“He had plenty of time to think about the principles of God’s
working as he tramped the trails. “Preparation,
delay, and growth,” he wrote, “are characteristics of God’s working both in
history and in nature.” Just as he saw
this truth in the natural processes all around him, he found it in Scriptures
like James 5:7: "The husbandman waiteth
for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience over it.”
“He realized that the same principle applied to his own
spiritual life, and the lives of others,
It also applied to labor done in the Lord. “A mature Christian is not the product of a
day or a month or a year either,” he said.
“It takes time,”, said the late Andrew Murray, “to grow into Christ.” We must strike our roots down deep in the soil
of the word and be strengthened by long, long experience It is a slow process, and it is right that it
should be so; God does not want us to be spiritual mushrooms…
“In the biography of our Lord nothing is more noticeable
than the quiet, even poise of his life.
Never flustered whatever happened, never taken off his guard, however assailed
by men or demons; in the midst of fickle people, hostile rulers, faithless
disciples—always calm, always collected, Christ the hard worker indeed—but doing
no more, and no less, than God had appointed him; and with no restlessness, no
hurry, no worry. Was ever such a
peaceful life lived—under conditions so perturbing?
“Eternity had already begun for the Christian. We can afford then, to work in the atmosphere
of eternity. The rush and bustle of
carnal activity breathes a spirit of restlessness; the Holy Spirit breathes a
deep calm. This is the atmosphere in which
we may expect a lasting work of God to grow.”
“Let us shake off “dull
sloth” on the one hand and feverishness on the other. A gourd may spring up in a night, but not an
oak. The current may be flowing deep and
strong in spite of ripples and counter-currents on the surface. And even when it comes to temporary setbacks
from the incoming tide of evil, we may yet learn to say—as Jeremiah once said
under the most distressing circumstances—“it is good that a man should hope and
quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.”
--more from Mountain Rain, James O Fraser, pioneer missionary to China
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