Jeremiah has been raised up by God to speak to Israel. They have turned away from God. And as we read the lamentations of this prophet, we can very readily see that God does not give His Spirit to people to give them thrills or to have a wonderful time or to rejoice in their wonderful blessing. The Spirit of God is given for a purpose. It has an end, and unless it does, it will just work out to fruitlessness.

The Lord put His Spirit in those old prophets that they might warn those around them. As Ezekiel came in contact with his own people, God told Ezekiel, “I am not sending you to a people that do not understand, but I am sending you to those of your own speech.”

He is fair to Jeremiah. He warns him that they have a revolting and rebellious heart. He wants him to declare His mind to Judah, to say, “Hear now this, O foolish people and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not.” It is not that the Jews could not understand Jeremiah, but it was that they did not have ears to hear or eyes that they could not see.

This is what we come in contact with day after day. We come in contact with those who have eyes but they do not see, they have ears but they do not hear; they misconstrue the word of God. They desire smooth sayings, as they did in the prophet’s day saying, “Prophesy smooth sayings.” The ones who could do that might be able to gain the approval of the people, but Jeremiah came with hard sayings—that which God had given.

God does not fix truth up to please us. Sometimes He fixes it up in a fashion so that we might take it and understand it more clearly. Sometimes it is as hard as Jeremiah’s words. As Jeremiah’s words went forth, they said, “These are hard sayings.” If we would come in contact with those who were naturally blind, deaf, sick, dying, dead day by day and no one else, how morbid we would become.

“How terrible,” we would say. But all this is true, spiritually speaking. Those with whom we come in contact are dead ones. Those we meet day after day are deaf ones, blinded ones, dead ones. Sometimes we almost get down to their level, and we say, “We are as you are.” We might even envy that which they have—a better position, finer home, better education—but all these things make no difference, they are dead. The word says the wrath of God abides on them. They are condemned—dead in trespasses and sin.

It is terrible how saints of God will get down to some sinner’s level by saying, “There is a fellow who seems happier than I. He has a better disposition,” etc. Perhaps we envy him when God wants us to see he is dead.

It is because we do not realize that men are allowed to cross our paths and we let them pass, and go on our way saying, “Well, if they find enjoyment out of that, let them go.” If we could only learn that they are dead ones. Dead as they stand before us. On their way to a sinner’s grave, hell, and what are we doing to arrest them? We are so thoughtless about it. We talk with them, learn about them, and let it pass, but God wants us to see they are dead ones—ones who have ears, but they do not hear. They laugh, dance, play, seem to be full of life, but they are dead—dead.

They look at us and no doubt think, “You are dead.” But only those who are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ have life.

We have come in contact with the living stream of water, and it flows within us and through us, but what about these who are around us? We get down on their level, talk with them. They do not understand, but God wants us to see the need and, as we see the need, have the responsibility put upon us. The reason the flesh does not want to see is because it brings responsibility. If you saw one dying around you, and you realized you had to bear the responsibility of the expenses, you would be concerned.

We must have our ears opened. If their ears are not opened, that is not saying ours should be closed to the call of God. You say that they are not hearing, but God has opened our ears. And as the Psalmist said, “I am delighted to do thy will. Mine ears thou hast opened.” Our ears have been opened. Somehow the voice of God got through into our defiant hearts. The dumb mouth that could not praise God has been loosened. But what about those who are around about us? We are responsible.

Jeremiah was called to warn those around him. God told him they had deaf ears, blind eyes, but to warn them just the same. We are stopped many times by thinking they will not understand, but they are to be warned just the same. Who knows—they may repent? The water of life flows for all. As we give the warning and take the responsibility of souls upon us, how do we know they will not say, “Yes”?

How dead we might have been to those who prayed for us? Oh, we looked like posts, like those who would not have ears opened. But, thank God, the call of God went through these deafened ears, and God caused us to be quickened out of our deadness.

And tonight, God gives us that responsibility for others. God will not send an angel through the heavens to give the message, but He has ordained that this message go through lips of clay, hearts that have been yielded to Him, that they might give it to those who are dead in trespasses and sins.

The Lord can do the work. How often we give a tract and say nothing came of it. But recall that tract about the drummer boy who was injured in the war. The doctor saw that boy suffer. The boy allowed the Jewish doctor to cut his limb off, but he told the doctor that he was praying for him, and that the same God loves both Jew and gentile, and Jesus died for him. It stuck in the Jewish doctor’s heart. That night he heard that the boy was dying. God was getting through to that doctor’s heart.

