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'
Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)
This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in Central
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 porch 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 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)
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.
This
awesome prayer takes less than a minute.
Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I
ask
You to minister to their spirit. 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. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to
them Your courage. 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.
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.
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