GOD PROMISED TABLES IN THE WILDERNESS.

John’s delirious cries in the early morning awakened Gwenda and me. He was irrational, tossing restlessly, running a high temperature, his pulse slower than normal and his abdomen bloated. My husband diagnosed typhoid which he would confirm medically in the morning. My heart froze at the diagnosis. We bathed him, calmed him, sitting alongside him that night, praying constantly for our laddie.

We had been immunised from typhoid and cholera in Australia, but now John had contracted the disease, which is endemic in the tropics. For two weeks, He ate nothing , only sipped fluids,, while taking regularly chloramphenicol, which our heavenly Father had miraculously supplied for my hospital patients: and now for our dear son. Gwenda gently cared for him by day, while teaching the other children and nursing our new daughter Elisabeth. I sat with John each night, bathing him and giving him sips of water, singing gently with my rugged voice, and praying often. John was lean, reduced to flesh and bones. But the Lord restored him.

Gwenda preserved hygiene excellently, changing her clothes when tending John and disinfecting them after. She did superbly, continuing to breast-feed

Elisabeth four hourly. The Lord delights to prove Himself strong on behalf of those who trust HIM. As her husband, I admired her inner strength and strong faith.

One morning while bathing our son, and seeing his thin, wee frame, and with tears in my eyes, I heard the beautiful words, ’Mummy, I’m hungry. I really am.’ How I rejoiced to hear the word, ‘I’m hungry.’ What would you like dear? ‘I asked.

‘Apricots, Mummy; just apricots.’ In Java that was impossible. I turned away and prayed, ‘Oh my God, give our son apricots.’ Only a miracle of God could supply them.

Then I remembered a tin in the cupboard that bore no label. Was it peas, pudding or meat, all not suitable for a sick child? I opened the tin, and as the fluid seeped out, I dipped my finger in it and tasted apricot juice. I nearly whooped ‘hallelujah‘.

I mashed the apricots, mixed with the juice, and gave it to John, His listless eyes shone as I explained about the tin with no label.: and God’s trustworthiness in keeping the apricots until that moment. ‘My God shall supply all our need.’

Twenty years later, he would return with his dear wife and daughters to serve the loving God in this nation as an agriculturalist and Bible teacher. All in God’s foreknowledge.

Later, Ruth and Miriam contracted paratyphoid, of the same organism but not so distressing as typhoid. However, the girls required similar treatment of total rest, cold drinks and chloramphenicol, and tender nursing until the infection was controlled. The girls had no appetite and had lost much weight.

Miriam called one day, ‘Mummy, I’m hungry.’ I tried to coax her with ‘Would you like some soup, dear? ‘No, Mummy, I want some jelly‘. ‘Wouldn’t you like a nice egg, dear’? ‘No, Mummy, I want some jelly.’

I walked out of the room in tears. Jelly! Not in Java!

At this, my husband returned from the hospital, enquiring ‘How is the Lassie? When I told him, he responded ‘The Lord will supply, dear.’ Harrold handed over a parcel that had arrived that morning. As Judith cut the string with scissors, books fell out. The children could not hide their disappointment with finding only books; although we had invited Christians in Adelaide to send literature; and here was the response. We thanked our Father in heaven - for the books.

Rummaging through the magazines in the bottom, we discovered objects tied together, which when released, were four jellies. More valuable than gold.

Of course, as a family we praised the Lord for His goodness in opportunely providing the longed-for jelly.

An Australian shipping strike had delayed the books which had been in transit for ten weeks, but had arrived at the critical moment. Imagine Miriam’s delight as we set the jelly in our unpredictable kerosene refrigerator. That jelly was the first among many special treats that saw Miriam restored to health. Praise to our Lord.

Jelly-God supplies a table in the wilderness. The Lord foresaw that Ruth would serve her Lord in United States especially among teen-age girls and bible teaching for women: and Miriam in Sudan and Ghana and Australia. God’s foreknowledge.

While the Lord Jesus gives us everlasting life, we require moment-by-moment stores of His grace to sustain us in daily walk with the heavenly Father.

GWENDA

Gwenda’s sacrificial life and care of her children and husband was greatly used of God in blessing that entire village. 49 years later, a church exists alongside our former home of many extended Javanese families. Harrold