"We have no complaints to make of our sufferings in those days of close want and perplexity, which made the exercise of faith necessary. They were the happiest days of our lives. There we learned the simplicity of faith. There, while in affliction we tested and proved the Lord. He was our consolation. He was to us like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. It is unfortunate for you, my brother, and for our young ministers generally, that you and they have not had a similar experience in privation, in trial, and in need; for such an experience would be worth to you more than houses or lands, gold or silver. 3T 318.1"
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
The phrase 'shadow of a great rock in a weary land' is a clear allusion to the imagery in Psalms 91:1, although not a direct quote. The context of finding refuge and comfort in God during hardship strengthens the connection.
"When we refer to our past experience of excessive labor and want, and of laboring with our hands to support ourselves and to publish the truth at the very commencement of the work, some of our young preachers of but few years’ experience in the work seem to be annoyed and charge us with boasting of our own works. The reason of this is that their own lives have been so free from wearing care, want, and self-sacrifice that they know not how to sympathize with us, and the contrast is not agreeable to their feelings. To have presented before them the experience of others which is in such wide contrast with their own course does not make their labors appear in so favorable a light as they would have them. 3T 318.2"
"In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness."
Both passages discuss hardship, labor, and self-sacrifice. While EGW's passage is about her own experiences and the reactions of younger preachers, it echoes the themes of suffering and deprivation found in 2 Corinthians 11:27.
"When we commenced this work we were both in feeble health. My husband was a dyspeptic; yet three times a day, in faith, we made our supplications to God for strength. My husband went into the hayfield with his scythe, and, in the strength that God gave him in answer to our earnest prayers, he there earned, by mowing, means with which to purchase us neat, plain clothing and to pay our fare to a distant state to present the truth to our brethren. 3T 318.3"
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
EGW's description of her husband receiving strength from God to perform labor aligns with the sentiment of Philippians 4:13, which speaks of being able to do all things through Christ's strength. The context of prayer and reliance on God makes the connection stronger.