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Daniel 11:32b says, “The people who know their God will show strength and take action”; this means that the people of God will open up new horizons; the more we know God’s will, the more we will seize the opportunities; those who know God will never live in a habitual way day after day—cf. Deut. 4:25 and footnote.
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“We have seen how God has blessed Brother Witness’s work. His strong point is that he does not allow any opportunity to slip by. It is hard to find him missing an opportunity. Once the opportunity arises, he takes advantage of it”—speaking from Brother Watchman Nee on July 19, 1950 (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 55, p. 199).
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If our service is according to God’s will, one day will equal many days, but the days spent outside the will of God are not counted; outside the kingdom of God, no human beings are employed by God (Matt. 20:6-7); Nebuchadnezzar was satisfied with his own work (Dan. 4:30, 37b)—this is the principle of Babylon.
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However, thank the Lord for His word of comfort, the words of Joel 2:25— the years that the locust has eaten will be restored to us; if we waste our days, ten years may be equal to one day, but if we redeem the time, one day may equal ten years.
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Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us then to number our days / That we may gain a heart of wisdom,” and 84:10 says, “A day in Your courts is better than a thousand”; the days in heaven are not counted by a cycle of twenty-four hours; God has a different way of counting days.
Morning Nourishment
Joel 2:25 [Jehovah said], I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…Psa. 90:12 Teach us then to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
84:10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand…
[May the Lord] train our spiritual sense and spiritual sight. If we are short in these two things, we will not know how to deal with situations when they come up. We should give ourselves to Him in this way daily….Time is constant, but opportunities are not. Opportunities appear in time. Time is continuous, but opportunities come and go. Therefore, we must grasp the opportunities. We must sense the opportunities whenever they come and make the most of them. (CWWN, vol. 55, p. 198)
Today's Reading
Today the problem is not that the Lord does not give us opportunities, but that we miss the opportunities. Every one of us must rise up….We do not want to let the opportunities from God go by. We have seen how God has blessed Brother Witness’s work. His strong point is that he does not allow any opportunity to slip by. It is hard to find him missing an opportunity. Once the opportunity arises, he takes advantage of it. If we let the opportunity go, we will limit God’s work.When we stand before God, we will see that most of God’s will lies in the opportunities He has given us. If we can identify the opportunities, we can identify God’s will. This is a very serious matter. Daniel 11:32 says, “The people who know their God will…take action.” This means that the people of God will open up new horizons. The more we know God’s will, the more we will seize the opportunities. Anyone who hesitates is living in a habitual way. Those who know God will never act in a habitual way….Once God moves, we should move. We should not give up any opportunity. (CWWN, vol. 55, pp. 199-200)
Every time I think of [lost days], I become sorrowful and find the thought unbearable. However, I still thank the Lord who gives me comfort in my despair. In Joel 2:25 He said, “I will restore to you the years / That the swarming locust has eaten.” Thank the Lord that He still has a way. You may be sixty years old this year and have wasted thirty or forty years.
Once there was a young girl who fell into sin and contracted tuberculosis. She was dying in the hospital. An old servant of the Lord preached the gospel to her, telling her that the Lord Jesus had borne all her sin and persuading her to confess her sins, repent, and accept Jesus as her Savior…. After she accepted the Lord, she was saved and became very happy, and peace filled her heart. After a few days, this old servant went to see her again. He was surprised to find her with a very sad face and very sorrowful…. [She said], “When I stand in front of the Lord, the Lord may reckon me as saved. But what do I have to bring to Him? I can only tell the Lord that I have come empty-handed! How can I face my Lord with empty hands?”…The old servant said to her, “Sister, do not worry. I will take what you have just said and will write a song right next to your bed to encourage others to preach the gospel. In this way, all those who preach the gospel and save souls because of this song will share their rewards with you.” He wrote the now well-known song: “ ‘Must I go, and empty-handed,’ / Thus my dear Redeemer meet?" [Hymns, #930]. Because of this song, many were touched to go out to preach the gospel. That is what the Lord means when He says, “I will restore to you the years / That the swarming locust has eaten.”
Ten years of a man’s life on earth may be counted for only one day. But then one day may also be counted as one thousand days. David said that a day in the Lord’s courts is better than a thousand. Therefore, our service is not in vain. The days in heaven are not measured by twenty-four hours. This is spiritual accounting. The way we reckon a day is not necessarily the same way God reckons it. (CWWN, vol. 19, pp. 475-477)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 19, pp. 463-478; CWWN, vol. 38, pp. 317-328