The Wonders of Prayer by Various

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"Does not this little incident illustrate the power of prayer? The man
of God, weary and heavy-laden, in his closet in Indiana, spread his case
before the Lord. A disciple in Eastern Massachusetts, _a thousand miles
away_ from the spot where the prayer was offered, who did not know
anything about him or his need, is touched with his wants, and moved to
send him immediate aid."

MR. SPURGEON'S COW.

"My grandfather was a very poor minister, and kept a cow, which was a
very great help in the support of his children--he had ten of them;--and
the cow took the "staggers" and died. 'What will you do now?' said my
grandmother. 'I cannot tell what we shall do now,' said he, 'but I know
what God will do: God will provide for us. We must have milk for the
children.'

"The next morning, there came L20 to him. He had never made application
to the fund for the relief of ministers; but, on that day, there were L5
left when they had divided the money, and one said, 'There is poor Mr.
Spurgeon down in Essex, suppose we send it to him.' The chairman--a Mr.
Morley of his day--said, 'We had better make it L10, and I'll give L5.'
Another L5 was offered by another member, if a like amount could be
raised, to make it up to L20; which was done. They knew nothing about my
grandfather's cow; but God did, you see; and there was the new cow for
him. And those gentlemen in London were not aware of the importance of
the service which they had rendered.

CHARLES SPURGEON."

"TRUST IN THE LORD."

"A poor negro woman, after the death of her husband, had no means of
support for herself and two little children, except the labor of her own
hands; yet she found means out of her deep poverty to give something for
the promotion of the cause of her Redeemer, and would never fail to pay,
on the very day it became due, her regular subscription to the church of
which she was a member. In a hard Winter she had found great difficulty
in supplying the pressing needs of her little family; yet the few pence
for religious purposes had been regularly put by.

"As one season for the contribution came round, she had only a little
corn, a single salt herring, and a five-cent piece remaining of her
little store. Yet she did not waver; she ground the corn, prepared her
children's supper, and then, with a light heart and cheerful
countenance, set out to meeting, where she gave joyfully the five cents,
_the last she had in the world_.

"Returning from the church, she passed the house of a lady to whom, a
long time before, she had sold a piece of pork, so long indeed that she
had entirely forgotten the circumstance. But, seeing her this morning,
the lady called her in, apologized for having been so tardy in the
settlement, and then inquired how much it was. Old Sukey did not know,
and the lady, determined to be on the safe side, gave her two dollars,
besides directing her housekeeper to put up a basket of flour, sugar,
coffee, and other luxuries for her use. Poor Sukey returned home with a
joyful heart, saying, as she displayed her treasures, "See, my children,
the Lord is a good paymaster, giving us 'a hundred-fold even in this
present life, and in the world to come life everlasting.'"

EXACTLY EIGHTY DOLLARS.--"THEY ARE SAFE THAT TRUST IN THEE."

A clergyman somewhat advanced in years recently related to a
correspondent of _The Messenger_ an incident in his own life, which well
illustrates the provident care of our heavenly Father over his children.

"His first church was at V----, and, though he labored diligently,
working with his own hands for his support, he became eighty dollars in
debt. It was a grievous burden, and all his efforts to remove it proved
unavailing. One day, when he felt especially cast down, he retired to
pray over the matter, and on his knees he besought the Lord to aid, as
he despaired of help from any other source. He felt strengthened and
hopeful when he left his closet, and entered his church on Sabbath
morning with a lighter heart than usual. As he passed the door a young
lady met him, and placed in his hand _fifty dollars_, saying that
_twenty_ was to go for the Sabbath-school library, and the remaining
_thirty_ was for himself. He was so surprised that he scarcely trusted
his senses, and asked her not less than three times, that he might not
be mistaken. As he preached that day, God seemed 'a very present help.'
At the close of the service, a young man, noted for his free-hearted,
impulsive character, stepped up and requested that he would perform a
marriage ceremony for him the next week. He did so, and received for his
services a bill, which he placed in his pocket, and, on looking at it
afterwards, found it _fifty dollars_, thus making up _exactly the
eighty_ he had prayed the Lord to send him."

We too often forget that God is as willing to listen to our temporal
wants as to our spiritual, and that "no good thing will He withhold from
them that walk uprightly."

A PRAYER FOR FOUR DOLLARS.

