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No one can continue to keep pouring out to others without spending some time alone with the Lord getting filled up again. I’ve been in the Lord’s work for half a century, and my mother for half a century before me, and my grandfather for half a century before her, so I know what I’m talking about. As A. B. Simpson, that grand old man of faith, once said, “You cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power!” And to get it, you must spend time with the Master.
We all need more quiet time alone with the Lord in rest and refilling, drinking at the living water of His Word and fellowshipping with Him in the communion of prayer and the sweet lovemaking of the Spirit.
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Blessed is the man whose strength is in You.—Psalm 84:51
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If we try to do the Master’s work without the Master’s power, we’re tackling an impossible task. We cannot strive in our own strength. Unless we look to Jesus in very earnest prayer for the strength and spirit and inspiration to help us through, we’re apt to wear ourselves out.
It’s like the story about a small boy who was trying very hard to lift a heavy object. The boy’s father came into the room and asked him, “Are you using all your strength?”
“Yes, of course I am,” the boy impatiently exclaimed.
“No, you’re not,” the father answered. “You haven’t asked me to help you!”
So it is with Jesus and us. Aren’t we so often like that little boy? But a little help from Jesus is the biggest help we can get, and that’s all the help we need. Just a little help from Jesus will make it right. Without Him we’re nothing, but with Him we can do anything.2
“Give me a task too big, too hard for human hands, then shall I come at length to lean on Thee, and leaning find my strength.”3
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We have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.—2 Corinthians 3:4–5
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I’m reminded of the story of the little girl who wanted to make her father a present for his birthday. Each evening, instead of spending her usual time with her father, she worked on making him new bedroom slippers—and she nearly broke his heart! God may appreciate the bedroom slippers you’re making for Him, but He’d rather have you! And the truth is, you’ll probably make an awful mess out of those slippers if you neglect your time with Him!
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He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
—Isaiah 40:29,31
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The more Word you take in, the easier and more natural it will be for you to pass it on to others. You’ve got to have it in before you can give it out. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”4 If you’ll be faithful to read, study, and memorize His Word, then He can bring it to your remembrance whenever you need it.
Even witnessing the Word to others is not as important as getting the Word into yourself. You’ll never have the spiritual strength and stamina to get out the Word unless you drink in the Word and get spiritually nourished and strengthened by it yourself first. You cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power—and to get it, you must spend time with the Master.
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What was it about those first Spirit-filled disciples that convinced so many that Jesus was who He had said He was, the Messiah? “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”5
Peter, John, and the others didn’t let their backgrounds or anything else hold them back. They just went ahead and witnessed boldly, and they had tremendous power that got tremendous results. It was obvious that they had been with Jesus. They had His power to carry on His work!
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The rule of thumb is very simple. The solution is plain, but not always easy. God’s Word makes it very clear, and it’s summed up in the little slogan on priorities, “Jesus and others, then you!” If you’ll follow this simple rule, it’ll keep you out of a lot of trouble! Jesus comes first! The first commandment is to love God. “You shall have no other gods before Me … I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”6—Not even His work, or your family, or yourself! Some of you thought that by seeking first the kingdom of God you were putting the Lord first, but this is not always necessarily so. Sometimes you can neglect your fellowship with the King of kings because you’re so busy with the affairs of the kingdom, and this can be disastrous to your spiritual life and communion with the Lord! You cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power and guidance!
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Staying calm, pacing yourself, going slow but steady, and exhibiting an attitude of faith and trust is not only wise, but it honors Me. Your actions tell others that I’m in control, that you’re trusting Me to do the work through you, and to get it done on time.
Stress often works against My will and My plan, because when you have a feeling of stress, often the first thing to be pushed out of your schedule is your time resting and refilling at My feet. You switch to high gear and work longer and longer hours, and in so doing, if you do it consistently enough, you also risk wearing out and burning out, because you cannot do the Master’s work without the Master’s power.
One way to avoid stress is, when you begin to feel yourself getting under the strain of all that needs to be done, stop and ask Me what to do next. Tell Me your thoughts, describe the urgency of your task, and I will gently soothe your ruffled nerves and calm your mind with all its racing thoughts as I show you the most efficient way to accomplish what needs to be done.
My peace passes all understanding, but to get that peace you need to take time with Me. As you acknowledge Me, I can drape your shoulders with the garment of peace that passes understanding—My peace.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
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First Place
I was longing to serve the Master,
But alas, I was laid aside
From the busy field of workers
In the harvest field so wide.
There were few, yes, few in number,
And I could not understand
Why I should be left inactive:
It was not as I had planned.
I was longing to serve the Master
And the need indeed was great.
For me it was easy to labor
But, oh, it was hard to wait,
To lie still and be quiet
While the song was borne to my ear
From the busy field of workers
In the harvest field so dear!
I was longing to serve, just to serve the Master,
But He led to a desert place.
And there as we stopped and rested
His eyes looked down in my face,
So full of tender reproaching
They filled me with sad surprise!
Did He think I had grudged my service
Or counted it sacrifice?
Oh, Master, I long to serve Thee, just to serve Thee,
There are so few at best.
Let me off to the fields, I pleaded,
I care not to stay and rest.
I knelt at His feet imploring,
I gazed in His face above.
My child, He said, don’t you know
Your service is nothing without your love?
I was longing to serve, to serve my Master,
Oh, this was my one fond thought,
For this I was ever pleading
At His footstool in prayer I sought,
But there in that lonely desert
Apart from the busy scene
It dawned on me slowly and clearly
Where my great mistake had been.
My mind was so full of service, just service,
I had drifted from Him apart,
And He longed for the sweet communion,
That union of heart with heart!
Well, I sought and I found forgiveness,
While mine eyes with pain were dim.
And now, though His work is still precious,
My first place is kept for Him!
—Virginia Brandt Berg
Published on Anchor November 2013. Read by Bryan Clark.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 Unless otherwise noted, the scriptures in this post are from the New King James Version (NKJV).
2 John 15:5; Philippians 4:13.
3 Wilbur H. “Witt” Fowler.
4 Luke 6:45.
5 Acts 4:13.
6 Exodus 20:3,5.
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