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Selected Messages Book 2
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in
a dark place” (
2 Peter 1:19
).
The apostle Paul tells us, “After that in the wisdom of God the
world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe” (
1 Corinthians 1:21
). This was the
carrying out of God’s plan for the conviction and conversion of men,
who are constantly tempted to magnify their own powers. The Lord
would make it manifest whether men by their own finite wisdom could
acquire a knowledge of the truth, whether they could know God, their
Creator. When Christ came to our world, the experiment had been fully
made, and it proved the boasted wisdom to men to be but foolishness.
Finite wisdom was utterly unable to come to right conclusions in
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regard to God, and therefore man was wholly incompetent to judge in
regard to His law. The Lord has allowed matters in our day to come
to a crisis, in the exaltation of error above truth, that He, the God of
Israel, might work mightily for the greater elevation of His truth in
proportion as error is exalted.
With His eye upon the church, the Lord has again and again allowed
matters to come to a crisis, that in their extremity His people should
look alone for His help. Their prayers, their faith, together with their
steadfast purpose to be true, have called for the interference of God,
and then He has fulfilled His promise, “Then shalt thou call, and the
Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am” (
Isaiah
58:9
). His mighty arm has been stretched out for the deliverance of
His people. God reserves His gracious interposition in their behalf
till the time of their extremity; thus He makes their deliverance more
marked, and their victories more glorious. When all human wisdom
fails, the Lord’s interference will be more clearly recognized, and He
will receive the glory that is His due. Even the enemies of our faith,
persecutors, will perceive that God is working for His people in turning
their captivity.
Prayer, Faith, Reliance on God
What is needed in this, our time of danger, is fervent prayer, min-
gled with earnest faith, a reliance upon God when Satan casts his
shadow over God’s people. Let everyone bear in mind that God de-
lights to listen to the supplications of His people; for the prevailing