Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 16, 1914

Interview/EGW Comments at Worship

August 5, 1914

Previously unpublished.

Ellen White's Comments at Worship, Wednesday evening, August 5, 1914

[Ellen White's secretary:] I found her just ready to have worship. I told of the work of the day—study of Jeremiah Scriptures. Read portions from Jeremiah 33—verses 1-4, 6-16, and particularly emphasized the promises by re-reading these. 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 1

After praying, Sister White prayed also, thus: 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 2

“Heavenly Father, I come to Thee just as I am, needy, and dependent; and I ask of Thee to inspire my soul with a faith that will lay hold of the promises, and that will grasp the blessing that we so much need at the present time. I ask Thee, Lord, that Thy grace may be given us right here. We want it. We want to honor Thee; we want to glorify Thee. We want to do Thy will, and we want to walk in accordance with Thy Word, that we may receive the promise. Oh Lord, help us to claim it by a living faith. Help us to lay hold upon Thee. Help us to grasp the promise, as Thou hast presented in Thy Word, that the light shall shine into our hearts and minds. Amen.” 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 3

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[Ellen White's secretary:] Before the prayer, Sister White had been urging the importance of our meditating on the promise, “Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” She had expressed the wish, also, before prayer, that we might have praying seasons, to break through the clouds of darkness the enemy brings close, and have a season of refreshing, as in the olden days when she and her husband and others would meet together for prayer. She seemed to be longing for special blessings. 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 4

After the praying season, she said, in part: 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 5

“We want to ask. He has said, ‘Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.’ We want to claim the blessing by faith; and I felt as if I wanted to speak these words of faith. We will not allow the darkness to come into our minds. We want truth to triumph; and we want God to be our front guard and our rearward. We want to be just what God would have us to be. I am so thankful that we can bring our praise to God and believe that He will hear our praise and that He will answer our petitions. I am very thankful, and I want this faith that we can carry through discouragements; it will be with us, and help us. If we are ever overcomers, we have got to have a hard tug of it; and yet, just get sight of the Lord and what He has said He would do, and claim and hold to it, and He will hear, and He will answer prayer. 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 6

“Well, I am thankful that there is hope for us in God, and we will cling to the promise. We will not let go. I thought I must say these words because unbelief comes in so easy, and we slide right away from it. Now the Lord wants us to have a faith that will speak. That faith that will speak will bring the promise just as He has promised; and I feel encouraged as I think these things over. There is light for us in the Lord. Let us talk light; let us act light; let us seek with all our hearts to do the will of God, and we shall see of his salvation. Satan shall have no power over us. We want that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 7

“Oh, I feel so anxious for our household here, and we will press the battle to the gates. The Lord is good to us. He has given us rich promises, and we have nothing to discourage us. And we want now to lay right hold and put away unbelief. Just press right to the side of Christ; and if we do so, His grace will be imparted unto us. I feel as though I wanted to be in that position that I can honor God and glorify Him; let us, every one, try. Let us, every one, have a testimony that we can bear when we come together again. It is the light of the Lord, and we want His grace, and we want His salvation. Let us not give over till we have a perfect victory. Now that is what I have to say. 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 8

“I hope we will have that faith that overcometh unbelief, that will hang upon the promises. We must have that living faith that will claim the promise, and believe and trust in God; and we shall see of His salvation. That is how I feel. I do not feel discouraged in any wise; I feel just as though the Lord is my Keeper; the Lord is my Saviour; and I will trust Him till the last. Amen.” 25LtMs, Ms 16, 1914, par. 9