The Wonders of Prayer Part 24

8. In the early part of one Summer, it was found that we had several boys ready to be apprenticed, but there were no applications made by masters for apprentices. This was no small difficulty, as the master must be also willing to receive the apprentice into his own family. We again gave ourselves to _prayer_, instead of _advertising_. Some weeks pa.s.sed, but the difficulty remained. We continued in prayer, and then one application was made for an apprentice, and from the time we first began, we have been able to find places for eighteen boys."

THE CONSUMPTIVE'S HOME.

In the United States there is a Parallel Record to George Mailer's Life of Faith and Trust, found in the history of the Consumptive's Home of Boston, Ma.s.s. It was established twelve years since by Doctor Cullis, who in the ardor of his faith and trust gave himself to the work of the Lord, by ministering in _Jesus' Name_, to the poor consumptives who were unable to provide for themselves. Doctor Cullis is a man of humility, and devoted to his life work, and has been most abundantly blessed by the Lord in his field. To the honor and glory of our Heavenly Father, he has never been forsaken by Him.

The Inst.i.tution began twelve years ago, in small quarters. Now it embraces a very large gathering of useful enterprises: _A Consumptive's Home, Children's Home, Grove Hall Church, Tract Repository, a Training College_, and a _Cancer Home_. The means provided have all been sent by the Lord, who has prompted the hearts of good people to send to it their voluntary contributions.

There is no financial fund, endowment, or pecuniary provision whatever existing for the support of the Home. No individuals have made any agreement for its support; there is no trade or occupation used or connected with it, whereby to obtain any remuneration. There has never been any appeal to man for a.s.sistance, no subscriptions ever taken, no contributions solicited, either publicly or privately; there are no agencies or connections to receive funds from any religious society for procuring charitable relief.

The supplies for the carrying on of this work, during these twelve years, have been wholly _in answer to believing prayer, to the Lord_.

They have fulfilled faithfully the Lord's commands, "_Cast all your cares on Him, for he careth for you_." They have also pleaded in faith, without a doubt, "_Anything ye shall ask the Father in my name, I will do it_." And they have asked and received, and the Provider has never yet failed them.

During the twelve years' time there has been sent to the Consumptive's Home, without any solicitation whatever, but in answer to believing prayer and faith and trust in G.o.d's providence, a sum no less than _three hundred and sixty thousand dollars, and over fifteen hundred patients have been gratuitously cared for_. No one has been urged, asked, or even hinted to contribute to it. Each morning, noon and night prayer has been offered to send means to provide for their daily wants, and the Great Shepherd has sent the supplies.

During these twelve years, the experiences of Doctor Cullis, the founder, have been most remarkable in the frequent answers to prayer in minute details of life, and especially in healing. There are so many such cases, that there is no possible room to doubt. There have often been moments, yes, days of distress and intense trial, when, with not a single penny on hand, it seemed as if failure had come; but faith could not let the promise go, neither was it possible for them to believe that He who could do so much, would forsake so good a work, which was undertaken only in obedience to the guidance and direction of the Lord; and G.o.d has always brought deliverance, and honored them and brought glory to his own name.

In the daily history of these struggles and trials and triumphs of faith, are found many surprising incidents, a few of which we relate.

A BAD DEBT PAID.

"To-day a bill was paid of $31, which I had given up as good for nothing. A long time ago I gave it to the Lord in prayer, and promised Him if it was ever canceled that it should be His."

HELP IN NEED.

"The sums received for several days had been small. One day as the Doctor was in prayer for his needs, he received a note from a lady asking him to call at her house, naming the day and the hour. At the time appointed he called, and found the lady sick in consumption, near to death. She said she had some money which she wished to dispose of before her death. She placed in his hand a _five hundred dollar note_.

It was her last gift. She had received it from the hand of the Lord, and she returned it to Him again."

PRAYING FOR STOVES.

"This afternoon, knowing the necessity of stoves for some of the upper rooms, as the weather is quite cool, I went to the Lord, in prayer, and told him of our need, praying Him in one way to supply us.

