“I will answer their prayers before they finish praying.” -- Isaiah 65:24
In the Amazon jungle, Ruth rummaged frantically through the supply cabinet until she found a hot water bottle. Nearby, a two year old cried; her newborn sister had survived the labor – their mother had not.
Since there was no incubator (or electricity for that matter), they would have difficulty keeping the baby alive without the water bottle for warmth. One student went to stoke the fire and fill the hot water bottle. She came back too quickly - the bottle had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates).
“Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts,” the Missionary suggested.
As dawn broke, Ruth went to pray with the children at the nearby orphanage. She told them the tiny baby could easily die if she got chills and about her older sister, crying because their mother was in heaven now.
Ruth had great faith, but there are limits, right? She smiled at the child’s innocence. Who in their right mind would think to send a hot water bottle to the equator?
Later that afternoon, there was a knock at the door. She got there just in time to see a delivery van pull away. A large box sat on the porch. Packages from home were rare so Ruth sent for the orphans. Some forty pairs of eyes were focused on the “mystery” box. She removed medical supplies, boxes of raisins, and a few children’s books.
Then she felt it . . . could it be? She pulled out a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. Shame overwhelmed her; she had not truly believed it could happen.
Lisa rushed forward, “If God sent the bottle, He must have sent a doll, too!”
Fumbling to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed doll. Cradling it gently, she ran off to give the little girl their precious gift – proof that Jesus had heard her request. There was never a doubt!
That package had been mailed five months earlier, packed by Ruth’s former Sunday school class, whose leader had obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, as crazy as it had sounded. One of the kids had donated a doll for a motherless child - in answer to the faithful prayer of a ten year old nearly a half year later.
Father, it’s a “jungle” out here. It is hard for us to trust You completely because either we don’t think You will deliver or because we want control of our lives. Remind us that where the seeds of faith are planted, miracles blossom! Amen.