A Home Missionary from Brooklyn called one day upon an editor to gather
some tracts for distribution which he had published. The editor became
interested in the story of his visits among the poor, and though at
first not specially moved to give money at that time, yet toward the
last, putting his hand into his pocket he pulled out all the bills there
were there, $4, and gave them to the missionary with these words: "There
is something which may come useful." The gift was all forgotten until a
few days afterward the missionary returned and said to the editor,
"After I left you I received a letter from a poor lady who had been
owing money for rent for several months, which she could not possibly
pay. That very morning the landlord came and said that if she could only
raise $4 he would excuse the rest; but she did not have the $4. I did
not know where to get it. I happened to drop in to see you; did not tell
you anything of the need, and asked for nothing; yet you gave me the
exact $4 to answer that poor woman's prayer."

An infinite Creator and God had brought these circumstances together in
this exact way. Neither the editor nor missionary had ever met before.
The missionary did not know that the lady was in distress. Who was it
that sent the landlord to the lady and fixed that amount of $4 in his
mind? Who was it that sent the home missionary to the office of a person
he had never seen or known? Who was it that knew of the $4 waiting in
that pocket and prompted that hand to take it out and give it away? Who
was it that led that missionary to obtain and send relief just as she
was praying for that special amount?

_Was it chance or science? No, No. It was the will of a loving God_.

"AUNT SALLY'S" FAITH.

"'Aunt Sally,' says the _American Messenger_, was a devout, working,
trustful Christian. Her husband was a cripple, almost helpless, an
unbeliever, and to some extent an opposer of religion. They lived alone.
The severity of a northern winter was upon them, and in spite of her
best exertions their stock of fuel was scarcely a day's supply.

"'What can be done?' was the anxious inquiry of the unbelieving husband
as they were rising from their bed. 'The Lord will provide,' was 'Aunt
Sally's' cheerful reply. 'I know you always say so, and so it has always
proved,' was the answer of her unbelieving companion; 'but I see no way
in which we can be provided for now.' 'Nor do I,' said 'Aunt Sally.'
'But help will come. God will not desert us.'

"That winter's morning had not passed when their son, who had been a
soldier in the Mexican war, entered the door. It had been long since
they had heard from him, and they feared he was not alive. The sun went
down upon an abundant supply of fuel, cut in the forest by the strong
arms of the soldier-boy, and drawn to the door by means of his
procuring. The unbelieving husband and father declared he would never be
distrustful again.

GOD CARETH FOR YOU.

"Nearly forty years ago I was given up by the doctors for a dying man
from consumption. I had a wife and five children dependent on me, and
for many months was unable to provide for them by my own labors. All our
earthly resources were gone, and one Sabbath morning, when breakfast was
over, we were entirely destitute; there was no meal in the barrel nor
oil in the cruse. In family worship I read the fortieth chapter of
Isaiah. I think up to that time I had never found the word of God so
sweet and precious. I had very near access in prayer, and was enabled to
lay my burden at the Saviour's feet. I closed with the Lord's Prayer; it
seemed made on purpose for me. I think the petition, 'Give us this day
our daily bread,' was offered in faith.

"_Within an hour there was a rap at the door_. When I opened it a young
man stood there who had come three miles to bring us bread, sugar, and
money. He apologized for coming on the Sabbath morning, but said an aunt
of his was at their house the evening before, and felt so anxious about
us she could not go away till he promised her he would come and bring us
those things."

A PRAYER NOT ANSWERED.

"Many years ago, a man then recently married, settled in my native town.
It was then quite new, destitute of religious privileges, and given to
all manner of wickedness. There was no Sabbath, and no sanctuary. The
man was pious. The thought of bringing up a family in such a place
distressed him. He wished to remove; and he used to retire daily to a
little grove, and _pray that God would send some one to buy his farm_.
This prayer was not answered. Better things were in store. A neighbor
was taken sick. He visited and conversed with him. In the midst of the
conversation, one sitting by interrupted him and said, 'Sir, if what you
say is true, I am lost.' This gave new interest to the occasion. Prayer
was offered, the Spirit was found out, and many were converted. A
prayer-meeting was started; other revivals followed; in due time a
church was organized, a house of worship built, and a pastor settled,
mainly through the instrumentality of that one man; and he trained up
his family there, and lived to see most of them members of the church of
Christ. Do not despair, God will _either answer your exact prayer,_ or
_do something better for you_; He knows what is for your best good."

TRUST IN THE LORD.