"I then went down town to a friend, to look at stoves and inquire the price, when he said, 'that's all right, I shall not charge anything,'

and said he would see that they were put up. This man knew nothing of our great need; he had never visited the Home, knew but little about it, and not a word did he know of the state of my purse. "The Lord inclined the man's heart to give the stoves."

PRAYING FOR A FURNACE.

"I am earnestly praying for the means to purchase a furnace, for we cannot receive patients into the new Home until it can be warmed. I am looking to the Lord, and He will help."

_Seven days later_. "A gentleman has this day ordered a furnace to be put in, with fourteen tons of coal at his expense. I will here say that his attention was not called to our need, but he asked how the house was to be warmed; he then learned of our want, and ordered as above. Truly, 'Whosoever believeth in Him shall not be confounded.'"

THE LORD'S RETURN FOR GIVING UNTO THE POOR.

"This afternoon a poor woman, whose history I have known for some time, and who has a sick husband over eighty years of age, called on me, stating that she had only a ten-cent loaf of bread for herself and her husband to eat since Wednesday, and to-day is Sat.u.r.day.

"Notwithstanding my own need, I felt that I could not withhold from one in greater straits than myself, so in Christ's name, I gave her enough to procure necessary food for a few days. The Lord did not forget it, but this evening has returned the amount with bountiful interest. For the turn I gave Him, He has sent me $40. _'There is that scattereth yet increaseth_.'"

A WATCH GIVEN TO THE LORD--HOW THE LORD RETURNS A BETTER ONE.

"Last year, during a season of great need, I sold my watch; yesterday, the Lord returned it by a gift of a much better one from a friend, who had purchased it abroad, knowing nothing of my need, thus proving, 'He that soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully.'"

THE LORD GAVE DOUBLE WHAT WAS ASKED FOR.

"This morning and noon I called upon the Lord in prayer for the means to pay a bill of $100. By three P.M., a check was sent me of $200."

BLESSINGS AMID CALAMITIES.

"The roof of one of our houses having caught fire from a spark from a neighbor's chimney, it was mostly destroyed; some of the furniture, and the whole home badly damaged by water. All hearts thanked the Lord the circ.u.mstances were no worse. In the midst of our calamity, blessings surrounded us. An unknown donor sends in 20 tons of coal. For weeks I have been praying for the means to purchase our Winter fuel, and now the Lord has inclined the heart of an unknown friend to supply our need."

A REMARKABLE PROMISE.

At one period in the history of the Consumptive's Home, a sum of three thousand dollars placed in the safe, and reserved to be used for payment on the purchase of a new building was stolen, and there was not left a single dollar; every penny was gone.

Nothing daunted, again going to the Lord, and pleading the Lord's own promise, "_If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you_." The request was made in prayer for the three thousand dollars, and the promise of the amount was definitely made to be paid out a certain day.

The day came. Before it had arrived, the Lord had sent the three thousand dollars with unusual contributions, and both the promises of the Lord and that of his children were kept.

The ordinary business man would have said it was foolishness for a poor man, with not a penny in the world, all his means stolen from him, to positively promise on a certain day the next month, to pay so large a sum, exactly the same as was stolen.

The skeptic would have said, "All foolish to plead before an unseen G.o.d, and ask for such a sum. You will never get it. Why didn't your G.o.d prevent your money from being stolen. If your Bible is true, he ought to have protected you from loss."

The answer to all these is thus: The Doctor did trust in the promise of an unseen G.o.d, whom he had tested in the past many hundred times, and who had always been faithful in keeping his promises, and his faith knew that his G.o.d would not suffer his own work to fail nor suffer reproach.

Still further to silence the skeptic, let it be said that after the robbery became known, the sympathy for the inst.i.tution became so much greater, that the contributions voluntarily sent in consequence thereof replaced the three thousand dollars within thirty days, and produced far more in excess, to go towards other needs. Thus an adversity became a blessing. The Lord uses sorrow to produce good.

A WOMAN DELIVERED FROM THE HABIT OF DRINKING.