p. 315 | Use Us by Rev. James H. Taylor

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 12, 1875

“Use Us.”

By Rev. James H. Taylor

“Use us to Thy glory,” is familiar language in prayer. We hear it; we so express ourselves. So, too, we close our prayers, saying very devoutly, “When Thou art done serving Thyself with us here below.” We, who so pray, are, most likely, sincere, or certainly not to be accused of insincerity. We think we mean what we say. But do we? If sincere, are we also in earnest? Do we comprehend the scope of our words? “Use us,” “serving Thyself with us,” is the language of the very highest heroism. It implies the completest self-giving to being made of “no reputation” and used all up, according to worldly standards, if God shall so choose to take us at our word and answer prayer. Do we mean that? We should all be willing to be used as the Heaven of prayer is using Mr. Moody in Great Britain. Or if any object to such methods of Christian work, they would be glad to have God serve himself with them as he served himself with John Calvin or Martin Luther. Many would gladly be used as God used Whitfield and Wesley. Possibly they might be willing to endure St. Paul’s strife and Martyrdom if they might also share his honor on earth and in Heaven. Some would welcome an answer to that prayer in which they should appear in the service of God as a Harlan Page or Henry Martyn, or as some faithful, patient, Christian mother, unknown beyond her own door-yard, save by the godly children that go forth from her nursery with the power of her graceful life upon them, or even as that seamstress of England; leading many to Christ.

But suppose God choose to answer the prayer “Use us,” “Serve Thyself with us,” by using us as he used Job—making an example of him—not punishing him for badness, but giving an example of a “perfect and upright man.” Oh, when will the Christian world have done with the pagan way of accepting every hard experience as a judgment from God! Job so suffered because he was so much better than other men, not worse. So did Jesus. But suppose that God, for any reason, choose to answer your prayer, “Use us to Thy glory,” by allowing you to fall into extreme distress—estate swept away, health undermined, even powers of speech paralyzed, or possibly your good name stained by some malignant tongue, though you may know your private life to be as pure as the streaming sunlight, yet your reputation hopelessly blasted before the world by the mere insinuation of some careless or devilish person—are you ready to be used in that way? So Job was used, and so Jesus himself was used, even dying on the shameful cross with the imputation of blasphemy and lewdness still upon him. Did you think of such an answer as possible when you prayed, “Serve Thyself with me”? Jesus did when he said, “Lo, I come to do Thy will,” and he met it without a murmur. So when we pray, “Use us,” we must be ready to receive the answer that God’s wisdom may dictate. And when the answer comes in vanishing wealth, our hearts must have, or find, the grace to say, “If I can serve Thee better in poverty, than with my wealth, here I am.” “If better with a reputation blasted by some malignant tongue, though I maintain a pure character, here I am. I make no reservation; use me all up in the world’s estimation, if I so can serve Thee best.” So the Saviour left Heaven, lived and died, making “himself of no reputation,” but maintaining a pure character all the while, with no guile in his mouth. Reputation is not character, sometimes.—Rev. James H. Taylor.