SOAPED UP—NO WATER!

Note: As I am trying to put together a book about the Lord’s dealings in our lives I am posting some ahead of time that may be of special interest. 

  SOAPED UP—NO WATER!

Soon after Marlene and I were married in 1958, we read together the book George Muller of Bristol by A.T. Pierson.  On pages 75 and 76, we read that the conviction he and his wife held was "that a life of trust forbids laying up treasures against unforeseen needs, since with God no emergency is unforeseen and no want unprovided for: and He may be as implicitly trusted for extraordinary needs as for our common daily bread."

Pierson continues, "Yet another law kindred to this and thoroughly wrought into Mr. Muller’s habit of life was never to contract debt, whether for personal purposes or the Lord’s work…. He and his wife determined if need be to suffer starvation rather than to buy anything without paying for it when bought." 

Together we decided we would like to follow that course and only let the Lord know of our needs. Just recently we have begun to reread the same book and are thanking the Lord for the influence it had upon us. We have found that during 60 years of marriage the Lord has blessed us and our nine children as we followed the Mullers' example. We have seen His answers to prayer in many, many unusual ways during our nearly 17 years in Japan, 9 years in New Hampshire, and 30 years in Alaska, as well as in our periods of transition and retirement. Truly the Lord’s provision and care have been sufficient.

I am going through my diary and trying to record many of the ways in which the Lord has provided our needs. I happen to be in 1979 this week—the period two years after leaving Japan. After we returned to the States, we bought an unfinished house on 25 acres in Littleton, New Hampshire. We could relate many wonderful ways in which the Lord provided for us during those years, but I will just relate one here.

Our entire family pitched in and finished building the house. I had taken the pastorate of a church of 13 members and they were of great help in many ways. Our big need was water, so I hired a farmer with a backhoe to dig a hole to find some. Before beginning to dig he took a twig from an apple tree and “water-witched” until the twig bent down of its own accord. He dug six holes before finding water near the barn. We put a pipe to the house, hooked it up, and got water. For the next two years It would run out countless times. We’d have to wait a long time before enough water would accumulate in the hole. It was frustrating to say the least.

 At the end of August 1979 (I don’t have the date in my diary), I was taking a shower when, all soaped up, the water ran out. I looked up and asked the Lord to look at me. I said, “I’m just asking for water, the staff of life. Would you help me?" 

On September 4 I had a phone call from the treasurer of Rocky Mountain Lake Baptist Church in Denver. He said, “We just received a check for you from an engineer in Oklahoma who heard you preach at our church 15 years ago. He asked me to send it to you if we knew where you were.” I had never heard of the man. Before I could hang up he asked if I wanted to know the amount. I was thinking in the $50 range, but he said $3,000! The wheels were turning—a van, a garage, a well?  But I knew the answer. It was for water. 

When the check arrived I called the well drillers. They drilled all day until 8 PM—no water! I found out the drillers must be paid by the foot whether they hit water or not! I engaged them for another day, but I didn’t sleep well that night. They returned and drilled most of the day before finally hitting water at 310 feet—the length of a football field! Two and a half gallons a minute was sufficient.             

The bill was $2300. A man from my church installed the pump down in the well and hooked the pipe into the house. His discounted bill came to $675. Total $2975. We had $25 left over! Once again we found "that God may be as implicitly trusted for extraordinary needs as for our common daily bread."