Streams in the Desert April 13 Daily Devotional

And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth unto the plain, and I will there talk with thee

(Ezek. 3:22).
Did you ever hear of any one being much used for Christ who did not
have some special waiting time, some complete upset of all his or her plans first; from St. Paul's being sent off into the desert of
Arabia for three years, when he must have been boiling over with the glad tidings, down to the present day?
You were looking forward to telling about trusting Jesus in Syria; now He says, "I want you to show what it is to trust Me, without waiting for Syria."
My own case is far less severe, but the same in principle, that
when I thought the door was flung open for me to go with a bound into literary work, it is opposed, and doctor steps in and says,
simply, "Never! She must choose between writing and living; she can't do both."
That was in 1860. Then I came out of the shell with "Ministry of
Song" in 1869, and saw the evident wisdom of being kept waiting
nine years in the shade. God's love being unchangeable, He is just as loving when we do not see or feel His love. Also His love and
His sovereignty are coequal and universal; so He withholds the
enjoyment and conscious progress because He knows best what will really ripen and further His work in us.
--Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal.
I laid it down in silence, This work of mine,
And took what had been sent me- A resting time.
The Master's voice had called me To rest apart;
"Apart with Jesus only," Echoed my heart.
I took the rest and stillness From His own Hand,
And felt this present illness Was what He planned.
How often we choose labor, When He says "Rest"-
Our ways are blind and crooked; His way is best.
The work Himself has given, He will complete.
There may be other errands For tired feet;
There may be other duties For tired hands,
The present, is obedience To His commands.
There is a blessed resting In lying still,
In letting His hand mould us, Just as He will.
His work must be completed. His lesson set;
He is the higher Workman:

Do not forget!
It is not only "working." We must be trained;
And Jesus "learnt" obedience, Through suffering gained.
For us, His yoke is easy, His burden light.
His discipline most needful, And all is right.
We are but under-workmen;
They never choose
If this tool or if that one Their hands shall use. In working or in waiting May we fulfill
Not ours at all, but only
The Master's will! --Selected.
God provides resting places as well as working places. Rest, then, and be thankful when He brings you, wearied to a wayside well.