Page 124 - Evidence of Things Unseen

intentionally bring us to situations in which we had no possibility of defending ourselves.
He intentionally orchestrated events, and our particular reproaches, where no one would
believe us if we attempted to persuade them. He opened my eyes to see that He had brought
one after another of His chosen vessels to this same place.
Joseph, the son of Jacob, was accused of being an attempted rapist, and, as a slave
and a foreigner, no person would believe his word over the word of one of Pharaoh’s
officials and his wife. What a reproach this young man bore, and it was God’s will that he
bear it. Mary, the mother of Yahshua, was thought to be an adulteress, and people thought
her Son was the product of adultery. How could Yahshua defend Himself? Who would
believe that His Father was God and not a man. No man had ever been born previously
aside from the intimate relations of a man and a woman, so who would believe that Yahshua
was the first and only exception to this pattern? He had to bear this reproach, as well as the
reproach of being a Sabbath breaker, a blasphemer, a Samaritan (illegitimate half-breed),
and many other things.
The apostle Paul testified regarding reproaches:

II Corinthians 12:10
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with reproaches, with
persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am
strong.

God challenged me at this time with the questions, “Will you be content to obey Me
even if it leads to reproaches that you are unable to justify in the eyes of man? Will you be
content with the knowledge that I know you are being obedient, though all men consider
you a transgressor? Will you receive the reproach of your landlord, if it be My will, and bear
it with contentment?” It took me some hours to be able to tell the Lord I was willing, but
in the end I did. As I made the confession that I would be content to bear more reproach,
the storm in my soul broke, for it was the fear and dread of reproach that was bringing
torment, and when I chose to no longer avoid reproach the torment was broken. I confessed
that I was willing to bear the reproach of my landlord, or any other, and I even began to
seek an opportunity to meet my landlord so that I might see whether God had chosen
further reproach for me, or not.
A few days later, now the middle of June, our landlord’s wife came over to do some
work in her garden and I went out to speak to her. I told her that I did not have the money
yet to pay her for the month’s rent, but that I was committed to doing so as soon as I was
able. Her response was very gracious and without a hint of reproach. She said that she
understood that there were times when things did not work out according to our
expectation and that these were times when we had to have faith in God. What a marvelous
attitude and expression of grace this was. When I went back in the house I thanked God for
His mercy, and I told Him that though I was willing to bear reproach, it was a blessing that
He had chosen to remove the reproach in this instance.
June 25th was a landmark day in many ways for us. It had now been two months and
two days since we had received any financial support from any of the saints, and this was
quite unusual for us. Though I do not solicit funds, nor do I normally make my personal
needs known to the saints, the Spirit regularly leads various ones from all over the world
to send us financial gifts at very appropriate times. To go for two months and two days
without any such gifts being received represented a very real drought for us. Our rent was