When, in
accordance with her request, I gave to the readers of Miss Judd’s “Prayer of Faith”
my experience in applying to the lord Jehovah for physical as well as spiritual
aid, I alluded briefly to the faith, which I have long since learned to
exercise, concerning the willingness of God to supply the financial need of
His saints. Long before I had thought of brining my all to Christ, of casting a
pain-racked body, as well as a sin-stained soul, at His feet, and leaving it
there for cure, my widowed mother and myself had come to trust in times of
financial embarrassment, and found God’s word of promise sure.
Owing to the
request recently forward to my address by a stranger in the flesh, but, as I
believe, a brother in the faith, for this promised leaf from my past
experience, I thankfully extended the same, trusting that God’s blessing may
rest upon this humble effort to show forth His faithfulness and love.
Of Him Who did salvation bring
I would forever think and sing;
Arise, ye guilty! He’ll forgive:
Arise, ye poor! He will relieve.
I think that we
are prone to forget that our Lord’s command “Take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” to
those of us who are His, is as imperative and strictly to be obeyed as any
other of the dear Master’s words. Firm in the belief that God is both able and
willing to “give good gifts to them that ask Him,” I beg leave to inquire why
we, who are Christ’s do not lay hold upon the promise and be at rest, never
losing sight of Paul’s vehement declaration, “if any would not work, neither
should he eat,” but firmly persuaded that those who are truly Christ’s are
never “weary in well doing.”
Some two years
prior to my acceptance of Christ as my Physician, within a household where a
widowed mother and her helpless child were oftentimes perplexed as to ways and
means, we two began having wondrous answers to prayer.
One morning,
after a week of sore perplexity and disappointment, during devotional reading,
the invalid daughter received, in direct response to prayer, the promise of
speedy deliverance from the burden then pressing so heavily upon them. Mother
and daughter believed, and began praising God. In less than an hour, a letter
inclosing money was received, and before many days, rooms, upon the rental of
which we had depended for support, were rented. God had spoken and our hearts
rejoiced. Again and again have storms threatened, and have been appeased in
answer to believing prayer.
Tenants, very
unexpectedly, left our rooms in the fall of ’79, and being suddenly bereft o
this means of support, with the cold rapidly approaching, had it not been for
our hope in God and His sure word of promise, our hearts must have been
dismayed. Because of the unfortunate time of year, and the fact that all about
us there were more empty tenements than inquiries for the same, according to
human probabilities, there seemed little to ensure success, and small
encouragement could be gleaned concerning the disposal of our rooms from those
whom we consulted.
But this, as all
other perplexities, we laid before our King; we “told Jesus.” One afternoon, an
old and intimate friend of the family called, and a season of prayer was held,
this Christian sister joining in our pea to Jehovah, concerning our present
embarrassment and need. Soon after taking leave of us, this sister was
impressed to call upon a certain lady whom with she had some acquaintance;
while there she spoke of our empty rooms. This lady was in search of just such
rooms, and in less than three days engaged the same, and is living there at the
present time. For this speedy answer to our request, shall not God have all
the praise?
Among other
little tokens of love and remembrance which came to me a year ago, was a
beautiful Canary bird, and in the loneliness which I have experienced since my
removal from my old home and former social privileges, Birdie has been a
comfort. On the day previous to the most terrible rain and hail-storm which
visited us last summer, by some accidental arrangement of his cage, my pet
escaped, and before I was aware, had flown far away.
After a week had
passed, and no trace of him could be found, had it not been for my knowledge of
od’s watchful care over the minutest affairs of His saints, and my steadfast
reliance upon Him for the safe return of my bird, I must have abandoned all
hope of seeing it again. As it was, I waited. After eighteen days of
silence and an empty cage, a bird resembling mine was seen not far away.
Birdie’s cage was hung on a tree, and very son, travel-stained and weary, but
evidently glad of the shelter of his own room, Birdie was again at home. Not
many days thereafter, my pet again escaped; with still stronger faith, I
pleaded with God for his return. Before nightfall my bird was again restored to
me, and is singing cheerily above my head through these autumn days.
During one winter
of my long illness, while I was closely confined within the four walls of my
sick room, unable to stand a moment alone upon my feet, or to sit, bolstered by
pillows, in a chair, more than a few moments at a time; feeling keenly the failure
of my life, as it then appeared to me, and my utter dependence upon my widowed
mother, I began devising means whereby, under God, I might bring the fragments
of my life into better, broader use. I concluded to write a story, hoping by
the sale of manuscript to help myself, and by its publication (as I vainly
trusted) comfort others.
Through the long
winter months of ’74, I labored faithfully with this hope in view. My
manuscript was rejected but the laudable motive and desire which had prompted
this undertaking, which the Master had allowed to spring up in my heart, were
destined to bear fruit.
In the dejection
which for a long time overpowered me, I took my pencil and wrote, somewhat
hurriedly, a little article for the Advocate and Guardian, referring to
my broken, useless life, but speaking, too, of the sunshine of hope arising
from my trust in God. My article was addressed to invalids, and the Master saw
fit to bring this before the special notice of the one of His dear children,
then Miss Jennie Drinkwater, of New Vernon, N.J., now Mrs. Conklin, of
Sommerville, N.J. This kind lady sent to the editress of the Advocate and
Guardian for my name and address, wrote me at once of her beautiful
letters, gave me the names of other sufferers to whom she wished me to write,
and, in less than two years, through the untiring efforts of Miss Drinkwater
and Mrs. Brown, editress of the Advocate and Guardian, a society was
organized, composed of invalids in all parts of the world, and this band was
entitled the “Shut-in-Society.” (“The Lord shut hi in.”-Gen. viii: 16.) This
now consists of over two hundred members, and a printed letter devoted to the
interests of these sufferers in published regulary, and is doing much good.
From what small
beginnings doth God, oftentimes, bring great results! I have long since received
far greater pecuniary aid, through the acceptance of my little articles by the
editress of the Advocate and Guardian than I expected to receive for my manuscript
had it met with success; and a broad door for service among God’s stricken ones,
is open before me at all times. I can now behold God’s hand, oh, so plainly! In
allowing disappointment. I want to trust Him more and love Him better.
Dearly beloved,
let us consider the “ravens” and the “lilies,” and trust God Who knoweth all
our need. Let us trust Him, believe His promises, and take courage.
