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Arabian Interlude, November 30
Galatians 1:11-18
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me;
but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
Galatians 1:17
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Paul’s life was in peril, and he received a commission from God to leave
Damascus for a time. He went into Arabia; and there, in comparative solitude,
he had ample opportunity for communion with God and for contemplation. He
wished to be alone with God, to search his own heart, to deepen his repentance,
and to prepare himself by prayer and study to engage in a work which appeared
to him too great and too important for him to undertake. He was an apostle, not
chosen of men, but chosen of God, and his work was plainly stated to be among
the Gentiles.
While in Arabia he did not communicate with the apostles; he sought God
earnestly with all his heart, determining not to rest till he knew for a certainty
that his repentance was accepted and his great sin pardoned. He would not give
up the conflict until he had the assurance that Jesus would be with him in his
coming ministry. He was ever to carry about with him in the body the marks of
Christ’s glory, in his eyes, which had been blinded by the heavenly light, and
he desired also to bear with him constantly the assurance of Christ’s sustaining
grace. Paul came into close connection with Heaven, and Jesus communed
with him, and established him in his faith bestowing upon him His wisdom and
grace
All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion
with their own hearts, with nature, and with God.... They need to have a personal
experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually
hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in
quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the
voice of God.... Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s intense
activities, he who is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of
light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental
strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power
that will reach men’s hearts
[341]
65
The Story of Redemption, 274, 275
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66
The Ministry of Healing, 58
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353