ONLY WHAT WE CAN | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 20, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 38.

ONLY WHAT WE CAN.

Mark 14:8: "She hath done what she could."

A bedridden woman lived near the railroad track, a long way from any other house. Near by was a deep gully over which the railroad passed on a new iron bridge. One night there was a terrible wind. The poor woman was alone. All at once she heard a fearful crash; it was the bridge. In ten minutes the train would be along. What could she do? Her son was away. Praying earnestly for help, she took the only light in the house, a tallow candle, and began to crawl, for she could not walk, toward the track. How she got there she never knew. She could hear the roar of the coming train. She prayed, "O God, help me to light this candle, and keep it burning until the engineer sees it; and make him see it!" The candle was lighted, the wind subsided; she waved the candle. Would the engineer see it? She heard a grating sound,—the brakes were set. She lost consciousness then, but the train came to a standstill a few feet from the yawning chasm. Hundreds of lives were saved. This weak, sick woman did what she could; God used what she had. He will use what you have if you will lovingly do your part.