by Arthur W. Pink
by Arthur W. Pink
Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org
by Arthur W. Pink
February, 1935
Following the Cloud.
“Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). This is true of every Christian: he is no longer at his own dispose, but entirely subject to the will of his Redeemer. Doubly does this principle apply to His public servants: they are not free to lean unto their own understandings, follow their own preferences, please their relatives or fellow-Christians; instead, they must take orders only from their Master. Even though comfortably and congenially settled, even though the blessing of the Lord be resting upon their present labours, when the Cloud of Providence moves, they are required to pull up the stakes of their tents, and follow it unhesitatingly and unmurmuringly. It is not for us to reason why; it is for us to promptly comply.
“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up” (Exo. 40:36, 37). The sacred Cloud which supplied special and supernatural guidance to the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings, while possessing a deeper typical significance than we can here enter upon, was also a blessed figure of the providential and gracious direction which God affords His people now. Though not so evident and palpable as the Cloud, yet unto those whose eyes are humbly and trustfully turned unto Himself, the Lord gives today just as real and definite a guidance under all their varied and perplexing circumstances.
Those who are acquainted with the details of Israel's wilderness journeyings have seen that God called upon them to be frequently on the move—prefiguring the fact that in this world His saints have “no continuing city” (Heb. 13:14). Not for long were they suffered to remain in any one place. No sooner were they comfortably placed than the Lord stirred up their nest. True, God does not treat with all of His people in the same way, yet throughout the centuries many of them have been forcibly struck with the close analogy between their own experiences and those of Israel in the wilderness of old. Particularly has this been the case with God's official servants: the more we study the lives of the Prophets, the Saviour, and the Apostles, the more shall we find that they were constantly on the move.
Thus it has been with the writer and his wife during the past twenty years. Many times has the Lord required us to leave one happy camping-ground for another. Just when we thought we were permanently located, the clear call has come for us to journey to other parts. Verily God's thoughts and ways are often the very opposite of ours. The flesh desires a smooth and straight path, with lengthy periods of relaxation; but again and again the word is given “Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest” (Micah 2:10). The disposing of furniture, the packing of our large library, the moving from one country to another, is a considerable undertaking, and to continue issuing the magazine without any break under such conditions is a task for which only Divine wisdom and strength is sufficient. But God has never failed us, and we have abundant cause to praise Him for all the way in which He has led us.
The Lord made it very plain that the work for which He took us to the U.S.A. was completed, and that He would have the editor return to the land of his birth. From the human side of things, it seemed a foolish move to make, for nearly all our Christian friends are in America; whereas in England we are now almost unknown. Nor was there any natural inducement, for during our absence from Great Britain our beloved parents have been called Home, and we have no relatives at all who know Christ. Moreover, religious conditions in England today are very far from being promising; in fact true spirituality is probably at a lower ebb now than for over a century past. Yet these very circumstances have only provided a background for faith: because of them we are, by grace, the more cast back upon our never-failing God. O that we may now be enabled to trust in Him with all our hearts.
We have much cause for thanksgiving. Full journeying mercies were granted: a smooth voyage across the ocean, and all our baggage intact on reaching our destination. Cordial welcome was given us by our kind and loyal friends the Winstones. For the present we are located in Cheltenham: how long the Lord will keep us here, we know not. Our daily prayer is that the Lord of the harvest will graciously open doors where we may minister His Word orally. There are few places where we would feel free to enter, for we dare not, even by our presence, sanction much which is now going on under the cloak of Christ's holy name. Yet it seems almost impossible to get a hearing on the outside. We have hired a room where we teach each Wednesday evening, but only a handful have assembled thus far.
The prayers of God's children are earnestly solicited. Our main work, by God's enabling, will still be the continued publication of this little monthly messenger, which reaches many of the scattered children of God who we never expect to meet down here. Nevertheless, it is our fervent longing that we may have opportunity to preach and teach by lip as well as by pen. We are neither discouraged nor cast down; far from it. Rather are we increasingly hopeful that a real and widespread Revival is not far distant: O that it may please the God of all grace to grant us some part in the same. His ear is still open unto the cries of the righteous; and humble, and earnest, importunate supplication and intercession will again open the windows of Heaven, as it so often has in the past.
Surely there are still left somewhere in these British Isles congregations or groups which would welcome an oral ministry along the lines of our articles; places where “all the counsel of God” would be welcomed. Pray that the Lord will bring us into touch with such, give us favour in their eyes, and use us to bring them into a closer walking with Himself and into the fullness of His rich blessing. As of old, it is largely true today that God's people “are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6)—lack of faithful Gospel preaching, lack of sound doctrinal instruction, lack of practical teaching as to how they may enter into God's best for them in this life. The need is indeed great, the situation is urgent—a challenge to faith, to prayer, to believing effort.
Through thirteen years the Lord has graciously sustained us in the publication of this little magazine. Though no subscription charge is made for it, and though no one has been asked for a penny, yet during the worldwide financial depression, God has moved His stewards to send in gifts to defray its expenses, so that we have been enabled to pay every bill promptly and to obey that command “Owe no man any thing” (Rom. 13:8). We are greatly encouraged by the constant receipt of letters telling of how God has been pleased to bless different articles to the hearts and lives of one and another of His dear people. We greatly long for our coast to be enlarged, that we may have the holy privilege of feeding many more of Christ's hungry sheep. Our circulation increased substantially last year, and we are praying for a still larger addition this year. The Lord bless us, and make us a blessing.
Will new readers kindly bear with the familiar references to the editor and his wife in the above paragraphs. Many of our older readers are close personal friends which the Lord gave us in the various places at which we stopped in our journeyings. They desire to be kept informed of our movements and of God's providential dealings with us, and though we have an instinctive dislike of saying anything about ourselves, yet from time to time we yield to the loving desires of our well-wishers. Having no “office help” and composing so many articles each month, it is impracticable to write a lengthy private letter to each one of those with whom we have been closely associated in the past; so occasionally we employ these columns to supply a few news items about ourselves. One day the full record will be read out of that “Book of Remembrance” which is being kept on High: then we shall be gathered together around the Lamb, never more to leave His presence or be separated from each other. In the meantime let us seek to bear each other up in the arms of faith before the Throne of Grace. We are thankful to say that all is well with us.—A.W. and V.E. Pink.
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