"A pious woman, who was reduced to extreme poverty and deserted by her
intemperate husband, was taken sick, and lay several days without
physical power to provide food for her two little children. She had
directed them where to find the little that was remaining in the house,
and they had eaten it all. Still she lay sick, with no means of
obtaining more, as night closed upon the hungry household. The children
soon forgot their hunger in sleep; but not so the mother. She saw no
help for them but in God, and she spent the night-watches in spreading
before him their necessities. As the morning approached her confidence
in God increased, and that passage from his word rested with peculiar
sweetness upon her mind, 'Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou
dwell in the land, and _verily thou shalt be fed_.'

"Morning came. The starving children managed by her direction to build
them a little fire, and almost before they had commenced telling their
mother of their hunger, a stranger came in. She introduced herself as
Mrs. J., saying she had known for some time that there was a new family
in the neighborhood, and intended to call and make their acquaintance,
but had been prevented. _During the last night she had been so troubled
and disturbed about it_, that she thought she would run in early, lest
she should again be prevented, and see if there was any way in which she
could be of service to them. The mother in bed, with her head bound to
mitigate its pain, revealed the story of her sufferings, and the good
lady soon learned their entire destitution. They were immediately made
comfortable; and all will be glad to know that it was the beginning of
better days to that deserted wife and mother."

THE NECESSITY OF ASKING GOD'S BLESSING EVERY DAY, UPON YOUR DAILY WORK.
EVERY WORK, HOWEVER GOOD, NEEDS SPECIAL, SPECIFIC, DAILY PRAYER FOR ITS
PROSPERITY.

"A colporteur in the Wabash valley became quite discouraged and was
almost ready to give up his work, on account of the smallness of his
sales. On every side, his ears were filled with complaints of 'hard
times;' the wheat crop had partially failed two years in succession--the
California emigration, and railroad and plank-road speculations had
almost drained the country of money. Frequently he would be told, that
if he could come after harvest they would buy his books, but that it was
impossible to do so then. His sales were daily decreasing, and he became
more and more disheartened, until one night, after a laborious day's
effort, he found that he had _only sold twenty-five cents' worth_! He
felt that he could not go on in this way any longer. He was wasting his
strength and time, and the money of the Society. On examination of the
state of his heart, he found that it had, gradually and almost
unconsciously, grown cold and departed far from Christ. He felt that he
had not prayed as he ought to have done, especially _he had neglected
each morning, and on his approach to each dwelling, to pray that then
and there God would guide him, and own and bless his efforts to sell
books._ He saw that probably here was at least a part of the cause why
his sales had become so small. Early the next morning, before any of the
family were up, he arose and retired to the adjoining woods, where he
had a long and precious season of communion with God. There he anew
dedicated himself and his all to the service of Christ. There, as under
the eye of the Master, he reviewed the time he had labored as a
colporteur, and prayed for forgiveness for the past and grace for the
future. There he told the Saviour all about his work, and asked him to
go with him that day, preparing the way and enabling him to succeed in
the work on which he had entered. The result was what might have been
expected. He went forth a new man; his heart was interested more deeply
in the truths which he was circulating--they were more precious than
ever to his own soul, and he could recommend his books, as he failed to
do when his heart was cold and prayerless. _That first day he sold more
books than during the whole week before._ In one instance, he sold
several dollars' worth in a family where, as he was afterwards told by
pious men in the neighborhood, the father was most bitterly opposed to
everything connected with true religion. God had prepared that man's
heart, so that he was ready to purchase quite a library for his family.
And in many families that met him that day with the usual salutation,
'no money,' he succeeded in disposing of more than one volume by sale.
As he went from family to family, lifting up his heart in prayer to God
for success in the particular object of his visit, God heard his prayers
and owned his efforts. And so, he assured me, it had been since;
whenever he had been _prayerful_--_prayerful for this particular
object_, and then had diligently and faithfully done his best, he had
invariably succeeded in doing even more than he expected."

PRAYER FOUND THE REMEDY FOR THE DISEASE.

