My younger son is trying to launch a career in popular music. At present this means doing first-rate performing (most recently for a nationally known festival) for third-rate earnings.
It is important that I encourage my son during this trying period. And I make every effort to do so. But not being a constitutionally buoyant person -- in fact, I am often anxious, dubious, and excessively analytical -- I recognized that I needed the help of someone wiser and steadier. I found such a someone in the person of Rev. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981). I have been intermittently reading through his collection of sermons on John 4 for the past month, and last week I read a sermon (Chapter 25) in which Lloyd-Jones summed up the principles for Christians regarding vocation and peace of mind. Here are some extracts: (I am plucking the main headings.)
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Now I come to certain final general rules that I have found to be of considerable value in my own life and in my attempts to help others.
First, never try to anticipate God's leading. That is, do not sit down and start asking yourself questions such as, is it right to be doing this? or should I be doing it? The rule is this: go on with your work, and if it is not God's will that you should be doing it, he will stop you. Do not anticipate him. Do not ask yourself theoretical questions. Do not create problems.
Secondly, tell God, and tell him honestly -- and this to me is perhaps the most important principle of all -- that you put yourself entirely in his hands.
Thirdly, watch for openings, and at the same time watch for closings. You keep doing your work, but you are a spiritually minded person, and while you are not creating the problem or thinking theoretically, you always have your eyes open. Good approaches us and speaks to us, as we have been seeing, in many different ways.
That leads me to the next point, which is this: be prepared for delays and for testings. Oh, this is a tremendous thing! God tests us! It is his way of training us; it is his way of enabling us to grow. So nothing is more important than that we should be patient. Is that not one of our biggest problems? We are in such a hurry. God is never in a hurry, and the more Christian we become, the less we shall hurry.
Now I come to what I have had to say more frequently than anything else in this pastoral context. Make sure to remember Philippians 4:6-7.
Be careful for nothing [in nothing be anxious]; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Never be anxious! In nothing be anxious! Never be tense, never be worried, never be troubled, never be frantic, never be divided -- never.
Generally people like this come to me, and they are perplexed and troubled. Sometimes they give me the impression that I have only to say, "Do this!" and they will do it. I will not say that -- I am in no position to do so. I cannot be their conscience. I do not know the will of God for people. What I say is "You're worried about the wrong thing; you're worried about what you are supposed to be doing -- is it this or is it that? But what you ought to be worried about is, do you have the peace of God that passes all understanding?"
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