“I am thankful for success, but I feel in my heart a deeper gratitude to God for permission to work for Him. It seems to me to be one of the highest gifts of His grace, to be permitted to take any share in... the salvation of the sons of men.” So wrote an earnest servant of God and his words may well cheer every worker.
It is told of another preacher who had become downhearted about his work, and was tempted to give up his labors, that he was encouraged through a remarkable dream.
He thought that he stood on the top of a rock, and that his duty was to break it into pieces. He labored at it for hours, and yet the heavy strokes of his pickaxe had produced hardly any impression. Becoming discouraged he said,
“It is useless, I will pick no more.”
Then someone inquired of him,
“Are you to do no more work?”
“No!”
“But were you not set to do this task?”
“Yes!”
“Why then abandon it?”
“My work is in vain: I make no impression on the rock.”
“What is that to you? Your duty is to pick, whether the rock yields or not. Your work is in your own hands—the result is not; work on.”
He recommenced, and the first blow seemed to be with greater force than his own, and the rock was broken into many pieces.
It was but a dream. But through its lesson he was encouraged to continue, and in due season the reaping time came.
“Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.” (Isa. 35:33Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. (Isaiah 35:3)). Are you doing this?