Page 14 - Living Epistles

In 1921 two co-workers and I went to a place in Fukien province to preach,
intending to go from there to another place. In my pocket were only four
dollars, an insufficient amount for three bus tickets. But, thank the Lord, a
brother gave us three tickets.

Again, at Kulangsu, in the south of Fukien province, my money was stolen
from my pocket, so that I had no traveling expenses to return home. We were
then staying in someone's house and preached once a day in a small chapel.
We finished and were ready to leave. My two co-workers had money to return
home, but mine had been stolen. (At that time each of us was spending his
own money.) They made the decision to leave on the following day. When I
heard this I was embarrassed, but I was not willing to borrow money from
them. That evening I prayed to God, beseeching Him to provide the needed
money for traveling expenses. Nobody knew this. That afternoon some people
had come to speak with me about the Word, but I was in no mood to do so. At
that time the devil came to tempt me and shake my faith, but I was firm in
believing that God would not let me down.

I was then merely a youth, just embarking on serving the Lord by faith; I had
not yet learned the lesson of living by faith. I continued praying to God that
evening, thinking that perhaps I had done something wrong. The devil said,
"You could ask the co-workers to buy your ticket, then repay them when you
reach the provincial capital." I did not accept this suggestion and continued
looking to God. When the time came for us to leave, there was still no money
in hand. I packed my luggage as usual and hired a rickshaw. At that moment,
I recalled the story of a brother who had no train ticket when the train was
about to leave, but at that very instant, God ordered someone to give him a
ticket.

We were all ready and boarded the rickshaws, of which there were three. I
took the last one. When the rickshaw had been pulled about forty yards, an old
man in a long gown came from behind shouting, "Mr. Nee, please stop!" I
ordered the rickshaw boy to halt. After handing me a parcel of food as well as
an envelope, the old man departed. I was then so grateful for God's
arrangement that my eyes were filled with tears. When I opened the envelope,
I found four dollars inside, just sufficient for a bus ticket. The devil kept
speaking to me, "Don't you see how dangerous it is?" I replied, "I was indeed
a little anxious about it, but it is by no means dangerous, for God has supplied
my need in time." After arriving in Amoy, another brother gave me a return
ticket.