In the Old Testament there are many such examples, and we cannot cover all of them. However, there are two examples in the New Testament. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter saw the Lord’s face shining like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light (Matt. 17:2). Peter was stirred up in his zeal and said to the Lord, “I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah” (v. 4). This shows that our opinions always accompany our zeal. When someone loves us, there will be hardships, because opinions always come when someone loves us. Those who love us always bring their opinions in addition to their heart.
When I labored for the Lord in mainland China, many people knew that I liked to eat steamed buns rather than white rice, but the Southerners did not know how to make steamed buns. In 1934 I went to preach the gospel in Pingyang in Chekiang Province. The brothers and sisters there loved me very much. They entertained me every day and made steamed buns for every meal. They even hired a cook to make steamed buns, but I could not eat the raw, hard steamed buns because of a stomach problem. I gave messages three times a day, but I hardly had any energy because I could not eat much. One day, when I could stand it no longer, I politely told the brothers that it would be better for me if the steamed buns were cooked a little longer. The brothers immediately replied that the steamed buns had been made by an expert. I could not respond. After I labored in Pingyang for three weeks, my body collapsed completely. The brothers were full of love, but they also brought their opinions, telling me to eat this kind of food and that kind of food. If these brothers and sisters had asked me what I could eat and had prepared it accordingly, the situation might have been entirely different. Many wives bring similar hardships upon their husbands because of their love.
On the Mount of Transfiguration, after seeing the Lord’s transfiguration, Peter felt good and suggested making three tents. Immediately there was a voice from heaven, saying, “Hear Him!” (v. 5). The Lord Jesus did not need to listen to Peter, and Peter did not need to give opinions and make decisions. We do not need to give opinions or commands; the Lord Jesus should give the command. May we never forget this: When Peter told the Lord that he would make three tents, one for the Lord, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, a voice from heaven immediately said, “This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight. Hear Him!” Those who serve the Lord must learn this lesson. We should not be those whose opinions and ideas come out whenever we serve the Lord; rather, we need to be quiet and listen to His command.
Paul was Saul before his conversion (Acts 13:9). When he was Saul, he was not a great sinner; rather, he was a Pharisee who feared God, obeyed the law, and was zealous and pious. All his activities, however, were religious activities without revelation or God’s light; they were all based on his ideas. He followed the traditions of his fathers and was taught at the feet of Gamaliel (22:3). On his way to Damascus, however, the Lord met him. It was only at this point that he asked, “What shall I do, Lord?” (v. 10). Blessed is he who asks this question! We should all ask the Lord, “What shall I do?” rather than telling Him, “This is what I will do.” The Lord replied, “Rise up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you what you must do” (9:6; 22:10). The Lord told Paul what to do. Paul did not decide; rather, the Lord showed him a vision. Seeing a vision is not based on our decisions. We should not decide; only God should decide.
All those who serve God must see a principle from these examples: God’s work needs man’s cooperation, but it does not require man’s initiation. No work should be initiated by us. All work should be initiated by God. He commands, He calls, and He charges. We should listen to Him unreservedly. When He charges us, we should obey; when He demands, we should accept.
Lastly, we must ask how we can know God’s command. How can we know God’s will and revelation? How do we know what God wants us to do? Job 38:2 says, “Who is this who darkens counsel / By words without knowledge?” This word has broad implications. Job was a God-fearing person; he was very pious toward God. At the same time, he truly wanted God, and even God boasted that there was “none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man” (1:8). Even Satan could not deny that Job was a perfect man. Nevertheless, Job’s view and opinion were not broken. In terms of loving God, he truly loved God, but he still had strong views; in terms of fearing God, he feared God very much, but he still had opinions. The debate between Job and his friends shows that God was quite hidden. Throughout the entire book, Job is the one who speaks the most. God came in only after all the words of Job and his friends ran out.
If we do not allow God to come in because our words have not run out, we will not be able to understand God’s will because we still have too much within. This is our problem. Our God is quite able to remain silent. When the friends of Job were arguing with him, God was very patient. He stepped aside and let everyone speak; He came in to speak only after everyone was finished. The unique prerequisite to receiving God’s revelation is to stop our speaking, our opinion, our view, and our self. While it is easy to say the word stop, it is not so easy to stop. The best way for us to stop is to die; once we die, we stop.
God’s counsel is darkened by man’s words. A person’s opinion is expressed in his word, and his word represents his opinion. According to God, man’s words darken His counsel. Consequently, when Job spoke, God hid Himself. Later Job realized that God remained silent when he spoke. When we have an opinion and want to initiate something, God stops and hides Himself. This is what we need to see.
When the Bible speaks of Satan, it sometimes refers to man’s opinion. Matthew 16 records a second incident with Peter. When Peter tried to stop the Lord from going to Jerusalem to suffer, the Lord said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan!...for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men” (v. 23). Then He said, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself” (v. 24). All of this speaks of man’s opinions and ideas. When Job said, “I abhor myself” (Job 42:6), he was referring to his opinions, views, and ideas. When we serve in various places to lead and administrate the churches, the greatest problem we encounter is opinions. Once a person has the heart to serve the Lord and becomes zealous, his opinions come out. At such a time, God will hide Himself and withdraw His will. Everything we initiate will be interrupted by God. In the matter of serving God, we must stop ourselves in order to give God the absolute opportunity to speak. This requires our exercise.