The believers know that such statements are in the Scriptures. They realize that God reached down and touched us before we were aware of our need of Him. However, since the first century, men have set out to do God's work without a certain knowledge of God's goal, means, or timing. We humans find it almost impossible to believe that what God has started He will finish, and that our sole task is to determine His specific will.

Moses is a good example of what it means to know God's will. Whatever the Lord told Moses to do, that is what Moses did.

It is true that every Christian does not receive a direct revelation of God's will in the same manner as Moses. It is true also that God has taught us through the Scriptures His attitude toward man, the standards of conduct He requires, and our need to be in the image of Christ and to be one with Him. We are to study the Scriptures and, by the help of the Holy Spirit, do what they say.

In the case of numerous energetic people however, they are not content to live a godly life before the Lord. They are ready to set out to spread their faith. They may pray and ask God to guide them, to assist their efforts; but then they proceed before they hear from the Lord. They are so desirous of doing what is on their heart (and it may indeed be the Lord who has given them the desire!) that they go forth before the time is ripe.

God's way is to give us a desire for something, a ministry perhaps, or a particular circumstance, relationship, or blessing. He may visit us in a dream, or vision, or a sudden clarifying of our thoughts. However, we have no way of understanding the exact nature of the fulfillment of the promise or when or where it will be fulfilled.

The actual fulfillment of the word of God to us may be close at hand, or many years in the future as was true of Abraham. The mistake of Babylon is to seize the promise, guess at how it is to be fulfilled, and proceed to force people and circumstances until the vision is fulfilled according to the guesswork of the ambitious individual. This is how the Christian organizations have operated during the two thousand years of Christian Church history.

The true saint soon learns he never is to put forth his hand and help God along. Since he does not know what the actual fulfillment will be (for example, he doesn't know whether God has spoken literally or symbolically), or when or where the fulfillment will take place, he will only create confusion if he attempts to bring God's will to pass.

The character of the saint is formed in the interval between the giving of the vision and its fulfillment. Either he waits for God, patiently bearing his cross and following Jesus while various desires burn in him, or else he is deceived into going forth in his own strength and brings forth an "Ishmael."

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow. (Isaiah 50:10,11)

To be continued.