He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovery of sight to
the blind... (Luke 4:18).
There is the big
question which is always confronting us as to why is it that some leap into
the light and go on, and others do not, but always lag behind, and never seem
to see any more? Is it that there is a selectiveness on the part of God, a
kind of elect of the elect that He has, is it that He has favorites? I do not
think so. I think a great part of the answer lies here, namely, in what God
finds He has to deal with, whether people mean business with Him or not,
whether He has a clear way or not, whether the ground is occupied or not
already by that which is an obstruction to Him. I do not think anybody will
fail to get all the light the Lord wants them to have if they really do mean
business with God. The Holy Spirit knows us. He looks right deep down into our
hearts and knows whether we mean business. He sees exactly what there is to
hinder Him and how far He can go; for the Lord is not going to coerce anyone.
If we are taken up with
ourselves, occupied with ourselves, circling round ourselves, centering in
ourselves, then the Holy Spirit has not a chance. We have to come to an end of
ourselves. That is the trouble with so many. They have got a self-complex set
up, and all the time it is a continuous going round in a circle and coming
back to the same point at which they started, and it is all round themselves,
and they are wearing themselves out. Before long they are going to have an
awful crash that involves all that for which they are supposed to stand and
represent for the Lord, and it will come down with them. The Holy Spirit has
not a clear way. We have to get out of the way, so far as this self-occupation
is concerned, if we are going to move straight on, and to go on. He knows
exactly where we are, whether we are tied up in them that we are not open to
the Lord to consider any further light at all. "We have got it all, or our
people with whom we are associated have got it all, and we are a part of that!"
You know what I mean. The Holy Spirit cannot do much with folk who are in a
position like that; and He knows. His attitude is, It is no use, I cannot do
much there, they are too tied up. But, if we are prepared to put everything
into the water, then the Lord can go on and get a clear way.