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have one desire to resist the devil, and sincerely pray, Deliver me from
temptation, you will have strength for your day.—
The Review and
Herald, July 4, 1899
.
Our Will and Our Way Should Be Submitted to God
A letter written on April 5, 1873, to Sister Billet, of San Francisco,
California. Ellen White gives encouragement to her friend to stand
fast on the platform of eternal truth. Sister Billet had not yet taken her
stand as a Sabbathkeeper
.
Dear Sister Billet,
I would be much pleased to have a conversation with you today,
but as this is impossible, the next best thing for me to do is to let the
silent pen give expression to my thoughts and feelings. Very many
hundred miles separate us, but you are not forgotten by us. We have
deep interest that your soul should prosper even as your health.
My dear sister, does the truth grow more clear to your understand-
ing? As you plant your feet upon the platform of eternal truth, do you
feel that God is more precious and that you are in His sheltering care?
We have precious, harmonious, sanctifying truth. We do not always
consider that the sanctification we so earnestly desire and for which
we pray so earnestly is brought about through the truth and, by the
providence of God, in a manner we least expect. When we look for
joy, behold there is sorrow. When we expect peace, we frequently have
distrust and doubt because we find ourselves plunged into trials we
cannot avoid. In these trials we are having the answers to our prayers.
In order for us to be purified, the fire of affliction must kindle upon us,
and our will must be brought into conformity to the will of God. In
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order to be conformed to the image of our Saviour we pass through
a most painful process of refining. The very ones that we regard the
most dear upon the earth may cause us the greatest sorrow and trial.
They may view us in the wrong light. They may think us in error, and
that we are deceiving and degrading ourselves because we follow the
dictates of enlightened conscience in seeking for the truth as for hid
treasures.
The character and course of the Christian is in marked contrast to
that of worldlings. The Christian cannot find pleasure in the amuse-
ments and in the varied scenes of gaiety of the world. Higher and