God Paid The Rent - Answer To Prayer.


A poor Christian family were in distress. The husband, during a long and

painful sickness, had borne his trials for months with cheerful

Christian resignation; "but, on this day," said a City Missionary, "I

found them, for the first time, in tears. The cause I soon learned was

the want of means to pay the rent of their little home, which would come

due on the following Monday, and must be paid then, or they would have

o leave and go they knew not where. The amount needed, _fifteen

dollars_, and the amount in hand but _fifty cents;_ the future all dark,

and no hope of recovery from sickness, and no hope of being able to meet

their expenses--it might be of a long sickness and want--what could I do

for them? If theirs had been the only case of like wants that day, I no

doubt could have gone to a few friends and have collected the amount.

But that would not do them the good I felt they needed. But I felt sure

of a better way to get it, and lead them to trust in the Lord, and

glorify God and not man.



"On the wall, at the foot of the sick man's bed, I had hung, but a short

time previous, one of those precious silent comforters, a scroll of

Scripture texts, printed in large type, and a different prayer for every

day in the month. On the page before us for _that day_, after calling

their attention to it, I read the following words: '_And all things

whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive_.' Matt.

21:22. 'Again I say unto you, _that if two of you shall agree on earth

as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them_.

Matt. 18:9; remarking, 'Are not those precious promises? Your fears,

dear brother and sister, are that you will not be able to pay the rent

on Monday, and may be turned out into the street, unless you get the

means to pay the rent; are they not?' 'That is so,' said they. 'There

are two ways: one, to try to get some one to lend you the amount until

you can pay, if the landlord will not wait; another, to go and beg for

it.' I have learned a better way, and wish I could lead you to do the

same. Do as David did. Have you ever gone to the Lord as directed above,

and found in Him, as David did, a very present help in time of trouble?

Would not your faith and confidence in God's word and in his kind,

overruling providence be more strengthened, if, in going to Him now and

making known your present troubles and wants, He should in a way,

without your making known your wants to any other person, on Monday

enable you to pay all?' The answer was, 'We should.'



"After prayer and encouragement to do so, I left them, with the promise

to call the following Tuesday. Doing so, I was met at the door by the

wife with a countenance full of joy. '_Oh, brother, we could not wait

until you came, to tell you the wonderful answer to our prayer_. On

Monday, _the very day_ that we had to pay the rent, one gentleman came

and handed my husband _five dollars_, and early in the morning Mrs.

F---- called and handed me _ten dollars_, making in all _just fifteen

dollars_, the amount we needed; was it not wonderful? Oh, how good the

Lord is!' The same week another called and gave them an order for fifty

dollars more, so that they were able to pay up all their debts, and the

sudden joy soon led to a speedy restoration to health, and the husband

is now one of the most active Christian workers and teachers in a

mission school, and the wife and daughter are also trying to do all they

can to lead others to trust in Jesus."



More

;