Eccl. 11: 1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
If you take this verse literally, and throw bread unto a stream it will soon disintegrate. However, we have seen some bread that was hard enough to last a while. But this is not the point. Some commentators try to make this apply to the planting and harvesting of rice.
Obviously is has its main application to charitable giving, the giving to the poor and such like. It could apply to giving to multitudes abroad, to missions or to the recent help sent to Haiti in their time of distress. Jesus taught that that which was given in His name would not go unrewarded.
My story has to do with a very different situation. When I was a student at Missouri U. I often attended the Columbia church where Bro. Cowen was pastor. In a revival there on a Sunday night there were several seekers at the altar. There came a lull in the praying. Some of the seekers were not getting through to victory, and I felt a strong urge to start that old song "Step Out On The Promise." That was not an uncommon practice away back there over seventy years ago. However, it was rather uncommon for me to be the person doing the singing. But this was one of those times when it seemed it must be done! So I leaned hard on my courage, just knowing that others would join in and sing with me.
That's where I was surprised. If anyone knew the song, they didn't make it known. So I sang a solo of a grand old song. The Holy Spirit fell on the scene and swept the altar clean. Seekers came up with victory and glory stamped on the countenance. Part of the song goes like this:
Vs. 1: O mourner in Zion. how blessed art thou,
For Jesus is waiting to comfort thee now;
Fear not to rely of the Word of thy God,
Step out on the promise, get under the blood.
Vs. 4: The promise don't save, tho' the promise is true;
Tis' the blood we get under, that cleanses us through:
It cleanses me now, hallelujah to God!
I rest on the promise, I'm under the blood.
The years swept by, a generation and more. Then one day 66 years after this experience, I received a letter from a girl - now an old woman - who had prayed through to victory on that memorable Sunday so long ago. She still had the victory!
Here's part of her letter, partly direct quotation and partly summarized. "At that time I respected Christians but had no desire to be one of them ... Upon arriving (at Church) on Saturday night, my best friend (C.R.) told me that she was saved the night before. She wanted us to sit near the front of the church as I might want to be saved also. I assured her that this would not happen, so we sat near the back."
Both evangelist and pastor invited her to seek the Lord. She told them what she had said since grade school years. She didn't want to be saved. Four of her girl friends - I knew all of them - begged her with tears, to seek the Lord. "Though unmoved, I did tell them to ask God to give me the desire. The next morning I woke up with a fear I could not shake." That night she knelt at the altar for the first time in her life.
"Now your part: No altar worker could have instructed me as clearly as the song you started singing. After going through fourteen hours of total misery I was in need of everything the song promised. I've underlined the words that really spoke to me. Brother Holland, I have felt for some time that you should know how much your singing that song meant to me. I thank God for the song and want you to know on my appreciation to you for singing it when I needed it so much".
The underlined song she sent me was a little different from the copy I have in that old Best of All song book. It was copyrighted in 1884 by E.F. Miller who wrote the music.
So, we look back to our text: Cast thy bread upon the waters - or air waves - for thou shalt find it after many days. Truly 66 years represent many days! More than a lifetime for many. The writer of the letter which I received in 2004 is still living in victory today. Though the letter was long in coming, it was gladly received.
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