“Then he [the angel] said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”
Zechariah 4:6, ESV
Below is a favorite by Abraham Kuyper from his devotional classic The Practice of Godliness. It’s been a great reminder in my struggles that “waiting on God” is something active, not passive. In other words, while we wait and pray for God to do what only he can do, we are ordinarily to use our strength, make full use of what is in our hands, work hard, and do all we can to move his kingdom purposes and all good things forward.
“How often we have heard… [the verse above] applied to problems of today, as if they are a warning against human effort in Kingdom work! But they were not that. Indeed not—for the Lord encouraged Zerubbabel in the work of his hands. The angel says, ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands shall also finish it.’ [4:8] The Spirit of the Lord, using the hands of Zerubbabel, would accomplish the work…
There are Christians today who maintain that the godly life is a life of quiet submission, of patient waiting—waiting on the Lord, till he perform his own work. ‘For the battle is the Lord’s’ and ‘Jehovah shall fight for you,’ they say.
In Old Testament times it did occur that Jehovah bade His people stand aside and wait. When Israel was before the Red Sea, panic-stricken at the sound of Pharoah’s armed horseman coming after them, the Lord gave the command, ‘Do not fight! I will fight for you!’ And they stood still, while the waves of the sea awaited his Word of power.
Why was Israel spared a bloody battle and permitted to walk safely and comfortably through the Red Sea? Because the Lord was to perform a miracle at which all the nations would stand amazed, making the bottom of the Sea a pathway for Israel and a grave for Pharoah and all his host. And, in order that His power and greatness might shine forth with greater glory, the miracle must be free from human mediation.
God works by one of two methods—through man or without man, mediately or immediately.
But the era of such miraculous intervention is past. Wonders such as of old God does not choose to perform now, though at the return of Jesus in the clouds He will again thus gloriously manifest his power. In the meantime, He is working mediately, through us. And it is ours to be up and doing; ours to work the work of the Lord; ours to labor in the name of the Lord, amid troubles that beset us on every hand.
Let us be warned, however, that mere human effort, labor not inspired by the One in whose hand are all things, is vain and abominable. A man may think that he labors in the name of the Lord, yet be busy in his own strength and for himself…”
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)[1], The Practice of Godliness (Grand Rapids, IL: Baker, 1977) 12.
Kuyper offers much wisdom here. The only area I would push back on is when he says that “the era of such miraculous intervention is past. Wonders such as of old God does not choose to perform now…” Although I think church history since the completion of the Bible largely supports his statement, I don’t think his strict cessationism is biblical. Further, I don’t think it’s ever wise to limit a sovereign God’s prerogative to act in any way he chooses, including through extraordinary means like signs and wonders. Rather than saying that God has “ceased to work in these ways,” it is better to remain what some have called “open but cautious.”
Finally, here are a few verses that reinforce Kuyper’s teaching: Philippians 2:12-13: Hebrews 1:1-2; Matthew 7:21-23; Psalm 127:1. How does this piece by Kuyper encourage or challenge you today? If you have time, let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
[1] Abraham Kuyper was Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905, as well as an influential neo-Calvinist theologian and journalist.