GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS!

Suffice it to say that God always answers the sincere prayer of his faithful servants. It is those selfish and personal things that we are tempted to ask for that are not granted.

I recall a time when our Bible bookstore desperately needed a larger and more secure place. At that time we were struggling with inadequate funding and every month just barely broke even. I began to pray urgently about the need, knowing that all things belong to God. One day in the middle of a passionate prayer, like Elijah, I heard a still small voice clearly say, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Needless to say, I stopped that prayer and began to praise Him, even though I had not as yet seen anything,

Not long after that, two Church buildings near by, were placed on the market. I looked at both of them and rejected the first because it simply did not lend itself to the need at hand. The other was perfect, though very high priced. It had a more than adequate chapel completely furnished, and a larger attached hall with a second
story and a half-basement. It was one block from the older shopping center of the community and about four blocks from the post office where we had a box.
I thanked the Lord, then he tested my sincerity. It was taken off the market. A year later it was again advertised with the same advertisement, but with a substantial drop in the price. I again cautiously prayed about this particular building and this time, God provided an estate that actually made it possible to pay cash for the building and for the alterations that were needed. The hall, which became the Bible shop, had a very rough concrete floor, the stairs to the upstairs rooms was very incomplete, and there was not a single toilet in this hall or for the upstairs rooms. We added both upstairs and downstairs toilets, a fire hose, and necessary extinguishers as well as security shutters on the entrances and used commercial carpet tiles that we got at half price to cover the rough shop floors.

This is a case where God provided for His work of publishing and printing generously. I praise him for it all.

We sold our home and moved to an upstairs apartment where we would be close to the work and could serve as security guards at the same time. There was never a successful burglary while we lived there, though there was more than one attempt. The poor car parked in a steel and razor wire storage shelter outside was not so lucky. It was never stolen, but it suffered break-ins several times.

About 4:00 a.m. one night I was waken by the sound of a car under out second store window, I opened the window cautiously in time to see a second car also arrive and saw that the first one had backed up to our shop front security shutter. Two men were already starting to fasten a chain to it. Clearly they meant to pull that out with their closed black van and the men from the other car would assist them to fill both cars with our equipment.

I opened the window fully since they were right under me and leaning out a little, the building is a solid brick structure so I was protected by the sill and narrow window, cautioned them saying, “I suggest that you leave here immediately before I start shooting.” They left immediately. I used that line several times and it has never failed to prodice immediate good results, though I have never been tempted to actually do anything. I had no gun. Had that not stopped them, I would have had Phyllis phone the Police Station, which was less than three blocks away. We did have a phone in the apartment. God does answer prayers, and He looks after his messengers.