Though his salvation did not come just then, it led on until someone else was sent across his path, and at last he was saved. A Jewish Mission was started through that doctor, and many were saved through it.

The drummer boy did not know what he was doing, but he stood his ground, though he was dying. Though the work was not finished then, it was used to pierce through the Jewish doctor’s heart. Through that extra deafness and blindness of Judaism, God opened that doctor’s heart. The drummer boy was the instrument the work began with, and then God could send just the ones who would finish the work.

You will never know what your testimony will mean. You will never know what your smile of victory will mean. Hold your ground. It might not mean you will see the glorious bursting through of that soul, rushing for the altar. But it can be the cause of the awakening of that soul, arresting that one on his or her way to hell.

We will never know until we reach eternity’s shores what our taking victory and holding our ground will mean for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His light that is lit, and He wants it kept burning. God wants the wicks well-trimmed, He wants oil in the vessels.

God called Jeremiah to go to a people, but Jeremiah went His way. He did as he was commanded.

We hear it said so often, “I am nothing—I am nothing.” Well, everybody knows you are nothing. We are agreed on that, and I believe God is agreed, too. I do wish we could get past the place where we talk about our nothingness.

As we get over that, can’t we get to the next place in the Lord Jesus, where we can see He can make something out of us for His glory? That is His will for us—that we might come into His truth and light. After we finish examining ourselves, excusing ourselves, praying, sinking off into nothingness, let us rise and see we can come to the place where we are something.

You say, “I do not want to be anything or even think of such things.” After we really reach that place of nothingness, then we can be something for Him. When God created the heaven, earth, made the different beasts of the field—the fish, plant life—He called Adam out and said, “What would you name them?”

Adam named every one. It never pleased him a bit. Then, as the Psalmist said, “What is man that thou art mindful of him? He is a little lower than the angels,…Thou hast given him dominion over the beasts of the field, etc.” So man was to be the highest type upon the earth, though lower than the angels, yet one to rule over the animals of the earth.

As we tonight say, “Lord, I will try to get over this ‘nothing’ stage,” and we try to be something. After all is said and done, I do not believe you could be puffed up, if you really saw you were nothing. I believe you would see you are just a little grain of sand in God’s great plan. That is what we are in His great plan.

As we would look at the seashore and see that vast shoreline, it is made up of individual pieces of sand, and every little piece is valuable. Every particle is what makes up the great beach as we look at the mass of sand. If we would look at the map tonight, there is the outline just the same, as when we went to school. That sand has a certain place. That water is made to go so high, although it drops at a certain time, but every drop moving on its time is valuable.

As we think of that sand, “How is it—it stays there, but yet it is really nothing?” But as it holds to its place along that shore, it is something. What makes it something?

We read the words in the 22nd verse, “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it?” That is what makes the sand something: “by a perpetual decree”.

God has a decree that that sand stays there. No matter how much the waves toss themselves, they cannot prevail. Isn’t that marvelous? Can we find out how He does it? No, we only know the tides are there prevailing, that some great perpetual decree has gone on before and since Jeremiah’s time. It has gone on just the same. No matter how much the waves toss, they cannot come any higher than God decrees, and that outline of the map remains the same.

That verse is a marvelous one to me, that there is a perpetual decree that has gone out from God that says to the sand, “Stand still, hold where you are.” Yet that sandy beach, that outline, is nothing in itself, but is made up of many pieces of sand. They wash away, but only to wash to another shore, but when the tide comes in, it washes back. It holds its own.

As we see, these grains of sand are nothing. Yet as they are held by this perpetual decree that says the waves can go so far but no further, it is a wonderful thing. Nothing would stop it, naturally speaking. Those grains of sand are valuable as they take their place, standing there, staying there and ordered there by perpetual decree of God.

As we look and see, we can do something for God, we are nothing but a drop in the bucket—just a grain of sand on the seashore. But we can be in our place. And as the great tide of God comes in, as the Holy Spirit comes in, we can fit in where we belong, holding our ground, staying steady until that outline that God has for our lives might be according to His perpetual decree.

No matter how much the enemy comes to upset the plan of God, he cannot wash us away. Victory is sure, if we stand our ground. The enemy will not be able to move us. We will be a Mt. Zion, which cannot be moved. Let us see we can be something for God.

