02.09. Chapter 09. Prayer and Money

Prayer and Money

Even apart from any organization whatever faith and prayer are effective. A certain preacher of the gospel in England, one having no private means, concluded that God had called him to service in India. He made no appeal for funds, save unto God ; but by the time that it was needful to pay the deposit on the passage money, enough was in hand for this, and by the day that the ticket had to be completed, this was possible. He reached his destination in India, among strangers, with ten pence to the good, plus the promises f God and a peaceful heart. In a few days he unexpectedly met a business man who had been a playmate of his boyhood. This friend, knowing nothing of his then need, asked him to accept a sovereign. And thus from place to place he journeyed, serving the Lord in India, Burma, Egypt, Tunisia, and other lands; almost always with a nearly empty purse, yet always finding a well of salvation as required. For very many years was such service continued, in addition to twenty-five years in this land; and were the whole story, in only its financial aspect, recorded in detail, it would be a testimony indeed to the faithfulness of God, the power of prayer, and the feasibility of the Lord’s methods of gospel labour. But this story scarcely needs to be written, for much adequate testimony of this kind is available in such lives as those of George Muller, Hudson Taylor, and others.

Yet perhaps one incident may be recorded to the glory of God, and for the encouragement of faith. This worker was in Egypt in August, 1914, at the outbreak of war. Immediately war was declared all foreign exchange stopped. Having but little money in hand, and the receiving of money from abroad being all but impossible, a day soon came when his funds were reduced to the sum of four pence halfpenny. Of this none knew but God, and to Him constant prayer was made.

1 3 John 1:7; Acts 20:33. 2 Acts 20:34. 3 Haggai 2:8 4 2 Chronicles 25:9; 2 Chronicles 1:12. That very evening two letters were received. One of these contained a draft for fifty pounds, the history of which, as afterwards transpired, was as follows. Immediately war was declared, a kind friend, then in Switzerland, thought of the probable difficulty of the one in Egypt, and desired to send money. But shut up in Switzerland, and there likewise short of funds, it seemed impossible to do this, since no banks would grant credit or give foreign drafts. But this friend remembered that a gentleman then in England, had some money at his credit with a certain commercial house in Cairo, and wrote to him to send an order thereon. The postal delay involved at that time of disorganization did but serve to hinder the arrival of the help till faith and prayer had been fully tested and strengthened. But this was not all. In that period of financial stringency it took a few days for the firm to cash the draft, and this left no provision for those days. But this detail God had foreseen, and had afore arranged the supply, by moving another loving heart in England to post, so as to arrive by the same delivery, a British postal order for five shillings. This being payable at any post office (probably the only paper money negotiable at that time), just met the temporary need. Let not unbelief again ask, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?1 Nor is the gracious readiness of our God to hear the cry of His children in matters monetary limited to the affairs of directly spiritual work. A Christian lady was proprietress of a dressmaking business. Having no spare capital, and her customers being of a certain social class at almost invariably took unjustifiably long credit, she was not seldom in straits.

One Saturday morning this lady went before breakfast to an intimate friend, to whom she confided practically every business perplexity, to say that she found herself without money to pay the weekly wages. She knew that her friend could not find the eight pounds needed, but she besought his prayers. She said that her work-hands needed their pay, that she had never before had to send them away unpaid, and that she felt that to do so would be to the hindering of her testimony to them concerning Christ. Prayer was very definitely offered that God would help. And the way he did so was singularly to His own .praise. Had a local customer come to the shop and paid an account, that would not have been at all striking, or very clearly an answer to prayer. But this did not occur. By the early afternoon post a customer who was away from home sent £10, and these special features lent wondrous interest to the remittance

(1) The lady (who was afterwards the wife of a then well-known General) was one who had always taken very long credit. This time, the goods had been only just delivered.

(2) Accustomed not to pay promptly when at home, it was most unlikely that she would concern herself with a, to her, small and new account when at a considerable distance on holiday.

(3) Prayer had been offered in the early morning; the post-mark showed that the letter had been posted shortly after that hour of prayer.

(4) Such customers generally remitted accounts by check. Had this usual practice been followed on this occasion it would not have met the need, since the bank was closed before the letter arrived. But she sent bank notes, which were easily cashed. And so exactly does God work in answer to believing prayer, that the supply came within the very hour that preceded the closing of the workroom.

1 Psalms 78:19.