Skip to content

Henry Neufeld

  • At the center of Henry’s Web . . .Expand
    • Energion Publications
    • Everything
    • The Jevlir Caravansary
    • Neufeld Computer Services
    • Threads from Henry’s Web
  • All My BooksExpand
    • Revelation: A Participatory Study GuideExpand
      • Revelation Study Guide – Front Cover
      • Revelation Study Guide – Back Cover
    • Stories of the Way: Table of Contents
    • Tales from Jevlir: Oddballs – Table of Contents
    • Not Ashamed of the Gospel
    • What’s in a Version?Expand
      • Bible Version Selection Tool
      • Catalog Page
      • Reviews
    • When People Speak for GodExpand
      • Preview
      • Front Cover
      • Back Cover
      • Where to Buy
  • EssaysExpand
    • Book ReviewsExpand
      • Book Review: How to Lie with Statistics
      • Faith, Form, and Time
      • The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research
      • Review: Leviticus by Jacob Milgrom
    • Christian ExperienceExpand
      • Dance Floor Worship
      • Principle and Compromise
      • His Deeds Keep Following Him
      • Thoughts on Revival
    • Politics and SocietyExpand
      • Make Education a Priority
      • Moral Person – Moral Nation
      • Media Bias
      • Justice and Truth
    • God Does Things Backwards
    • Personal Statement of Beliefs
    • The Bible: Inspiration, Inerrancy, and AuthorityExpand
      • Inerrancy FAQ
      • Inspiration, Biblical Authority, and Inerrancy
      • Bible Translations FAQ
    • Stand on the Mount before the LordExpand
      • The Danger of Assurance
      • The Hand of God
      • The Hand of God: Prayer
      • The Hand of God: Miracles
  • Bible PassagesExpand
    • Bible Stories, Story Series, and Histories
    • Hebrew ScripturesExpand
      • Hebrew Transliteration Table
      • Problems in the Genealogies of Genesis 5 & 11
      • Ezekiel 1: A Glimpse of the Glory of Yahweh
      • Genesis Creation Stories – Form, Structure, and Relationship
      • The Two Flood Stories
      • PSALM 104: GOD — CREATOR AND SUSTAINERExpand
        • Psalm 104: Appendix, Translation, and Notes
    • New TestamentExpand
      • A New Look at the Seals of Revelation
      • Hebrews Translation
    • Resources for StudyExpand
      • Resources for Studying Paul
      • Resources for Dating the Book of Daniel
      • Commentaries on Torah
      • Reading Job Video Collection
      • Resources for My Knowing God Series
  • BooksExpand
    • Books by AuthorExpand
      • David Alan Black
      • Bruce G. Epperly
      • Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Process Theology Books
    • Stewardship Books
    • Book Review: The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth
  • Misc EssaysExpand
    • Construction for the New YearExpand
      • The Proverbs 31 Woman Is Real
      • Holiness or Sanctimony
      • A Passion for the Passion
      • Obedience and Waiting
      • Live It!
      • You Have Been Rebelling
    • God Does It, But You Do ItExpand
      • A Fruitful Faith
      • Was Paul an Exegete?
      • Of Trees and Saplings
      • I Know That My Redeemer Lives
      • Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians
  • Henry and Jody NeufeldExpand
    • Monday Morning Devotion
    • A Personal Testimony
  • Contact
Henry Neufeld

God Does It, But You Do It


by Henry E. Neufeld

“So know today that the LORD your God is crossing over before you, a devouring fire. He will destroy them, and he will subdue them before you. But you shall dispossess them and you shall wipe them out quickly as the LORD your God told you.”


– Deuteronomy 9:3 (Author’s translation and emphasis)

While studying through Deuteronomy, this verse struck me in particular. It summarizes some of the tension in the first several chapters (1-11 at least) of the speeches of Moses to the people of Israel on the border of the promised land. The people are camped very near to where they will cross the Jordan river and enter Canaan. They have wandered for 40 years in the desert. An entire generation has died, except for three people, and of those, Moses will die yet before they enter the land. The tension of these chapters is that God is completely in control, the people are totally dependent on Him, and yet success depends on obedience.

There are many things we could discuss, such as how one is to understand a scripture passage that orders mass killing in this way. We can look at the literal application to Israel’s conquest of the land. But I want to use this point in Israel’s history as an example of an issue we face each and every time we are called into something new in our lives: Is it God’s doing or ours? Do we act, or do we wait on God?

Now those questions could have many answers, and if you ask groups of Christians you will likely get the full range, from “It’s really all God, even if we do some of it” to “Praying is good, but good hard work is what really gets the job done!” Each person can find scriptures to support his or her position.

And here we find a scripture that supports both positions at once.

I was asked to speak for a conference on revival a few years back where the theme was “Revival: Our Idea or God’s Idea?” It was a question that demanded the answer “yes.” Speaker after speaker talked about whether one should just wait for revival, or whether one needed to work for it. Were there certain things one could do? Was there a certain amount of prayer that would guarantee that revival would break out in one’s church?

