One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labour 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, 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 many 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 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 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 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 package. 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 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?”
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, just say the prayer, for the mysterious ways in which He sometimes works. Prayer is one of the greatest free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let’s continue praying for one another.Â
Father, I ask you to bless those who cross my mind and my path. 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 their life. 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.
Amen
This entry was posted
on Friday, December 15th, 2006 at 3:30 am and is filed under Life.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I have to post comment for it is the strangest thing… I came across this site by mistake looking for something completely unrelated. No worries, it was only for info, but I digress. What I was searching for came with no results and then this popped up. I read the story and myriad emotion and reaction flooded me. First, I thought, this is the way the world is supposed to be. Then, I said, I hear about these stories all the time and despite my belief these things never make an obvious point in my life, so how can I hold on to the faith??? I have to, I know. There have been many times in life where I want to give in so badly I can taste it. Someone speaks to me though, reminds me that this is merely temporary. Even if there is nothing after this, nothing is better than the suffering so many endure. So my question is: What harm is it to believe even when it all seems so hopeless? So many others want to supress our beliefs simply because they do not suit our own. I myself am not offended by another’s belief alone. When people fringe upon the decency of humanity and soulship, I am enraged, not offended. I need prayer right now for many things and most of who I know are not willing to see that. Maybe they do not know how. Perhaps they simply will not concede to others belief no matter how much they belive. Either way, God has not forsaken us… WE have forsaken us. Every time we pass by the beggar at the corner or flip by the depressing newscast because it wasn’t anyone we knew or recognize the silent ones who only need a moment from somene, we dismiss this need for companionship, understanding, and empathy. We all suffer. People all remember around the holidays because it is the right thing to do. We need to be reminded daily, even if we can’t stand to hear it. Just because I haven’t personallly seen the hand of God working for me, I certainly have seen the demons and I know that someone has been keeping me in mind and safe. That’s enough for me.
P.S. Don’t know where you’re from or anything at all, but if you decide to visit me, I am at ashynthings@blogspot.com.
It’s where I lay my hat… when I have the time.
In Jesus’ Name…
Well Hello,
I just wanted to say i am glad you found my site, it is very encourageing to hear that people acctually come here. I am a MK from ecuador, but that is about all that you might want to know, but if you need any guidance it is okay to ask for help, i know that God exists and that He takes care of people, He has taken care of me so many times, He has blessed me richly beyond my wildest dreams, what i am trying to say is that if you know that there is a God why don;t you get to know Him, He wants to know you He is just waiting for you to ask Him to come in to your life. well i would highly suggest if you have a Bible to read it start in john, if you don’t try and find a book shope and buy one or if you want to you can download one called E-sword, look it up on Google it is free.
Well may God Bless you,
Mike