Our Role and God's Role
We should trust God to handle situations and not try to control them ourselves, focusing on our duties and letting Him exercise His own office.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about trusting in God's perfect work and judgment, highlighting His truthfulness, righteousness, and justice. As His people, we are compared to sheep in His pasture, under the care and guidance of the Lord, our shepherd. Just like in Psalm 23, even in the darkest valleys, we need not fear evil because God is with us, comforting and guiding us with His rod and staff. Jeremy Taylor's analogy questions whether there should be unrest among God's people when He, as the Lord and shepherd, chooses their paths and prevents them from straying into harmful territories. Samuel Rutherford emphasizes the importance of surrendering our duties and events to the Almighty, trusting in His providence and omnipotence, and finding approval in Him.
Text
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He.
DEUTERONOMY 32:4
We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
PSALMS 100:3
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
PSALMS 23:1, 4
DUTIES are ours, events are the Lord's; when our faith goeth to meddle with events, and to hold a court (if I may so speak) upon God's Providence, and beginneth to say, "How wilt Thou do this or that?" we lose ground; we have nothing to do there; it is our part to let the Almighty exercise His own office, and steer His own helm; there is nothing left us, but to see how we may be approved of Him, and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls, in well-doing, upon Him who is God omnipotent, and when what we thus essay miscarrieth, it shall neither be our sin nor cross.
SAMUEL RUTHERFORD
SHALL there be a mutiny among the flocks and herds, because their lord or their shepherd chooses their pastures, and suffers them not to wander into deserts and unknown ways?
JEREMY TAYLOR
Sermon Outline
- I. Our Role
- A. To let God exercise His own office
- B. To roll the weight of our souls upon Him
- II. God's Role
- A. To steer His own helm
- B. To exercise His own Providence
- III. Dangers of Meddling
- A. Losing ground when trying to control events
- B. Sin and cross when things don't go as planned
Key Quotes
“DUTIES are ours, events are the Lord's;” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“there is nothing left us, but to see how we may be approved of Him,” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“and when what we thus essay miscarrieth, it shall neither be our sin nor cross.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We should trust God to handle situations and not try to control them ourselves.
- We should focus on our duties and let God exercise His own office.
- We should roll the weight of our souls upon God, trusting in His omnipotence.