We say, “The grain of sand is small for such a vast need.” But as we hold together, though the waves come in against us, washes out again, hold steady. And as we do, we can touch also the foreign shores. The foreign lands can know we are holding our ground here, fitting into our places here. It can touch those shores. As the waves come high, we can hold our ground, and it can be the means of the gospel being spread in other countries.

God wants us to remain steady. He wants us to hold our ground. He wants us to fit into our places and not be moved by the obstacles—the things that would come across our path. We do know that God’s will is to work through men.

We know how Joshua came out. The battle was going against him. He saw it would go against him if it would get dark, and he called out for the first time in history to command the sun to stand still. He could have power over the very elements, calling out to God that Israel might gain the victory. That shows what God can do with a man who is yielded, holding steady, holding his ground. God gave him power over the elements that the sun stood still. It was an extra long day that day when the sun would not go down.

We have something which Peter and John had at the gate beautiful when they said, “Silver and gold have I none.” They did not have anything in themselves, but they had the victory—victory in Jesus. They could stretch out their hands and say to the man, “In the name of Jesus Christ.” They did not care what obstacle was in their way. The devil, looking out of the man, just cried out for alms, but they could offset that “silver and gold” cry by saying, “In the name of Jesus Christ, arise!”

We have the power of God working in and through us. I long to see us get by the place where we would plead our inability. If we can see ourselves as nothing, it is good, but we excuse ourselves and try to get out of what God wants us to be, sitting around pleading our nothingness.

Paul said, “Through Christ I can do all things.” His strength was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. God wants us to see we are nothing, but also that we can be something. If only a little grain of sand, we can fit in our place that the powers of darkness might be pushed back, that we might not be defeated, that we might hold the enemy back as far as we are concerned, that the Spirit of the Lord might lift His standard against the enemy. How foolish for anybody to keep on saying, “We cannot do anything for God,” and the very fact we are pleading excuses is a real imaginary business.

If we can believe that God will forever put up with people saying they cannot do anything for Him, then we are in delusion. We are believing that God is going to take that excuse. But we might as well know He will not take it. God will make something out of us. You can hold your ground, be in this great plan, along the boundary line to keep the devil back and help souls.

Won’t we stop the excusing business tonight? Mingle in with people. We see people who are going nothing, being nothing, saying they never can be anything. They are nothing. But God wants us to arise and be about our Father’s business. There will come a day when it will be too late for us to work. There might come a night time in our lives. The fields are white unto harvest now. They were always white. They were white in Jeremiah’s day.

It is not that there is nothing in fields—they are white now. Jesus said, “There are four months to the harvest.” That is true tonight. While those disciples were busy with their lunch, the field was white unto harvest. Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman. Seldom do we see Him with great crowds. After His death, 5,000 were saved, but that was the result of His intercession. He was satisfied that fields were white then unto harvest and for one woman at the well, it was white as far as He was concerned.

The disciples said, “Wait until the fields are white.”

But the woman was drinking all the time, while she was talking. She was pleased. She did not make excuses but said to the people, “Come and see a man who has told me all that I have done.” She was so glad to have the hidden parts made known that she published it herself. “It is the Messiah, the One we have waited for so long.” As she went, leaving her own pitcher at the well, she was able to go with the water of life to others.

They said, “Why does He talk to her?” The woman was going to the harvest fields, while they were talking. She was able to make them thirsty. If they went to see the Man who told her, He would tell them, too. They went, heard and invited Him to stay with them.
While we are talking about it, while we are longing for it, there are precious sheaves that are waiting now to be reaped. The sad part is that men and women do not go forth.

It isn’t that the field is not prepared, but the messengers are not prepared. The pitiful part is some fields are overripe, and we see false doctrines, children of hell, go forth to make more children of hell. The fields are, in some places, overripe.
When people are dealt with, they are simple-hearted. This woman could have taken something wrong if it came along at that time, but the right living water came her way.

As people begin to get dealt with and say, “Where is God?” the false doctrine is ready to given them something. We will have to answer for this.

That Scripture says, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” You have not neglected yours, you say. You have attended to that, but what about the salvation for the lost? “How shall we escape if we let these things slip?”

Are you letting souls slip through your fingers? Those ones we let blindly slip through to eternity, we will give an account for them in eternity. I will give an account for them, too. Why did I let these slip? How shall we escape? There is a great salvation for the lost, those in hidden darkness, who have no way under God’s heaven of salvation unless we let the right ones go.

