The old lady’s eyes grew misty as she went back in time to many years before.
“Come on Gran ” Sarah said, “What exactly happened when you thought God hadn’t answered your prayers how you wanted?”
“Well, it was like this,” Gran said, “It was way back when our money was in pounds shillings and pence, not dollars like it is now, and a few shillings went a long way. We were quite hard up, and on Sunday morning sitting in church, I felt quite grumpy that I had to put my half crown in the bag as it went round. In fact, I grumbled to myself and to God that I had to part with this bit of money and I put it in with rather a bad grace I’m afraid.”
“What does that mean Gran?” Bobby said.
“Shhh”, said Sarah, “It means she was feeling grumpy and only did it because she had to!”
“Oh”, said Bobby, “Go on Gran!”
“I feel ashamed of myself when I remember that”, said Gran, “Because I know now that God loves a cheerful giver, and I certainly wasn’t a cheerful giver that day. In fact, God was just going to show me a lesson that I have never forgotten.”
“Oh, what was that?” Sarah asked.
“I was going home after church still feeling grumpy, and as I walked along the footpath I saw something glinting on the pavement. I scuffed it with my foot, and there was a half crown piece half under the grassy edge.”
“Ooh, what did you do Gran?” asked Bobby.
“Well, I picked it up and thought, ‘That’s the exact same amount that I put in the money bag this morning!’ I looked around and there was no-one anywhere near. Then along a bit further, I saw another coin on the ground, and it was a second half crown piece, so I picked it up too. Then I suddenly thought, ‘I wonder if God is trying to tell me something?’ You know I had been grumpy about giving my money to God and it was just as if He was saying to me now, ‘Do you think I needed your money? Here it is back again, and there is another one to go with it!! If you can’t give it to me cheerfully, I don’t want it at all, you can have it back!!’ Oh, I tell you I felt so small and mean.”
“Well, I took it home”, said Gran, “but I didn’t really enjoy it at all. Here was God telling me He didn’t want my money after all if I couldn’t give it cheerfully. And it is a lesson I have never forgotten. In fact it reminds me of a story in the Bible how Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, and he was feeling grumpy about it. He knew that Jesus had called him to leave his fishing and follow Him but he wasn’t too sure about it. Maybe he was wondering how he was going to pay his bills if he left everything to follow Jesus. This particular morning they had been working hard at fishing all night for nothing and then come in to shore. There was Jesus with the usual crowds all pushing around Him, so Jesus got into Peter’s boat and taught the people out of it. Perhaps Peter was feeling a bit grumpy with them all and tired as well.
So when Jesus had finished talking to the people and they had all gone away, Jesus would have known how Peter was feeling, and He said to him, “Go on out where it is deeper and put your nets over the side”.
Peter said, “Look, Master, we’ve been fishing all night and caught nothing. But seeing You say so, I’ll do it!”
You can just about hear the grumpiness in Peter’s voice! But he did as Jesus said, probably thinking it was all a waste of time. He let the net all out, and then began to pull it in. He could hardly believe what he was feeling! There were fish in it. So many fish that he could hardly pull it in. In fact he called out to James and John to come in their boat to give a hand, as his boat was so full it was nearly sinking! He had never seen anything like it. It suddenly dawned on him that if Jesus could do this with fish, He could certainly look after all Peter’s other worries about how his bills could be paid.
It seems that Jesus was still in the boat while all this was going on, and as Peter was thinking this, he fell down on his knees with the fish all around him, and said, “Oh Lord, I don’t know how you can be bothered with me! I shouldn’t be anywhere near You at all!!!”
He knew how grumpy he had been, and how worried he was, and it was all for nothing! Jesus was with Him and could take care of everything!”
“Wow!”, said Bobby as Gran paused for a moment, “I guess that IS a good lesson for us to learn!”
“Yes”, said Sarah half to herself, “There is no need to worry about things if Jesus asks us to do anything for Him. It will all turn out right in the end! I won’t forget either of those stories Gran!”
Things settled down and everything seemed to be going smoothly. I was having my daily morning times with the Lord when He opened His word to me and I talked with Him. They were precious times and I wouldn’t have missed them for anything. I had banished all the doubtful things from the study of my mind, and I was feasting on the good and pure things that He delighted in.
We had a baptismal service at our church this morning when four young people were baptised. Each of them gave very clear testimonies as to why they wanted to be baptised, and how they had come to know the Lord for themselves. To them God was not just a force “up there”, but He was personally their Father in Heaven. How many people say the Lord’s prayer today starting with “Our Father which art in Heaven”, and they don’t know God as their Father at all! We wouldn’t dream of approaching just any man out there, and calling him “Father” and asking Him to supply our daily food. Yet so many people do this without even thinking what they are saying. Let’s hope you aren’t one of these!