God’s Work Done God’s Way Will Never Lack God’s Provision
Chances are good that you may have heard this statement, or a variation thereof, before. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, made this and many other memorable statements in his fifty-plus years of serving as a missionary to China. What did he mean by that statement and how did he experience this statement to be true? There are too many stories from his life to isolate it down to one, but there is a biblical account that demonstrates this truth.
In Exodus 20-23 and 25-31, God gave Moses very careful instructions about how to build the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. He gave them the complete plan. He told them how long, how wide, how tall, how deep, and what materials to make it out of. He told them to how to carry it, set it up, and how to take it down. He gave them all they needed to know how to carry out His plan. The problem was that they needed materials and workers. Sounds like my church and yours, doesn’t it?
In Exodus 35:1-3, God called the people to worship so that they could hear from Him. It was in this setting that God communicated with them the opportunity to give and to work to make the Tabernacle a reality. In verses 4-9, Moses called for an offering. In verses 10-19, Moses called for skilled workers. Like many of our churches today, he made an appeal for people to give and for people to go to work. How did the people respond?
In verses 20-29, the people began bringing offerings. The thing that is so striking about this is that the Bible repeatedly states that it was those whose hearts were stirred or whose spirits were moved. This was not a mandatory offering, like the tithe, or the redemption third shekel. This was only for those whose hearts were moved. Those who appreciated and understood what they had been delivered from and the future they were promised. Those who were the ones who gave.
They gave every material required. In Exodus 36:2-7, we read that not only did the people give, but they gave too much and had to be told to stop giving because the need was met.
In Exodus 35:30-36:1, the skilled workers came. Again, it was those whose hearts moved them and who came willingly to the work. They left family and their own pursuits to come to and work for the Lord and for His people. Those came who could build, engrave, fit stones, weave, sew, and make the vision a reality. Every skill needed to complete the work was provided.
In Exodus 36:8-40:33, the work was accomplished exactly as God had told them. Moses was told to provide extreme detail to ensure that the people understood the work was done exactly as God had instructed. They did not cut corners to make sure they could get it done. They did not build with substandard or less valuable materials so that they could complete the project without sufficient resources. They had all they needed. They had all the skill needed. They had all the workers they needed. The work was done.
The most exciting part of the story was when the glory of God settled on the Tabernacle in Exodus 40:34-38. This was the purpose for the work. Just like our church buildings today, the goal is not to build the building. The goal is to glorify God. The goal is to share Jesus with those who have yet to believe in Him. It is to train up His kids to follow Him. The glory of the Lord settled on the Tabernacle and all the sacrifices were worth it. All the work was worth it. All the time was worth it.
God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s provision because God is in it. What are you facing today? What work is left to do to fulfill God’s call on your life? What mission trip? What church building? What ministry? If it is God’s work, and you are willing to do it God’s way, He will provide and more importantly, He will be with you in it. Don’t go it alone or do it your way. This is God’s work, not Burger King or Frank Sinatra doing it “My way.”
Chances are good that you may have heard this statement, or a variation thereof, before. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, made this and many other memorable statements in his fifty-plus years of serving as a missionary to China. What did he mean by that statement and how did he experience this statement to be true? There are too many stories from his life to isolate it down to one, but there is a biblical account that demonstrates this truth.