Monday, February 7, 2011

Isaiah 65 v 24

If we only had the faith of those whose minds have not been cluttered by doubt. This was sent to me and after reading the scripture above, I was reminded of what faith is really all about. Which brings the scripture Heb. 11 v 1....Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen..... AMEN! Hope you enjoy the story and I hope your faith will be renewed.


This is a story written by a doctor who worked in 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 verandah 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 I ask. 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. I
> ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen
>

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