Sleighing That Strengthened My Faith

When, in my young manhood, I came openly and actively into God’s special service, the faith side of my nature was stronger than the love side. Had I been always as ready and willing to enter on and continue in the path of duty as I was to recognize the fact that God called me to do this, and that he was ready to sustain me in it, I should have been a better child of God in all these years. What I now testify to, therefore, is that God was ever ready to give me guidance and help in answer to prayer, not that I was always willing to be guided of God, and to serve him faithfully.

My first special work in God’s service, when I had newly consecrated myself to

him, in the spring of 1852, was as the II

Ulustrative Answers to Prayer

superintendent of the Morgan Street Mission School in Hartford, Connecticut, just then started among the poor and the vicious, in an old rickety building near the river side. I had been called to that work by a summons as unexpected and as positive as that which Elijah gave to Elisha when he took him from his plow; and I had no more reason than had Elisha to doubt that it was God’s wish for the called layman to enter his special service just then and there.

My very first address to the little band of workers, in that garret-room mission school, was based on the words of Jesus, as recorded in Mark 11: 22-25: “Have faith in God.... Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” This was before I had been chosen to the superintendency of the school, and, as I afterwards learned, it was one of the reasons that led to my call to

that position. At all events, I early found 12

; pe i
a a {gi phar aha al rat -

Sleighing that Strengtbened my Faith

myself recognized by the teachers as a firm believer in God’s readiness to hear and answer faith-filled prayer, now as of old. This laid upon me a special responsibility for practicing as I preached among that band of young workers for Christ. And an unsought and unexpected occasion arose for putting my belief to a test before them.

Early in the history of our school one of our larger boys was sent to the state prison for setting fire to an old building in the neighborhood in order to bring out the ‘volunteer fire department with which he was connected. As others of our larger boys might be counted as, in a sense, candidates for the state prison, we were desirous of making use of this unfortunate occurrence as a warning to our charge. When, later, a Christmas celebration was talked of, we had this matter to consider in connection with our movements.

As a band of teachers we came together and prayed earnestly for special guidance Ullustrative Answers to Prayer

in our plans. We asked God particularly

to show us what we should do on the coming Christmas to enable us to impress our pupils for good while they were in our charge. Then, after consultation, we decided to arrange a sleigh-ride for all hands, on Christmas morning, to Wethersfield, a few miles below Hartford. After passing through the several prison departments there, we would have a meeting in the prison chapel, with fitting addresses and warnings. Returning to Hartford at noon, we would give the pupils a dinner in the old City Hall, which we had obtained consent to use for the day. This plan met with the approval of all, and we proceeded with our necessary arrangements.

We had several meetings to complete the details, and at each of these we renewedly prayed for guidance. One evening a teacher abruptly suggested that possibly there would be no snow on Christmas, and, if so, all our plans would

come to nought. Inexperienced as we 14

Sleighing that Strengtbened my Faith

were in such matters, this possibility had not been considered by us. Quite a number of the teachers were startled.

In this emergency I ventured to say, without a thought of presumption, that, as we were in God’s special service, and had been asking his guidance in our plans, we might confidently trust God for his part in the program for Christmas Day, and, as the weather was at his control, we need not doubt him concerning it.

“Oh, well!” spoke out one of the teachers; “if Mr. Trumbull will agree to furnish the snow for sleighing, we can safely go ahead with our arrangements.”

“Mr. Trumbull doesn’t propose to furnish the snow for sleighing on Christmas,” I answered promptly. “He only suggests that, as we have been led of God to make plans in God’s service, where snow for sleighing is a necessity, it seems to be a distrust of God to suggest that, while we do our part as God directs, he may not do his

part.”
15

Ulustrative Answers to Prayer

At this we went on with our arrangements. It is to be borne in mind in this narration that I am by no means defending my course in this matter as a wise or a proper one, but that I am simply recording God’s loving dealings with me in his service when I emphasized, however unwisely, the importance of trusting God to give an answer to our faith-filled prayers in his service.

When I went home from the meeting of teachers that evening, I realized the responsibility of my position in this emergency. Accordingly I went on my knees before God to call for guidance and help. I told God that if I had unintentionally erred in what I had said about the sleighing, I now prayed that the tender faith of those young teachers, whom I was set to lead in his service, might not be harmed through any error or presumption of mine. And from the evening I prayed, day by day, that we might be helped, through his leading, to a

firmer faith in him.
16

Sleigbing that Strengthened my Faith

As Christmas drew near there were still no signs of snow. Yet we went on with our arrangements, as if we were sure of good sleighing. Repeatedly I checked attempts at discussion over the prospects of the weather as a matter outside of our control. On Christmas Eve we met for the last preliminary conference, and then we separated for the night with an agreement to meet at the school-room the next morning. At my home, as I looked out of my window before retiring, I saw a clear star-lit sky, but I knew that my Father was back of the sky and stars, and, committing the whole case to him trustfully, I lay down and slept.

Christmas morning I rose to find some four inches of snow on the ground, — a good basis for excellent sleighing. The sun was shining. I thanked God heartily, and prepared for the day. Everything passed off as we had hoped. We had our sleigh-ride to Wethersfield and our impressive service in the state-prison chapel. 17

Wllustrative Answers to Prayer

We came back in the middle of the day to have our dinner for the pupils in the old City Hall. When we entered that hall the snow was already melting on the ground. When we came out from that hall, after several hours there, the snow had practically disappeared; and, when the night shut in, the ground was again bare.

Those teachers felt that God had sent that snow to enable us to use it for his service as we had planned and prayed under his guidance. I have never had any doubt on that point.

More than forty years after that day one of the most prominent of those teachers, who had ever since been active in God’s service, recalled gratefully that God-sent Christmas snowstorm, as we were together in the Adirondacks, and she spoke earnestly of the aid it had been to her faith at the time and thenceforward until now. I have never ceased to thank my loving Father for the aid he thus gave to the faith of

those teachers, and to my faith.
18