LIFE IS HARD...AND WITHOUT FAITH IN GOD, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE IT OUT TO OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL. PRAYER IS ONE OF OUR STRONGEST CONNECTIONS TO GOD. WE SHARE WHAT IS ON OUR HEARTS AND HIDDEN OFTEN DEEP WITHIN OUR SOULS...AND GOD HEARS FROM HEAVEN AND SENDS HIS REPLY. IT MAY COME IN THE FORM OF A STRANGER DOING A KIND DEED FOR YOU; IT MAY BE YOU DOING A KIND DEED FOR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IN NEED...OR ANY OF A THOUSAND OTHER WAYS; BUT GOD ALWAYS MEETS THE NEEDS OF HIS CHILDREN AND HE IS NEVER LATE...BUT ALWAYS ON TIME.
Now, I do not know if this story is true, but if you are a believer then you have probably already experienced the AWESOMENESS OF GOD in some similar or other miraculous outpouring of His Love thorough answered prayer. If not, then pray harder and believe! And if you are having a hard time believing, then ask God for a stronger and more vibrant faith in Him and He will answer that prayer as well. And in closing, if this story, real or imagined, does not stir you to tears, better check your pulse or see an eye doctor to have your tear ducts cleaned.
GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU SEEK HIM IN FAITH AND THROUGH PRAYER AND MAY ALL YOU ASK IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. AMEN!
This is a testimony written by a doctor who worked in
Africa.
One night I
had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we
could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying
two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we
had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no
special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly
with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such
babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another
went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in
distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes
easily in tropical climates). “And it is our last hot water
bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk,
so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water
bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down
forest pathways. “All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the
fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free
from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.”
The
following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the
orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various
suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I
explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot
water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also
told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During
prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt
conciseness of our African children. “Please, God” she prayed, “Send us a
hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will
be dead, so please send it this afternoon.”
While I
gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, “And while You are
about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl, so she'll know You
really love her?” As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot.
Could I honestly say “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I
know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't
there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending
me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at
that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if
anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived
on the equator!
Halfway
through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a
message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached
home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel.
I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for
the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing
each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly.
Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the
large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out some brightly colored, knitted
jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages
for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a
box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the
weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really
be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle.
I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He
could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying
out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!”
Rummaging
down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed
dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she
asked, “Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so
she'll know that Jesus really loves her?” “Of course,” I replied!
That parcel
had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school
class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water
bottle, even to the equator.
And one of
the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in
answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “that afternoon.”
“Before
they call, I will answer.” (Isaiah 65:24)
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to trust in God with all our heart. What a faithful God!!!
YES LIFE IS HARD...BUT PRAYERS THAT COME FROM THE HEART ARE EASY...AND GOD IS ALWAYS LISTENING!!!
