Listen and Obey

A portion of a letter from Rev. William Still to his congregation. This Presbyterian pastor of a church in Scotland, wrote a pastoral letter to his congregation every month. His letters are filled with sound doctrine and advice. Someone described his letters as, "sometimes stirring, or provocative, sometimes written with joy, sometimes with a deep anxiety for others." In this letter, Rev. Still touches on things simple that are difficult to accept. The letter was written in the month of June, 1970.

It is the simplest things that are most difficult to understand and accept, and one of those which seems in my experience to have been most difficult for people to understand and accept has been the fact that the Lord demands His servants, each and every one of them, to listen to Him only and obey His will implicitly, irrespective of what it costs.

The Letters of William Still, The Banner of Truth, 1984, pp. 108-09.

Some Exceedingly Difficult Letters to Answer

A selection from a letter by A. W. Pink to his friend, Lowell Green. Mr. Pink received many letters and responded to them, saying in 1946 that he had written "by hand well over 20,000 letters." He was a pastor and counselor to many by means of correspondence. This letter, which was written July 10, 1939, make clear some of the troubles to which he sought to bring light and comfort.

Of late I have had some exceedingly difficult letters to answer: among them one from a Sister who allowed her heart to run away with her head… She thought she was doing God's will, is now satisfied she was deceived by Satan, and wanting to know how the promptings of the Holy Spirit may be distinguished from those of the Evil One.

Another from a preacher of many years' experience: had a nervous breakdown; eventually went to a "Prayer Healer" (a servant of the Devil), since which the spirit of prayer has been stifled in his own soul, all assurance of salvation gone, so that he no longer dares to preach to others.

What saddens me so much is that there seem to be so very few today unto whom these poor souls can turn for helpful counsel. Many who can preach gospel, doctrinal and prophetic sermons appear to be quite incapable of entering into the experiences of the perplexed and distressed and giving them "a word in season" [Isa. 50:4]. Unless pastors are Divinely qualified to be doctors of souls they are "physicians of no value," as Job [13:4] had to say unto those who failed to diagnose his case and minister to him in his trouble. Such "qualification" cannot be acquired in any Seminary or Bible School.

The Life of Arthur W. Pink, Revised and Enlarged Edition, Iain H. Murray, Banner of Truth, 2004, p. 216.

Seeing the World Right-Side-Up

A selection from a letter by Jack Miller, a church planter and seminary professor with the PCA, to a couple (Peter and Shelly) whose child had just been diagnosed with a progressive disease. Mr. Miller and his wife, Rose Marie, had been praying for them during this difficult trial. His letter is filled with encouragement more than counsel, with what the Lord had taught him, not advice on how to handle the situation. The letter was written in December, 1993.

Jesus, you turn my world upside down! When I submit to You, Lord, it suddenly occurs to me that I am seeing the world right-side-up. And somehow mysteriously the pain of not knowing what to do becomes the joy of the child of God. And I say, 'Ah Lord, if I don't have to be in charge anymore, then I can drop a lot of burdens. I don't need to worry, or plan, where planning makes no sense. I am free to sit at Your feet and to listen and be taught, and learn about Your plans.' At such times I often see new ways of doing things. The various things that Satan meant to use to destroy me become opportunities for serving Christ joyfully, boldly, and freely. Then my heart knows a peace and quietness. I find myself saying in spite myself, 'Your will, not mine, be done.' In your will I find perfect peace. What a mystery of grace!

The Heart of a Servant Leader: Letters from Jack Miller, C. John Miller, edited by Barbara Miller Juliani, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2004, pp. 304-05.