Back to Rees Howells, Intercessor after the busy-ness of deadline...
Chapter 14 tells of a continuing story about the family of the woman with tuberculosis that died. The father fell into sin and abandoned the 4 children. The Lord had been dealing with Howells about these children, asking him what should be done, as if confiding in a friend for advice. Howells had no answer. Then the Lord challenged him with the question about children of his own family, to which he had a quick reply. Then the Lord let him know how much he was to care for these children, so God could be a "Father to the fatherless" through him.
Rees Howells had given his life to God. When praying for the tubercular woman, he was even pressed to identify with her in death. Instead of dying, though, he became a "living martyr," whose life was not his own. This is a scary (but exciting) thing, as the call to duty may conflict with the comforts of home. Sometimes it meant sacrificing dreams -- even dreams that were "kingdom dreams." But God can be trusted, even when we cannot understand what is going on. We don't have to worry about His kingdom. He is more than capable of defending it.
Taking in four orphan children that he had no feelings toward as though he was their father was a big deal. Of course, Howells asked God to give him a love for these children, as he saw his own lack of such emotions as not being capable of the task. The Lord then provided this love, and it was said to have stayed with him in abundance, with he and his wife taking in as many as seventy children later.
One of the unique lessons Howells learned was he was told by the Lord to stop putting money into a collective form of insurance plan. He even gave up the claims of the monies he had put in it already. And then later the Lord called him to catch up the abandoning father's payments (which were in arrears). He had to deal with the apparent conflict of, 'How can I do something for someone else that God forbade me to do?' He wisely discerned that:
"'...it was equally clear,' said Mr. Howells, 'that we cannot say a thing is wrong for others just because we have been called to give it up; it depends on our position or grade in life.'"
That's a major lesson that some people find very difficult to learn.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at May 25, 2006 08:52 AM