished the work of that other angel who came down from heaven with great power, and who lightens the earth with his glory.” But, says one, We believe the Lord calls the ministers, but do you really believe that he calls the canvasser? Listen! “The canvasser is engaged in an honorable business, and he should not act as though he were ashamed of it. . . . He who is called of God to so sacred a work should feel that its accomplishment demands all his energies.” We know that God will not slight us in this call, and for our encouragement I wish to say that nothing but sin can prevent us from hearing this call to service. When Isaiah got a new glimpse of the Lord, and his iniquity was taken away, he heard the call, and quickly sent back the response, “Here am I; send me.” “The call of the hour is answered by the coming of the man.”