This story was written by a doctor who worked in South 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 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 afternoon, 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 consciousness of our African children. "Please, God" she
prayed, "send us a water bottle. 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 would 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 my 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
veranda, was a large twenty-two 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 would.
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?"
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) This awesome prayer
takes less than a minute. 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.
