01/11/2025
Good day, everyone! Another snowy weekend and church services are canceled for Sunday, January 12th. Today, I want to begin my message with a Bible verse, a story, and then a question. Please enjoy the story and comment on my question. Hopefully, we can have Bible study on Wednesday and be back in the church by next Sunday.
"A Little Girl's Prayer." Scripture reading: James 5:17, "Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on that and for 3-1/2 years. Hosea 6:2, "After 2 days, He will revive us, on the third day, He will restore us, that we may live in His presence."
Author unknown: One night, I worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but despite 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 electricity to run an incubator and no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for our box for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire, and fill a hot water bottle. She returned shortly in obvious distress. She announced that when filling the bottle, it burst. Rubber breaks down quickly in the tropical and cool climate/ sad;y, she announced, "And that was our last bottle."
We realized quickly that "crying over spilled milk" was not helping our situation, so here we were in Central Africa, in the jungle, the harsh fact that rubber hot water bottles do not grow on trees. Also, there were no drug stores within many miles of their location. I said, "Okay, everyone, we need to put the baby as close as possible to the fire to keep the baby alive and we need to sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from the drafts. Our main job now was to keep the baby warm and safe."
The next day, at noon, as was the usual custom, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage kids who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping this baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could easily die if it got too cold. I also mentioned the baby's two-year-old sister who had lost, her Mother in childbirth/
During prayer time, a 10-year-old girl, named Ruth, prayed one of the most blunt prayers which the young African kids were prone to pray. "Please, God, send us a hot water bottle. It won't do any good if it arrives tomorrow, as the baby will be dead. So, God, please send it today. Amen."
I gasped at the audacity of the prayer and, kind of as a joke, I said, "And why don't you throw in a dolly for the little girl so she'll really know that Jesus loves her?” As often with the kid's prayers, I was totally put on the spot. Could I honestly say, Amen? I just couldn't get my mind to believe that God could do this now. Yes, I know that God can do everything, and 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 4 years and never once received a parcel from home, and if someone actually did send a package, what are the odds it would contain a hot water bottle? After all, we did live on the equator.
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurse's 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 veranda, was a large, 22 lb. parcel! I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for some of the orphanage kids. Together, the kids and I pulled the strings, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it. Excitement was mounting! About 30 or 40 pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys, and the eyes sparkled as they came out of the box. Next up, there were knitted bandages for those with leprosy, and the children all looked a bit bored with those first things.
Below that stuff, however, out came some saltine crackers and raisins and several baking goods for the breads that were made on the weekends as a treat. Then, as I reached down to the bottom of the box, I felt something, grabbed it, and pulled it out. It was a brand new, rubber hot water bottle! Wow! I actually was crying! I had not asked God to send it, I had not believed that He truly would send it.
Ruth was in the front row of the kids watching. She rushed toward the box, crying out, "If God sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" She reached into the box and pulled out a small, beautifully dressed dolly! Her eyes lit up with the pure light of Christ! Ruth never had doubted God would do this. Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give the dolly to that little girl, so she will know that Jesus really loves her?"
Turns out that the parcel had been on it's way for 5 months. Packed 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. One of the kids had put in a dolly for one of the African kids, 5 months prior to this day, in answer of a 10-year-old girl, named Ruth, to bring it that afternoon! Amen and amen.
My question to you is this: Does anyone have a personal story of how God has answered prayers for you or a loved one, that was totally unexpected? Please leave your comments in the comment section below. God bless you all, see you soon!
Pastor Dave.