"A correspondent of _The Illustrated Christian Weekly_, states that a
mother of her acquaintance had a child taken alarmingly ill. She sent
for the physician. The child was in convulsions. The doctor began at
once vigorously to apply the customary remedies--cold water to the head,
warm applications to the feet, chafing of the hands and limbs. All was
in vain. The body lost nothing of its dreadful rigidity. Death seemed
close at hand, and absolutely inevitable. At length he left the child,
and sat down by the window, looking out. He seemed, to the agonized
mother, to have abandoned her darling. For herself, she could do nothing
but pray; and even her prayer was but an inarticulate and unvoiced cry
for help. _Suddenly the physician started from his seat. 'Send and see
if there be any jimson weed in the yard_,' he cried. His order was
obeyed; the poisonous weed was found. The remedies were instantly
changed. Enough of the seeds of this deadly weed were brought away by
the medicine to have killed a man. The physician subsequently said that
he thought that in that five minutes every kindred case he had ever
known in a quarter century's practice passed before his mind. Among them
was the one case which suggested the real, but before hidden, cause of
the protracted and dreadful convulsions. And the child was saved.

"Now, is there anything inconsistent or unphilosophical in the belief
that, at that critical moment, a loving God, answering the mother's
Helpless cry, flashed on the mind of the physician the thought that
saved the child? Is it any objection to that faith to say, the age of
miracles is past? If the mother, may call in a second physician, to
suggest the cause and the cure, may she not call on God? What the doctor
can do for a fellow-practitioner, cannot the Great Physician do? Though
the doctor had often tried and thought, yet it was not till the last
prayer and call on God, brought the remedy to his mind."

PRAYER INSTANTANEOUSLY ANSWERED FOR CONVERSION.

On the evening of the fifty-first daily prayer-meeting in Augusta, Ga.,
a large gathering assembled in the St. John's M.E. Church, at which Dr.
Irvine presided, and some very touching communications were read. One
was from a widowed mother, asking thanksgiving for the salvation of her
youngest daughter, recently from a boarding-school in New York city,
where she had finished her education. Some weeks ago she had sought the
prayers of the daily prayer-meeting for the conversion of her precious
child, who was spending a few weeks with some friends seventy miles from
Augusta. Prayers were offered accordingly, but without intimation of any
change. The loving mother sent in a second application or prayer to Dr.
Irvine, to be read on a recent Monday morning; all this without her
daughter's knowledge. On Tuesday the mother received a letter from her
daughter, dated two o'clock on Sabbath, informing her that on that day,
and at that hour, she had resolved to give her heart to Christ,
intending to ask admission to the church at the next communion. Strange
to say, at the very moment when the faithful mother was writing her
application for prayers for that child, she was announcing her own
conversion.

What a verification of the blessed promise: "Before they call I will
answer; and while they are yet speaking I will hear."

HELP FOR THE SHIPWRECKED.

Admiral Sir Thomas Williams, a straight-forward and excellent man, was
in command of a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. His course brought him
in sight of the Island of Ascension, at that time uninhabited, and
_never visited by any ship_, except for the purpose of collecting
turtles, which abound on the coast. The island was barely descried on
the horizon, and was not to be noticed at all; but as Sir Thomas looked
at it, he was _seized by an unaccountable desire to steer toward it_.

He felt how strange such a wish would appear to his crew, and _tried to
disregard it; but in vain_. His desire became more and more urgent and
distressing, and foreseeing that it would soon be more difficult to
gratify it, he told his lieutenant to prepare to "_put about ship_" and
steer for Ascension. _The officer to whom he spoke ventured to
respectfully represent that changing their course would greatly delay
them_--that just at that moment the men were going to their dinner--that
at least some delay might be allowed.

But these arguments seemed, to increase Captain Williams' anxiety, and
the ship was steered toward the uninteresting little island. All eyes
and spy-glasses were now fixed upon it, and soon something was perceived
on the shore. "It is white--it is a flag--it must be a signal!" And when
they neared the shore, it was ascertained that sixteen men, wrecked on
the coast many days before, and suffering the extremity of hunger, had
set up a signal, though almost without hope of relief. What made the
captain steer his ship in the very opposite direction to what he and his
crew wanted to go, but the _superhuman Spirit of God_.

SAMUEL HARRIS'S LAWSUIT, AND HOW THE LORD SETTLED IT FOR HIM.

"When Samuel Harris, of Virginia, began to preach, his soul was so
absorbed in the work, that he neglected to attend to the duties of this
life. Finding, upon a time, that it was absolutely necessary that he
should provide more grain for his family than he had raised upon his own
farm, he called upon a man who owed him a debt, and told him he would be
glad to receive the money.

"The man replied: 'I have no money by me, and cannot oblige you.'

"Harris said; 'I want the money to purchase wheat for my family; and as
you have raised a good crop of wheat, I will take that of you instead of
money, at a current price.'