We shake our heads about the false doctrines, close our mouths and say, “My, my what about us?” Ah, how shall we escape if we neglect? If we are letting souls slip through our fingers tonight, the responsibility will come back on us sooner or later.

We have means of travel. We think of those who have taken advantage of them and have gone into South America, blasting through mines, through to precious gems. They learn what to do as they go into those places to reap the riches of that country. They go, using their energy. The people back them at home: the means of travel is supplied, the methods are prepared. They form their colonies, band together, wives and children. They leave the hot parts for cold parts or vice versa. They have fast moving vessels.

By the help of God, we have these means, too. God can do for us, if we will rise up and believe Him. God can cause us to be prepared. We have everything that is needed to be done, if we will only be willing to be prepared to stand our ground and be able to take the perpetual decree that is over us. God does not work according to our plans.

Noah had to make the ark as God said. If he had followed his own plan, it would not have floated on the water. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, the others all did as they were commanded.

God has a field for everyone. As we find that field, God will bless, multiply, do the things we talk about and long for, if we will fit into our place. It is preparedness. God needs prepared laborers, not people who do not know what they are doing. If we do not learn here, we are not fit to be sent to those parts where the enemy will test our souls. God has given us opportunity to be prepared.

I think of a farmer saying, “I have fitted my boys, kept them safe and faithful, done everything for them. Now, they are of age, and my fields are ready for harvest, I will get them to work for me.” He takes them out to the fields and says, “Now boys, here are my fields, what will you do today? They are white, ready for harvest.”

But instead of working, they say, “Let us have more food, shelter. Take care of us more.” All the time, they have had plenty and had been loaded with benefits at their father’s table. The father turns away with a sad heart.

Isn’t that like our heavenly Father? Hasn’t He nurtured us, kept us, given us our heart’s desire? And when He takes us out and shows us the field, how that repels the flesh. Fields full of sheaves, all white, waving before us, calling to us to “Go”.

We read in the missionary papers, “Why doesn’t somebody else come?” Groping ones, calling, “Why doesn’t somebody come from the land that knows about Jesus?” In India, they are turning to God by the thousands. We might not know how to explain it, but there is some God consciousness in their hearts that when the message is presented, they say, “This is what we wanted all the time. Why have you kept us in darkness so long?”

We are responsible, and though you might feel unable to meet the need of the vast untouched area before you, yet you can be that grain of sand, fitting in your place, standing steady. If it is to hold ropes or to send others, or go yourself, but, oh, for preparedness to stand in the place where God needs you.

I pray that we might see it. The Father never expects us to go out and reap alone, and He sits back in the cool breezes. During the times of sweat and toil and when it is hardest, you will hear from the missionaries, “It is hard, there is persecution, diseases, but Jesus is with us.”

When we get on the boat we might be alone as far as people are concerned, but He goes every step of the way. He has done even now His part. He had come all the way from glory down here to die and become sin, not a sinner, but sinner’s sin. He became that terrible thing, and not just the part of it that is in our own breasts, but He drank the dregs for the whole world, for generations in the past, and generations to come.

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and as they looked they lived, Jesus became the thing that bit people—sin—until He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” We will never know what it is to pay the price as He paid it. We could go to the darkest depths, but we will never know what He suffered. Though we go to the darkest depths, but we will never know what He suffered. Though we go to the hardest places and say it is hard, bitter, but He is there.

He has gone ahead of us and made the crooked straight. Will it be that we will grieve the Father’s heart? Will He have to call in some He never intended because His own have failed?

God is saying now that the fields are white. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? The tide, the Holy Spirit, comes in here—you remain steady. You ask, “Will it be to remain here all the time?” That is not for us to ask. That is up to God.

Let us stop this business that “I am nothing and never can be anything,” and become weak, uttering excuses. It is terrible to see people spend their lives on such delusion as this and say, “I am nothing,” when God is saying, “Get over it. Be something. You can make something of yourself.” After all, we are nothing, but we can be something for His glory.

As we bow our heads in prayer, each one, just ask the Lord to help us that we will get over the fact that we are weaklings and cannot be anything. But ask Him to put in strength.

We realize that God is calling laborers—men and women to go out into the field to work with Him. It is a laborer’s work, and it is hard, but Jesus said, “I will go with you all the way—I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

As we bow our heads, say afresh, “Lord, prepare me not to keep saying the fields are white, but help me to go forth to reap. The fields are white now, but the laborers are few.” Amen!