© 19 Colin Melbourne, Transcribed and annotated from The Pentecostal Evangel 1923
When Smith Missed God
I have been in many places where I have needed a Word of Wisdom from God, and this has been vouchsafed.
I will give you one instance.
There is one thing that I am very grateful to the Lord for, and that is that He has given me grace not to have a desire for money.
The love of money is a great hindrance to many; and many a man is crippled in his ministry because he lets his heart run after financial matters.
I was walking out one day when I met a godly man, who lived opposite me, and he said, “My Wife and I have been talking together about selling our house, and we feel constrained to sell it to you.”
As we talked together, he persuaded me to buy his place, and before we said good-bye I told him that I would take it.
We always make big mistakes when we are in a hurry.
I told my Wife what I had promised, and she said, “How will you manage it?” I told her that I had managed things so far, but I did not know how I was going to get through this. I somehow knew that I was out of divine order.
But when a fellow gets out of divine order, it seems that the last person he goes to is God.
I was relying on an architect to help me, but that scheme fell through. I turned to my relations, and I certainly had a “wet-shirt” as one after another turned me down. [ie. They “threw cold water” on his requests. Ed.]
I tried my friends, and managed no better.
My Wife said to me, “Thou hast never been to God yet.”
What could I do?
I have a certain place in our house where I go to pray. [Probably a closet or roof loft. Ed.]
I have been there very often.
As I went I said, “Lord, if You will get me out of this scrape, I will never trouble Thee on this line again.”
As I waited on the Lord, He just gave me one word. It seemed a ridiculous thing, but it was the wisest counsel. There is divine wisdom in every Word He speaks.
I came down to my Wife, saying, “What do you think? The Lord has told me to go to Brother Webster!”
I said, “it seems very ridiculous, for he is one of the poorest men I know.”
He was the poorest man I knew, but he was also the richest man I knew, for he knew God.
My Wife said, “Do what God says, and it will be right.”
I went off at once to see him, and he said as he greeted me, “Smith, what brings you so early?”
I answered, “The Word of God.”
I said to him, “About three weeks ago I promised to buy a house off a man, and I am short 100 pounds ($500) [ie. At that time 1 GBP = 5 USD. Ed.] I have tried to get this money, but somehow I seem to have missed God.”
“How is it,” he asked, “that you have come to me only now?”
I answered, “Because I went to the Lord about it only last night.”
“Well,” he said, “it is a strange thing; three weeks ago I had 100 pounds. For years I have been putting money into a co-operative system, and three weeks ago I had to go and draw 100 pounds out. I hid it under the mattress. Come with me, and you shall have it. Take it. I hope it will bring as great a blessing to you as it has been a trouble to me.” [2]
I had had a Word from God, and all my troubles were ended.
This has been multiplied in a hundred ways since that time.
If I had been walking along filled with the Holy Ghost, I would not have bought that house, and would not have had all that strain.
I believe the Lord wants to loose us from things of Earth. But I am ever grateful for that Word from God.
There have been times in my life when I have been in a great crisis, and under a great weight of intercession.
I have gone to the meeting without the knowledge of what I would say, but somehow or other God would vouchsafe the coming forth under the power of the Spirit of some Word of Wisdom; just what some souls in that meeting needed.
As we look to God, His Mind will be made known, and His Revelation and His Word of Wisdom will be forthcoming.
Smith Wigglesworth 1922
END
[2] Smith also recounts this episode in another message. Combining the details we see that Brother Webster had been saving little by little in a local co-operative scheme (still common in North England.)
He was a member of Smith’s Bowland Street Mission fellowship, and a very godly working-man. As he prayed, the Lord must have nudged him to withdraw a hundred pounds in anticipation of Smith coming to him for help. (In order to teach Smith, and us this very lesson.)
Brother Webster obediently withdrew the cash from the co-op scheme, without knowing why the Lord had told him to get it out.
Now, imagine a poor man sitting in his humble home with such a huge sum of cash just sitting on his table!
“Why Lord? What do I do with it Father?” he must’ve prayed.
Receiving no answer, he was puzzled and concerned, so hid it for safety under his mattress.
Doubtless, as he returned from his work place each day, he checked it was still safe at home, but still had no word from God what to do with it.
The matter troubled him, of course. Father had told him clearly to withdraw it from the co-op, yet here it was sitting in his house doing nothing.
So he deposited the cash in his own bank account for safety.
If Smith had gone to the Lord the night he had precipitously agreed to buy his neighbour’s house, Smith would have been told to go to Bro. Webster then, but Smith delayed seeking Father on the matter, and sought fleshly means, causing him great stress and worry.
Look how willingly Bro. Webster took Smith to his bank, withdrew the sum, and gave it to him. He was glad to get rid of it, because it solved his dilemma.
Though it is not clear from these two accounts, I’m sure Bro. Webster gave it to Smith without expecting him to pay it back. And I’m equally certain Smith paid it back with interest.
Meditate on this true story from Father’s perspective, and you will receive a powerful lesson.
Back to first part: Smith Wigglesworth: The Gifts of The Holy Spirit
Preached at Springfield Assembly of God in 1922
© 19 Colin Melbourne, Transcribed and annotated from The Pentecostal Evangel 1923
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