Having What We Need On Time
He will then show Himself as “an ever-present help in trouble” and make the heart happy each time He shows His faithfulness.
We who only see such a small part of our trials, often feel that we would not want to miss them. How much more shall we want to bless and worship His name when all the things we cannot see are brought to light?
In the autumn of 1857, just one year after I came to settle in Ningpo, a little incident happened that did much to strengthen our faith in the loving and kind God and His all-seeing care. A brother in the Lord, the Rev. John Quarterman, of the American Presbyterian Mission North, “was taken with severe smallpox.
My sad duty was to take care of him until his death. Then it became necessary to do away with the clothing worn while taking care of him, for fear of giving the disease to others.
Not having enough money in hand to purchase what was needed, prayer was the only answer. The Lord answered it by the unexpected coming of a long-lost box of clothing from Swatow that had remained in the care of the Rev. William Bums when I left him in Shanghai in the early summer of the year before. These things came at the right time and brought a sweet sense of the Father’s care to provide them. About two months later the following was written:
November 18, 1857
Many seem to think that I am very poor. This certainly is true enough in one sense, but I thank God it is “poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” And my God shall give everything I need; to Him be all the glory. I would not, if I could, live in a different way than I am —completely dependent upon the Lord, and used as an instrument to help others.
On Saturday, November 4, our home mail arrived. That morning we gave the usual breakfast to about seventy of the very poor. Sometimes, there are fewer than forty while at other times, more than eighty. They come to us every day, except for the Lord’s Day. On that day we are unable to feed them and get through our other work as well.
On that Saturday morning, we paid all that we owed and made sure we had enough food for ourselves for the next day. After this, there was no money left between us. How the Lord was going to provide for Monday we knew not.
Over our fireplace, there were two written messages in Chinese letters — Ebenezer, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.” and Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord will provide” — and He kept us from doubting for a time.
That very day the mail came in, a week sooner than was expected. Mr. Jones received a bank check for $214. We gave God thanks and took new strength. The check was taken to a storekeeper. There was usually a delay of several days to get the money. This time, he said, “Send down on Monday.”
Although he had not been able to exchange all the dollars, he let us have seventy. So all was well. Oh, it is sweet to live in this way and depend upon the Lord who never will fail us!
On Monday, the poor had their breakfast as usual. We had not told them not to come, knowing that the Lord would provide for His work. We could not keep our eyes from filling with tears of thankfulness when we saw not only our own needs met but those of the widow2 and the orphan,3 the blind and the lame. The friendless and the poor, together had their needs met by Him who can feed the birds.
“Glorify the LORD with me: let us lift and honor his name together. Taste and see that the lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints,5for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry but those who seek the lord lack no good thing. ” If a thing is not good, why would we want it?
But even $200 cannot last forever. By New Year’s Day, we did not have much again. At last, on January 6, 1858, only coin remained — 1/20 of a penny — in the joint possession of Mr. Jones and me. We looked to God once again to show His kind care.
Enough food was found in the house for a small breakfast. After that, we could only take ourselves to Him who was able to give us all that we need with the request, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
We had no food in the house nor money to buy any. After prayer and much thought, we decided that we should try to sell something to meet our immediate needs. On looking around, we saw nothing that we could sell and little that the Chinese would purchase for ready money.
We could have borrowed but this we felt was not in agreement with Scripture. We had one thing — an iron stove7 which we knew the Chinese would buy quickly. But we did not want to sell.
A while later, we set out to the founder’s,8, and after a walk of some distance came to the river which we had wanted to cross by a floating bridge of boats. Here the Lord blocked our path.
The bridge had been carried away the night before and we could only cross the river by boat, the payment for which was two coins for each person. As we only possessed one coin, we had to return and wait on His plan for us.
On arriving home, we found that Mrs. Jones had gone by invitation with the children to eat at a friend’s house. Mr. Jones had been invited but refused to go and leave me with nothing to eat. We carefully looked through the cupboards.
Though there was nothing to eat, we found a small amount of cocoa,10 of which we drank with a little hot water. After this, we prayed to the Lord Who heard and saved us. While we were still on our knees, a letter arrived from England containing a payment to us.
This not only met the immediate and urgent need of that day but some future needs as well, for I was to marry just fourteen days after this date. I was strengthened in my sure belief that God would not allow shame to come to those whose complete and only trust was in Him.
There was no disappointment for “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant11 of peace be removed,” says the LORD. During the following years, our faith was often greatly tested. Yet, He always proved faithful to His promise and never allowed us to lack any good thing.
Never were there two people to marry who more fully knew the truth, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives a blessing from the LORD. ” (Proverbs 18:22) My beloved wife was not only a great gift to me. God made her a great blessing during the twelve years she was given to China and to the many people who loved her.
She had a lifelong connection with missionary work in that great land. Her father, the beloved and faithful Samuel Dyer, was among the first missionaries of the London Mission in the East.
He arrived at the Straits Settlements on the southwest coast of the Malay Peninsula as early as 1827 and for sixteen years, worked hard among the Chinese in Penang and Singapore, finishing a valuable font12 of Chinese metal type,13 the first of the kind that had been made.
Dying in 1843, Mr. Dyer was never able to see his hopes of finally settling in China. But his children lived to see the country opened to the Gospel and to take their share in the great work that had been so close to his heart. Before we were to marry, my beloved wife had been already living in Ningpo for several years with her friend, Miss Aldersey, and was well able to give valuable help to her.