Silent Meditations
I lost my voice while preaching in Bowling Green, Ky., and bro. Wayne Earnest, local evangelist, preached the closing sermon of the meeting. The doctor ordered at least one week of silence, so my part in the following meeting, Richmond, Ky., had to be canceled. Bro. Paul Earnhart came, on short notice, to do an admirable job there. Now, I am struggling to keep an appointment in Providence, Ky., and others are standing by to continue the work if I should fail. As an early vaudeville comedian used to put it, "I feel soooo unnecessary!!"
Man seems to vacillate between two attitudes: he and his work will affect the destiny of the world; or, he is nothing, an infinitesimal speck of inconsequence. Neither position is true! Given the slightest encouragement, or none at all, we magnify our place in life and imagine that the world, or at least the church, hangs by our hook. This seems the greater of the two errors. But should we seriously adopt the second position and live by it, we would destroy the self respect necessary to make our life meaningful. The Creator sees us, not as other gods, nor as inert crud; but as intelligent beings having a place in the total scheme of His universe. In a small yet significant way we do affect the total picture, even though there are far too many replacement parts for us to consider ourselves indispensable.
Man's true position can be defined only by the Master Planner. It is God who gives meaning to your little corner, and mine. Lacking faith in God — trying to run the show without Him — we find ourselves on the balloon of egoism, or deep in the trough of despair. True faith in God is the stabilizer. Such faith is possible only for the humble, yet it lifts earth creatures to useful places in the family of God.
As free agents, we are not pawns of fate. But as God's creatures we seek the role He has assigned us. We can serve, with honor; thankful that there are others to take our place as we finish our course. Our trust in God, and in His love, is such that abject fear is cast out; yet our awesome reverence for Deity will not let us forget that His purposes will be fulfilled, regardless of our success or failure as individuals. His sovereignty will be vindicated in a final and irrevocable Judgment.
"If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (Jas. 4:13-15). That can be a dirge of despair, or a healthful reminder that "Now is the time" to use ourselves to His glory.