W. W. Guth, in “Christian Advocate”
By W. W. Guth
W. W. Guth, in “Christian Advocate”
We all go through a bondage in Egypt; God can and does lead us out of this Egypt. He can do it in a night, as He led out the children of Israel. But it is an entirely different matter for Him to take us to Palestine. The Egypt is in our blood, and it is as important for the Almighty to get Egypt out of us as it is to get us into Palestine. The discipline of defeat, of hope deferred, of faith, of perseverance, is necessary. If we were strong enough to go through the land of Philistia, we would immediately think too highly of ourselves. The feelings of independence would stir in our veins, we would have no need for the Almighty; nay, we would even ignore Him or declare Him to be non-existent. So we must go the longer way. Here we shall meet our foes gradually and have a fighting chance against them. We must be led even to the very point of despair, where water and food fail us, in order to see that God can and will provide. We must be placed before inscrutable mystery, in order to see that the mind of man is not sufficient unto itself, but dependent upon God. By constant disappointment in the wilderness, we must learn that stability and sufficiency in daily life are the results of gradual, painstaking, invigorating growth, and that the road to ease and plenty is the roundabout way. When we come face to face with the deeper problems of life, we understand, and that only as we strive to reach this can we show ourselves fit for life's task. Life is the test of the long run. It is not an easy task. Its solutions are not clear and ready. But it is a run we can make; it is a task we can accomplish. A federal commissioner listened attentively to a proposed plan and finally gave his approval. But he added, “Do you know that you have entered upon a hundred years’ job?” “We do,” was the instant response, “and so we haven’t an hour to lose.” God calls us and He leads.