During the depression of the 1930s, a Christian man living in a large city worked as a carpenter, supporting his wife and six children. Though times were, at best, very hard, he had carefully saved up $20.00 to purchase a much-needed pair of glasses.
One Saturday shortly after, he spent the day building and packing wooden crates for a group of Christians who were sending a large supply of clothing to a Christian mission orphanage in China.
Finishing his work, he walked several miles home. There he reached into his shirt pocket for the glasses, only to find that they were missing! Carefully rethinking the day, he realized that they must have slipped out of his pocket into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were now on their way to China!
He told God that it wasn’t fair. He had been trying to help the needy. Having no money for another pair, how could any good come from this trouble? Why had a loving God allowed the trial?
Months later a missionary from that Chinese orphanage came home on furlough. The carpenter and his family went to hear him speak. After thanking everyone for their support, he continued, smiling, “But most of all I must thank you for the pair of glasses you sent last year. The Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my only pair. I was desperate, for I had no money to purchase new glasses, and even if I had, there was no safe place where I could buy them.
I began having terrible headaches and was unable to do my daily work. We earnestly prayed for the Lord’s help. Shortly after, your crates of clothing arrived. As my staff removed the covers, they found in one crate, a pair of glasses lying right on top of the clothing. When I tried them on, I found they were exactly the strength I needed—almost identical to my previous pair which had been destroyed. It was as though they had been made just for me!”
Hearing this, the weeping carpenter bowed his head in thanksgiving to God for His great goodness.
At times, even the greatest of God’s servants have faltered in the path of faith. Abram went down to Egypt to escape famine in the land God had promised to give his heirs (Gen. 12:1010And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. (Genesis 12:10)). Moses—mighty in word—told Jehovah that he was unable to speak well (Ex. 4:1010And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. (Exodus 4:10)). Elijah, who raised the only son of a widow from the dead, fled in fear from the death threat of wicked Jezebel after he destroyed the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 17, 19). The disciples—to whom the Lord gave power over devils (Luke 9:11Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1))—fear that they will perish in the storm though the Creator of the universe is peacefully sleeping in the ship with them (Mark 41And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. (Mark 4:1)).
Is it not often so with our hearts? Our blessed God assures us that He is all good—that all works for our good—that by His goodness we are blessed. Yet unbelief convinces us that He doesn’t mean what He says. Oh! may we ever remember that “the goodness of God endureth continually” (Psa. 52:11<<To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.>> Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. (Psalm 52:1)).
Ed.