Milo

PRAYERS ANSWERED FOR RAIN

Within two blocks of the Pacific Mission, in Chicago, is one of our large depots, the Rock Island and Lake Shore. Here is a good field for labor. One night, when inviting one and another to the mission, a. lady answered: “We are or our way to Oberlin.” “The place,” I asked, “where Charles Finney lived?” “Yes.” “And did you know him?” “Yes,” she answered; “and my husband, who is here, was a member of his church.” Soon he joined us, much crippled and out of health; at first but little inclined to talk. I told him how precious the memory of Mr. Finney was, and asked if he could tell us any personal reminiscences of him. Soon the fire began to burn in his heart, and his lips began to speak. He said:”We had been long without rain. All vegetation was drying up; everything looked parched. In the prayer preceding the sermon, on Sunday, Mr. Finney began to pour out his full heart to God for rain. He laid the whole case before Him. ‘Lord, the cattle in the fields are lowing for water; there will be no food for them for winter, unless thou sendest rain. The harvest will fail – no food for man-unless Thou sendest rain. The little squirrels in the woods are panting for rain. On and on the petitions rose, faith rising as he prayed, until he felt they had entered into the ear of the Lord of Sabaoth, and, that ‘as a prince, he had power with God, and prevailed.’ His closing words were: “Lord; we want rain, and we want it now!” The service proceeded, the text was chosen, and for about half an hour Mr. Finney preached, when the rain began to dash against the windows. He stopped, and gave out the hymn:

“When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view,
I’m lost in wonder, love, and praise”

“The whole congregation rose to their feet, and don’t think, in that assembly of three thousand people was one dry eye. I never can tell it,” said the stranger:” but it melts me right up.” Yea, we were all melted, while “heaven came souls to greet, and glory crowned the Mercy seat.” “God, who lived in Elijah’s time, Is just the same today.” “Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly “when the sins of the people were hurrying them on to destruction” that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for the space of three years. And again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain.” Are not all these scriptures given to encourage and strengthen the faith of God’s people in all ages? Yea, verily! Two sisters had left the Taylorville, Ill., campground on their way to visit a sick woman.

The earth had become as dust; all nature was parched and drying up under the hot beams of the sun. It was Saturday; and looking forward to the Sunday, bringing its multitudes from all the surrounding country, they thought of the suffering and discomfort there would be. The elder of the two asked: “Is not God the same today as in the days of Elijah?” The dry bed of a spring seemed a good place for prayer, and there they knelt together. Soon their united faith took hold, and the assurance was given that their prayers were heard, and their petitions should be granted. L. B. Kent, of Jacksonville, the leader of the meeting, proposed at the close of the afternoon service, that a meeting should be held for prayer for rain. “And shall I hide what the Lord has already promised?” was the query whispered by the Spirit. “No;” and rising to her feet, one of the sisters told how the Lord had promised the rain.

Night came. The moon, in her glorious brightness, shone forth, and there was no indication in the heavens of rain. Hour after hour passed, while every now and then, as faith 2 held on for the promised blessing, the assuring words of Jesus would come: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you three o’clock came, and the rain began to fall, and the hallelujahs and praises to God went up from many a waiting heart. It fell copiously until seven o’clock when clouds dispersed, and the people gathered and the work of God moved on blessedly. — Sarah A. Cooke

PRAYER FOR THE PREACHER

John Livingston, of Scotland, once spent a whole night in prayer with a company of his brethren, for God’s blessing, all of them besieging the throne; and the next day, under his sermon, five hundred souls were saved.

All the world has heard how the audience of the elder President Edwards was moved by his terrible sermon on “Sinners in the hands of an angry God;” some of them even grasping hold of the pillars of the sanctuary, from feeling that their feet were actually sliding into the pit. But the secret of that sermon’s power is known to but few.

Some Christians in the vicinity (Enfield, Mass.) had become alarmed, lest, while God was blessing other places, He should in anger pass them by; and so they met on the preceding evening, and spent the whole night in agonizing prayer — Foster’s Cyclopedia

PRAYER ANSWERED FOR ONE HUNDRED MISSIONARIES

Major O. M. Brown, President of the Ohio Christian Alliance, of Cleveland, O.H, furnishes us the following: In the spring of 1890, A. B. Simpson, President of the International Christian Alliance, was burdened in prayer for the heathen, who were perishing without the knowledge of the true God. And as he prayed, he began to inquire: “Lord, what can I do about it?” Then he began to ask the Lord to give him that year, one hundred missionaries for the foreign work, and money enough to pay their transit, and support them one year on the field; which would be about one hundred thousand dollars.

