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Answers to Prayer

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 28, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 13.

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Answers to Prayer

A TRAVELING PREACHER

To the glory of God, and for the encouragement of other fellow laborers, I shall relate a few of what I regard special manifestations of providence, in connection with my labors as a minister of the gospel.
About the year 1870, I united in gospel work with another young man of about my own age. After fasting and prayer, we decided on a field of labor, a small town about one hundred miles distant. We immediately entered the place, and began evening services in a schoolhouse, the only public building there. Our meetings were well attended, though we soon learned that we had been led to a very ungodly town.
One evening at the close of the service, a stranger and his wife came up, and said to us: “You are the ones we have been praying God to send to this place. He has answered our prayers.” A small church was organized here, and another one in an adjoining town. From these came two ministers and two Bible workers.
A little later I was holding tent-meetings alone in a small village. Several became deeply interested, when a few of the rougher element decided to mob us, and break up our meetings. A dark, rainy night was selected for their work. After drinking at a near-by saloon, about midnight they came to the tent, where I was sleeping upon the rostrum. When I awoke, I heard the men cursing the tent and the preacher. I prayed that God would confuse these men and keep the tent from harm. This he did, for they failed to find the ropes. When daylight came, I went out and found several men stretched out on the ground in a drunken stupor. I was never disturbed any more.
About 1876 I was holding meetings in our tent located in a small village. Three times our tent was blown down, and badly damaged. In addition to this discouragement, an evangelist, with several assistants, began revival services in a church near our tent. Our congregations became quite small, and I thought seriously of leaving the place. At this time the Lord gave me a dream which greatly encouraged me. In this dream I went fishing with hook and line. On coming to the stream, I saw this evangelist, with others, drawing out the fish quite rapidly. They motioned for me to join their company. As soon as I came to them, one whom I recognized as an old schoolmate and knew to be an intemperate man, passed me a bottle, with an invitation to drink.
I said, “No, sir, I will not drink, neither will I keep company with preachers who do.” I left them, and going up the stream some distance, cast in my hook, and, before I ceased, drew out fifteen fish. I found two of these were bad, and threw them back.
After a few more weeks of labor in this place, I organized a church of fifteen members. Later two of them turned back. The remaining thirteen have all been faithful. From this church came two efficient ministers and two Bible workers.
One other incident: Some years later I was invited by the General Conference to go to another field. All the money I had was invested in a small piece of land, which an agent had told me was impossible to sell. However, I took it to the Lord in prayer, and laid all upon the altar. In two weeks my land was sold for cash, and I was packing my goods to depart for my new field of labor. Truly, “The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,” “and his ears are open unto their cry,” and he “delivereth them out of all their troubles.”