"Boy, didn't we shake that bridge!"

The Lord is trying to teach us how to allow Him to move through us, so that what we do is not done from our own energies but by His power. Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6.

Psalm 127:1 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.

If a person builds a house, it is in vain unless the Lord does it. It is also true that unless you build the house it won’t get done.

There are many truths in the Bible that seem to be a paradox. Paul said, But to him that works not, but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5. James, on the other hand, says, Faith without works is dead. James 2:20. They are not contradictory; the faith and works must work together. You could say, “Well, I’m not going to do anything. I’ll just sit here and have faith.” Nothing will get done; nothing will happen. Or you could say, “I’m going to get the job done; I’ll work for the Lord.” Still nothing will happen. It is not working for the Lord, and it is not sitting back waiting for God to do everything. Rather, it is working with Him. The faith and works must go together.

What we do must not be done in God’s stead. Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing. The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do: for what things soever He does, these also does the Son likewise. John 5:19. We must function in the same way. We see what God is doing, and we enter in to do it with Him. We work with Him. It’s like the illustration of the flea and the elephant. The elephant crosses a bridge with a flea on his back. When they get to the other side the flea says, “Boy, didn’t we shake that bridge!”