At the New York State Convention of the Alliance, held at Round Lake, in July of that same year, Mr. Simpson gave a very stirring address on the subject, and the people pledged $1,800 in a few minutes. At the Ohio Convention, at Beulah Park, near Cleveland, a few days later, $2,200 was pledged. And at the Old Orchard Convention, in Maine, in the month of August, $35,000 was pledged. Afterward, the pledges kept coming in, until there was upwards of $100,000 pledged. Before the year was out, the one hundred missionaries were many of them, in the field, or on the way thither. A few of them had not yet departed, but were ready to sail.

The work nearly doubled during the year 1892. These missionaries are scattered over large portions of the heathen world-in India, China, Japan, Africa, Palestine, South America, and the Islands of the Sea. None of this great force of Christian workers receive any stated salary for their service; and no member of the Mission Board receives any remuneration for his service. God will honor those who ask large things of Him.

 PRAYER ANSWERED FOR A DEBT OF NINETY DOLLARS

A few years ago we owed a-man ninety dollars. When it came due we were unable to pay it. We went to him and asked his forgiveness, telling him our circumstances. He was a Christian, and manifested a Christian spirit in telling us not to worry over it, that he was not uneasy. Some time after this, we became greatly burdened on account of the debt, and were led out to pray God to open the way for us to meet the obligation, or to influence him to donate it, as he was a man of means.

Soon after this, a brother minister came to us, and told us how he was impressed to pay the obligation for us. He said he had told his wife of his feelings, and she remarked that she had had the same conviction for some time.

This minister, living in the same neighborhood, went and offered the money, or part of it, which the man took. But a short time after, he was so burdened over it that he could not sleep, and was compelled to take the money back to the minister, Brother K., in the night. He went to the home of Brother K—-., and called him up, and in tears told him how the Lord had appeared to him in the night, and compelled him to return the money. He said it seemed that forks were sticking in him, and he was impressed to donate the money to us, instead of allowing our friend, Brother K—-. to pay the obligation. Thus God answered our prayer in a time of special need, as he always does those that call upon Him in the right spirit. — Editor.

PERSECUTORS PUT TO SILENCE, AND CONVERTED

The following is from the Autobiography of that wonderful revivalist, Charles G. Finney. The circumstances as related occurred early in his ministry, at Gouverneur, N.Y. I have said that there was a Baptist church, and a Presbyterian, each having a meeting-house standing upon the green, not far apart; and that the Baptist church had a pastor, but the Presbyterian had none. As soon as the revival broke out, and attracted general attention, the Baptist brethren began to oppose it. They spoke against it, and used very objectionable means indeed to arrest its progress. This encouraged a set of young men to join hand in hand, to strengthen each other in Opposition to the work. The Baptist Church was quite influential; and the stand that they took greatly emboldened the opposition, and seemed to give it a peculiar bitterness and strength, as might be expected. Those young men seemed to stand like a bulwark in the way of the progress of the work. In this state of things, Brother Nash and myself, after consultation, made up our minds that that thing must be overcome by prayer, and that it could not be reached in any other way. We therefore retired to a grove, and gave ourselves up to prayer until we prevailed; and we felt confident that no power which earth or hell could interpose, would be allowed permanently to stop the revival. The next Sunday, after preaching morning and afternoon myself for I did the preaching altogether, and Brother Nash gave himself up almost continually to prayer – we met at five o’clock in the church, for a prayer-meeting. The meeting-house was filled. Near the close of the meeting, Brother Nash arose, and addressed that company of young men who had joined hand in hand to resist the revival. I believe they were all there, and they sat braced up against the Spirit of God. It was too solemn for them really to make ridicule of what they heard and saw; and yet their brazen-facedness and stiff-neckedness were apparent to everybody. Brother Nash addressed them very earnestly, and pointed out the guilt and danger of the course they were taking. Toward the close of his address, he waxed exceedingly warm,and said to them: “Now, mark me, young men! God will break your ranks in less than one week, either by converting some of you, or by sending some of you to hell. He will do this as certainly as the Lord is my God !.” He was standing where he brought his hand down on the top of the pew before him, so as to make it thoroughly jar. He sat immediately down, dropped his head, and groaned with pain. The house was as still as death, and most of the people held down their heads. I could see that the young men were agitated. For myself, I regretted that Brother Nash had gone so far. He had committed himself, that God would either take the life of some of them, and send them to hell, or convert some of them, within a week. However, on Tuesday morning of the same week, the leader of these young, men came to me, in the greatest distress of mind. He was all prepared to submit; and as soon as I came to press him, she broke down like a child, confessed, and manifestly gave himself to Christ. Then he said: “What shall I do, Mr. Finney?” I replied: “Go immediately to all your young companions, and pray with them, and exhort them, at once to turn to the Lord.” He did so; and before the week was out, nearly if not all of that class of young men, were hoping in Christ.