I would suggest that our verse illustrates the answer. But in order to get there let me first tell you how I define revival. I believe revival is very simply when you, your church, your community or group however defined are living the life that God intended for them. In our text, God intended the Israelites to live in the promised land, the land of Canaan. In order to do that, they had to cross the river and take the land. For them, that was the life that God intended. “Revival” is bringing people back to life, and for those who follow God how can that new state of life be anything less than or other than what God has planned for our own lives?

We place many conditions on revival, we seek signs of revival, we have criteria by which one determines whether a church is in revival or not. But “in revival” is not a Biblical condition of the church. “In revival” is not from the positive experience of the church. “In revival” has been a state of temporary energy poured out in various places in the church without much permanent result.

We have many “experts” in revival. But all of us, myself included (and I’m not an expert in revival) can only be experts in failure. Because while revivals have come, they have also always gone, and a revival that has gone is ultimately a failure. The only revival that is actually a success is one that ushers in the kingdom of God. (Please don’t envision this as a boring heavenly dictatorship where everyone does the same thing. God’s will is not a straightjacket and God’s kingdom is not something that ends freedom. But that’s another topic!) The only entrance into the promised land that would ultimately be successful was one that left Israel living in the land God promised them. Leaving the land was not a sign of a new season or a new good experience-it was a sign of failure.

And what was the formula to accomplish the true revival? Depend on God and obey. God will do it, but you will. Be ready for new orders, new situations, new circumstances. Be ready to listen.

Partnership with God is a matter of His empowering and our acting.

© 2023 Henry Neufeld - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP

Henry E. Neufeld earns commissions from Amazon.com links on this site or from those in Google Ads.
  • At the center of Henry’s Web . . .
    • Energion Publications
    • Everything
    • The Jevlir Caravansary
    • Neufeld Computer Services
    • Threads from Henry’s Web
  • All My Books
    • Revelation: A Participatory Study Guide
      • Revelation Study Guide – Front Cover
      • Revelation Study Guide – Back Cover
    • Stories of the Way: Table of Contents
    • Tales from Jevlir: Oddballs – Table of Contents
    • Not Ashamed of the Gospel
    • What’s in a Version?
      • Bible Version Selection Tool
      • Catalog Page
      • Reviews
    • When People Speak for God
      • Preview
      • Front Cover
      • Back Cover
      • Where to Buy
  • Essays
    • Book Reviews
      • Book Review: How to Lie with Statistics
      • Faith, Form, and Time
      • The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research
      • Review: Leviticus by Jacob Milgrom
    • Christian Experience
      • Dance Floor Worship
      • Principle and Compromise
      • His Deeds Keep Following Him
      • Thoughts on Revival
    • Politics and Society
      • Make Education a Priority
      • Moral Person – Moral Nation
      • Media Bias
      • Justice and Truth
    • God Does Things Backwards
    • Personal Statement of Beliefs
    • The Bible: Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority
      • Inerrancy FAQ
      • Inspiration, Biblical Authority, and Inerrancy
      • Bible Translations FAQ
    • Stand on the Mount before the Lord
      • The Danger of Assurance
      • The Hand of God
      • The Hand of God: Prayer
      • The Hand of God: Miracles
  • Bible Passages
    • Bible Stories, Story Series, and Histories
    • Hebrew Scriptures
      • Hebrew Transliteration Table
      • Problems in the Genealogies of Genesis 5 & 11
      • Ezekiel 1: A Glimpse of the Glory of Yahweh
      • Genesis Creation Stories – Form, Structure, and Relationship
      • The Two Flood Stories
      • PSALM 104: GOD — CREATOR AND SUSTAINER
        • Psalm 104: Appendix, Translation, and Notes
    • New Testament
      • A New Look at the Seals of Revelation
      • Hebrews Translation
    • Resources for Study
      • Resources for Studying Paul
      • Resources for Dating the Book of Daniel
      • Commentaries on Torah
      • Reading Job Video Collection
      • Resources for My Knowing God Series
  • Books
    • Books by Author
      • David Alan Black
      • Bruce G. Epperly
      • Dorothy L. Sayers
    • Process Theology Books
    • Stewardship Books
    • Book Review: The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth
  • Misc Essays
    • Construction for the New Year
      • The Proverbs 31 Woman Is Real
      • Holiness or Sanctimony
      • A Passion for the Passion
      • Obedience and Waiting
      • Live It!
      • You Have Been Rebelling
    • God Does It, But You Do It
      • A Fruitful Faith
      • Was Paul an Exegete?
      • Of Trees and Saplings
      • I Know That My Redeemer Lives
      • Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians
  • Henry and Jody Neufeld
    • Monday Morning Devotion
    • A Personal Testimony
  • Contact