JESUS SIMPLY JESUS

The future is in His care. I know that while I trust Him, he will never fail me. It does not seem to me, however, that I have experienced so powerful a baptism of the Holy Ghost as you have, dear sister. But it is a subject which I am continually committing to the Lord Jesus. It is His gift and I know He will give me whatever he sees will be best for me. I confess I would love to be overpowered with such a baptism as yours; but not feeling sure that it is His will to baptize all so manifestly, I cannot exercise faith for it. I can only pray, and commit it all to Him. You know this subject of the baptism of the Holy Ghost has been much on my mind for a long time, and it may be I was putting it between my soul and Jesus, as an experience necessary before I could trust Him. And that therefore He is teaching me to be satisfied with Himself only, before He will bestow any of His gifts upon me. At one of the meetings on the subject of holiness Alfred Cookman said “Are there not some of you who have set up a desired experience between yourselves and Jesus, and are looking at it rather than at Him? You want a great shower, when perhaps it is His purpose to fill you drop by drop! You must lay down this strong will, this desire for the experience of a great blessing, and be content with Jesus, simply Jesus!” And this seems to me to contain my experience I was determined to have a great outpouring but I am satisfied now with Jesus! And He helps me to exercise faith in regard to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. —To Mary, March 8, 1867 Centered in Him Hannah Whitall Smith and Melvin Easterday Dieter, The Christian’s Secret of a Holy Life: The Unpublished Personal Writings of Hannah Whitall Smith (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).