“My Counsel shall Stand, and I will Do All My Pleasure”
By Percy T. Magan
IN the writings given this denomination through the Spirit of prophecy the great movements are outlined that must be made in connection with the cause of God during the closing days of earth’s history. Many times the undertakings which were called for by the servant of the Lord have appeared to human sight so great and costly that men and women have staggered because of unbelief, and have felt that these could not be accomplished by a people so poor financially and so small numerically as ourselves. But the teachings of the Bible clearly prove that God never asked his people to do anything impossible of successful fulfilment. Many times, to be sure, it has appeared upon the surface as if God’s plans and purposes could not be carried out, but God has always fulfilled his word whenever his people have trusted him. To Joseph, sold as a bondman into Egypt, it must have seemed as if the dreams which God had given him relative to his future could never become reality. But the very thing which Satan designed for the ruin of the career of Joseph, God seized upon and turned into an instrument for the fulfilment of his purposes and his word. As the caravan journeyed toward the land of the Nile, Joseph wept bitterly, and his heart trembled as he looked forward to the future. He was alone and friendless, and he knew not what his lot would be in that strange land whither he was going. For a time uncontrollable grief and terror completely dominated him. Nevertheless, in the providence of God this experience was to be the beginning of the fulfilment of those dreams which God had given him indicating his future greatness. “He had learned in a few hours that which years might not have otherwise taught him.” That one day’s experience had been the turning point of his life. Its terrible calamity had17wrought a mighty transformation in his character. God was at work, and the land which Satan had determined to make the tomb of Joseph as an unknown slave, God transformed into the theater for his operations as a mighty statesman. Not only did God work marvelously for Joseph in Egypt, but he also set his hand for the redemption of Joseph’s brothers in Canaan. As the years rolled by, their characters became changed. Adversity purged and refined those once envious, turbulent, deceptive, and revengeful men. As time wore on, they became unselfish, true to one another, devoted to their father, and subject to his authority. And when at last famine’s hand bowed them in the presence of the “dreamer,” they remembered how they had labored to prevent the fulfilment of his dreams, which they were even then acting their part in fulfilling. God had given counsel concerning Joseph, and mightily he had fulfilled it. To human vision, it seemed incredible that the Hebrew people should ever be able to go free out of the land of Egypt. But the promise of God to Abraham stood fast: “In the fourth generation they shall come hither again.” Against this all the power of Pharaoh was as nothing. Even as slaves, the children of Israel “were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” And although the Egyptians made them “to serve with rigor,” and made “their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field,” nevertheless “the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.” And then in a single night, without battle or fight, under the leadership of Moses, the meekest man who ever lived, the children of Israel marched forth to freedom, and the Egyptians were “urgent” to have them depart. From a human viewpoint, it looked impossible that they should ever go forth that way, but the word of God’s counsel had been spoken, and no power on earth could stop its fulfilment. The gift of the spirit of prophecy has been one of the great distinguishing marks of the Seventh-day Adventist people. Faith that these writings are of God has from a very early day been taught in this church. All the counsel which God has given in this way “shall stand.” Again the words will be fulfilled: “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Concerning the acquisition of one piece of property, the Loma Linda Sanitarium, the following instruction was given by the Spirit of prophecy:— “It was the Lord’s purpose that the Loma Linda Sanitarium should become the property of our people, and he brought it about at a time when the rivers of difficulty were full and overflowing their banks.”—Jehovah is Our King, p. 30. And the rivers of difficulty undoubtedly were full and overflowing their banks at that time. Many thought that nothing could be done, and that we had taken upon ourselves an institution which we would be unable to man or to develop. But the counsel of God stood fast. He that purposed that our people should have that property brought it into our possession. Every place that God has ever brought into the hands of his people he designs shall be a blessing to them, and that there shall be harmony and unity concerning its use. In these matters another good word taken into our lives will be of untold value:— “Our efforts should be to answer Christ’s prayer for his disciples, that they should be one.”—Testimonies, Series B, No. 4, p. 30. In the year 1910 the following words came to us concerning the College of Medical Evangelists at Loma Linda:— “The light given me is: We must provide that which is essential to qualify our youth who desire to be physicians, so that they may intelligently fit themselves to be able to stand the examinations required to prove their efficiency as physicians. . . . For the special preparation of those of our youth who have clear convictions of their duty to obtain a medical education that will enable them to pass the examinations required by law of all who practice as regularly qualified physicians, we are to supply whatever may be required so that these youth need not be compelled to go to medical schools conducted by men not of our faith. Thus we shall close a door that the enemy would be pleased to have left open; and our young men and women, whose spiritual interests the Lord desires us to safeguard, will not feel compelled to connect with unbelievers in order to obtain a thorough training along medical lines.”—Part of reply by Mrs. E. G. White to communication of Jan. 25, 1910, from Elders I. H. Evans, E. E. Andross, and H. W. Cottrell. The carrying out of this counsel calls for the building of the hospital and dispensary in the city of Los Angeles, as outlined by Elder I. H. Evans in his article in the REVIEW of Jan. 13, 1916. To many it may again seem that this is being urged at a time when the rivers of difficulty are full and overflowing their banks. But it is at these times that God loves to manifest his power in behalf of his people. “The Lord wants his people in these days to believe that he will do as great things for them as he did for the children of Israel in their journey from Egypt to Canaan. We are to have an educated faith that will not hesitate to follow his instructions in the most difficult experiences. ‘Go forward’ is the command of God to his people.”—Jehovah is Our King, p. 29. The very fact that our leaders in the great mission fields of the Orient are calling as never before for consecrated medical missionaries is sufficient reason why we should furnish the necessary equipment for the training of these laborers. God has blessed us with many schools and colleges. These have proved a refuge and a haven for our youth, and hundreds upon hundreds within their walls have dedicated their lives to the service of God. But we have only one medical missionary training school, the one at Loma Linda. And as medical missionary work is to be the last work of mercy done by our people in the world, it is fitting that this school should be placed upon a sure and substantial footing. In this the Lord is calling upon us to “strengthen the hands of the builders.” PERCY T. MAGAN.