How natural it is for us to
desire to be in the presence of the Master, to walk with him,
to talk with him, and to behold his wondrous works! How
pleasant to sit at his feet and learn of him! How often we
think of those who enjoyed walking with him over the hills of
Judea and wish for ourselves that glorious privilege! It is
our privilege, though our natural eyes cannot see him, to
dwell in his presence, to commune with him, and to learn the
deep things of God. In the secret closet we often seem to be
very near to him, and how our souls would love to remain
there, but ofttimes, like the man out of whom the devils were
cast, we are not permitted to remain with the Lord; he sends
us away.
When we
feel ourselves apart from him, it is not always because we
have wandered away, for often he finds it needful to send us
away for some purpose. Even those who were privileged to be
his closest companions while on earth were sent away from him
from time to time on various missions. Sometimes he sent them
with the message, "Go and tell." Obedience to this took them
away from his presence. Their eyes no longer saw his mighty
works, nor did their ears hear his gracious words. They did
not have the support of his presence, but found themselves
apart from the Master. So we must often go out from him with a
message, and being apart from him in a sense, we shall
ofttimes find ourselves needy and seeming to go on our own
strength; but we must daily bear his message to the people,
and while we are bearing it, what wonder if we are lonely
sometimes? Like the disciples, however, when we have spoken
our message, we may go back again into his presence.
One he
sent away for investigation, saying, "Go…show thyself to the
priest." Sometimes we must go out among our enemies and be a
gazing-stock for them. We must be the object of their
criticism, of their scoffs, of their mockings, and all this
apart from the Master. But shall we not bear all these things
and rejoice in them, that when we have returned to the Master,
and are sitting in the quiet and silence at his feet, holding
sweet converse with him, we may know we have wrought his will
and glorified his name?
Sometimes he sends us forth to perils. "Behold, I send
you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." But he also gives
us the sweet assurance, "Nothing shall by any means hurt you."
His messengers now, as in the days of old, must face perils;
and these perils must, in a sense, be faced away from the
Master's presence.
Sometimes he sends to suffering. He said of Paul, "I
will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's
sake." Even Christ himself was sent apart from the Father. He
had to leave the glories of heaven and all that those meant,
sacrifice all the honor that he had, with all his joys in the
presence of the Father, and go to earth to be despised,
mocked, hated, scourged, and crucified. Sometimes his spirit
was heavy, and sorrow weighed him down, and at last, in the
most trying hour, he felt his separation from his Father most
keenly and cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" If it was necessary for the Son of God to go apart from
the Father, to be sad and lonely and heavy-hearted, and at
last feel himself forsaken, should we think it a strange thing
if we sometimes have a similar experience?
How
sweet to be with him in the secret closet and in the meetings
with his saints! How it warms our hearts and fills us with
courage and hope! But for our work's sake we must go apart and
endure, sacrifice and suffer. We cannot always see his smiling
face. But there will be a time when we shall forever be with
the Lord. Until the time shall come, let us be willing to obey
him, even though it takes all the courage and fortitude we
have. If we find ourselves apart from him, let us not accuse
ourselves of wandering away, if we are doing the work of God.
Heaven will be all the sweeter because of our having been, in
this sense, apart from the Master here, and we shall be the
better prepared to enjoy his presence when he comes for
us.