"The man answered: 'I have other uses for my wheat, and cannot let you
have it.'

"'How then,' said Harris, 'do you intend to pay me?'

"'I never intend to pay you until you sue me,' replied the debtor, 'and
therefore you may begin your suit as soon as you please.'

"Mr. Harris left him, meditating. Said he to himself, 'What shall I do?
Must I leave preaching, and attend to a vexatious lawsuit? Perhaps a
thousand souls may perish in the meantime, for want of hearing of Jesus!
No; I will not. Well, what will you do for yourself? Why, this will I
do; I will sue him at the Court of Heaven.' Having resolved what he
would do, he turned aside into a wood, and on his knees laid the matter
before the Lord. Mr. Harris felt such an evidence of Divine favor,--he
felt, to use his own expressive language, that Jesus would become
bondsman for the man, and see that he was paid if he went on preaching.
Mr. Harris arose from prayer, resolved to hold the man no longer a
debtor, since Jesus had assumed the payment. He therefore wrote a
receipt in full of all accounts against the man, and dating it in the
woods, where he had prayed, signed it with his own name. Going the next
day by the man's house, on his way to meeting, he gave the receipt to a
servant, directing him to give it to his master. On his return from
meeting, the man hailed him, and demanded what he meant by the receipt
he had sent him in the morning.

"Mr. Harris replied: 'I mean just as I wrote.'

"'But you know, sir,' answered the debtor, 'I have never paid you.'

"'True,' said Mr. Harris, 'and I know you said that you never would
unless I sued you. But, sir, I sued you at the Court of Heaven, and
Jesus entered bail for you, and has agreed to pay me; I have therefore
given you a discharge!'

"'But I insist upon it,' said the man; 'matters shall not be left so.'

"'I am well satisfied,' answered Harris. 'Jesus will not fail me. I
leave you to settle the account with him at another day. Farewell.'

"This operated so effectually on the man's conscience, that in a few
days he _came and paid the debt_."

A WAGON-LOAD OF FOOD.

"A young minister and his wife were sent on to their first charge in
Vermont about the year 1846. On the circuit were few members, and most
of these were in poor circumstances. After a few months the minister and
his wife found themselves getting short of provisions. Finally their
last food had been cooked, and where to look for a new supply was a
question which demanded immediate attention.

"The morning meal was eaten, not without anxious feelings; but this
young servant of the Most High had laid his all upon the altar, and his
wife also possessed much of the spirit of self-sacrifice; and they could
not think the Saviour who had said to those he had called and sent out
to preach in his name: 'Lo! I am with you always,' would desert them
among strangers. After uniting in family prayer he sought a sanctuary in
an old barn, and there committed their case to God;--his wife met her
Savior in her closet and poured out her heart before him there.

"That morning a young married farmer, a mile or two away, was going with
a number of hands to his mowing-field. But as he afterward told the
minister, he was obliged to stop short. He told his hired help to go on,
but he _must go back_--_he must go and carry provisions to the
minister's house_. He returned to the house, and telling his wife how he
felt, asked her help in putting up the things he must carry. He
harnessed his horse into his wagon; put up a bushel of potatoes, meat,
flour, sugar, butter, etc. He was not a professor of religion. The
minister's wife told me there was a good wagon-load. He drove it to the
house, and found that his gifts were most thankfully received. This
account was received from the minister himself,--David P.--, who died in
Chelsea, Mass., in Dec. 1875, and subsequently from his wife,--and
communicated to a correspondent of '_The Christian_.'"

"GOD'S RAVEN."

"A lady who lived on the north side of London, set out one day to see a
poor sick friend, living in Drury Lane, and took with her a basket
provided with tea, butter, and food. The day was fine and clear when she
started; but as she drew near Islington a thick fog came on, and
somewhat frightened her, as she was deaf, and feared it might be
dangerous in the streets if she could not see. Thicker and darker the
fog became; they lighted the lamps, and the omnibus went at a walking
pace. She might have got into another omnibus and returned; but a strong
feeling which she could not explain made her go on. When they reached
the Strand they could see nothing. At last the omnibus stopped, and the
conductor guided her to the foot-path. As she was groping her way along,
the fog cleared up, just at the entrance to Drury Lane, and even the
blue sky was seen. She now easily found the narrow court, rang the
number 5 bell, and climbed to the fifth story. She knocked at the door,
and a little girl opened it.

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