LIKE A SHEEP THAT IS SILENT - Louis Gervais
LIKE A SHEEP THAT IS SILENT
Hello and greetings in the Name of Him Who was like a Sheep that is Silent, Jesus Christ!
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” –Isaiah 53:7 NAS
The meekness of Christ is shown in this verse. As we know, He could have called tens of thousands of angels. But He refrained. One example of meekness would be a lion having to share a cage with a deer, and yet it doesn’t eat the deer—in spite of the deer’s prideful taunts to do so. Meekness is not weakness. It is instead power kept under control, or humility applied to relationships. How many years did God endure the following treatment described in the last part of Isaiah 52:5? “My name is continually blasphemed all day long.” (NAS)
“A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” –Proverbs 12:16 NIV. There is of course “A time to be silent and a time to speak.” –Ecclesiastes 3:7b NAS. And the Lord Jesus was obedient to His Father’s will: He spoke when God wanted Him to, and He at other times submissively refrained from doing so. Having again read the account of Christ being brought before the authorities in the Gospel of John, I found the following quote by George Whitefield thought provoking:
“I am content to wait for the judgment day for the clearing up of my name and honor and character.” Whitefield had been falsely accused by a jealous minister of misusing offerings. Whitefield was content to wait until the court of God had convened. Could we, were it God’s will, have the meekness to do the same? “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.” –Proverbs 11:12 NIV
We can continue to intercede for the salvation of souls and for Mr. Van Niekerk, Mr. Kussman and my grandmother. Thank you for praying for me! I spent much of the week working alone and had many hours “in the saddle.” My four-wheeled answer to prayer did well over 1,000 km this week (more than 600 miles). I was sent to make arrangements for future outreaches in Zastron, Bethulie and at the Gariep Dam. Thankfully, the Lord blessed my efforts, and I also visited a few families on the journey. And! For perhaps the third time in my life, a complete stranger handed me a Gospel tract. I spent the weekend going door to door in Deelkraal (or, as it usually happens in South Africa, a more accurate description is that I went from gate to gate and from dog to dog). But I was also able to hand tracts to many people.
Next, Oom Laurence and I plan to schedule appointments for a large tour and would be glad if you’d pray for us. Remember when I asked prayer for God’s will to be done in my schedule during November? I received the answers to prayer I had hoped for! I’m so grateful when I can tangibly see how the Lord directs my paths. Hallelujah!
–Louis Gervais
“Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He poured out His soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” –Isaiah 53:12 ASV