p. 117 | How God Leads His Children

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 28, 1871

How God Leads His Children.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Is it true that “all things work together for good to them that love God”? God has so declared; yet, in times of trial, temptation, sorrow, and despondency, how hard for us to believe this! The aching heart cries out, Why must this be so? Why must I suffer this terrible sorrow? How much happier and more useful I might have been, had my circumstances been different! We condemn and upbraid ourselves for our failures and the errors we have committed. Satan then seeks to take advantage of these feelings, and make us believe that we are so weak and foolish and sinful that we need try no more. Who has not felt so? Shall we yield to these feelings, distrust God, and throw ourselves away? No; we must rise above these things, and try again.

I understand the Bible to teach that God often allows sad and distressing things to come upon his children for the very purpose of purifying them, humbling them, and preparing them for the place he has for them to fill. Of course at the time we cannot see how our trials could possibly work for the end in view; but God sees farther ahead than we do. He works not with the haste and impatience that we do, but slowly and surely. In the end we often see it, and are ashamed of our impatience and unbelief. Few of us can bear continued sunshine and prosperity. We soon grow self-conceited and proud, and take all the glory to ourselves. To save us from this, God allows us to be disappointed; allows deep sorrow to come upon us; and leaves us to act foolishly and unwisely, that we may see our own weakness and nothingness. Happy are we if, during this trial, we do not distrust God, murmur at what we have to bear, and turn away from the Lord. But if this leads us to self-abasement, contrition for sins, more faith in God, then we may hope that God will remove the trial, or lighten it in some way.

But, says one, my case is peculiar. No one ever suffered as I do. There is no hope in my case. I do not see how even the Lord can relieve me. I cannot see how this suffering can glorify God in the least, or benefit me. Well, my friend, that is the way every afflicted soul always feels. Listen to the anguished cry of an afflicted soul of old, the prophet Jeremiah: “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me.” Lam. 1:12. Tell me, you sorrowing, suffering, desponding soul, is not that just the way you feel? Certainly. Then hope in God; for others have gone through as deep waters, and have come out rejoicing. If properly borne, these trials only purify us, and ripen us up for the work God has for us to do. If we are restive under it, the process must go on so much the longer. Hold still and submit to God, and relief and joy will come. Think of poor old Jacob. When it became necessary for him to let Benjamin go down to Egypt, he exclaimed in the anguish of his heart, “All these things are against me.” What a mistake! God meant it for his good, as indeed it soon proved to be.

So with us. When trials and sorrows come upon us, we are ready to cry out, “All these things are against us.” But could we only see the end, and know what God designs by them we would feel far differently. Look at poor, suffering Job. He felt so deeply that he even cursed the day of his birth. His property, his sons, his daughters, everything, all gone. There was no hope for him. But the great God could and did help him, and made his last days prosperous and happy.

Humiliation, heart-ache, anguish, and tears, seem to be the portion of all God’s saints. In this way God prepares them for usefulness. But if we become impatient and disobedient, then we have all our suffering in vain, and will be lost at last. O God, help me to believe and apply these truths to my own soul. D. M. CANRIGHT.