Subject: Isaiah 65:24
"With God all things are possible"
This story was written by a doctor who worked in South 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 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 afternoon, 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 consciousness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed,
"send us a water bottle. 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 would 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 my 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 veranda,
was a large twenty-two 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 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 would. 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?"
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) This awesome prayer takes
less than a minute. When you receive this, say the prayer,... that's all
you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want
- but do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
Let's continue praying for one another...
Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now. I am asking
You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain,
give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a
renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or
exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength
as they learn submission to Your leading. Where there is spiritual
stagnation, I ask You to renew them by revealing Your nearness, and by
drawing them into greater intimacy with You. Where there is fear, reveal
Your love, and release to them Your courage. Where there is a sin blocking
them, reveal it, and break its hold over the lives of my friends.
Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and
friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to
recognize the evil forces around them, and reveal to them the power they
have in You to defeat it. I ask you to do these things in Jesus' name.
P.S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would
do.
"Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move
your feet."
