Aug. 8. Saturday. This evening I was meditating on the fourth Psalm. The words in verse three, “But know that the Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call upon him,” I was enabled to apply to myself, and they led me to prayer for spiritual blessings. Whilst in prayer, the need of the orphans, there being now again not one penny in hand, was also brought to my mind, and I asked the Lord respecting this likewise. About five minutes afterwards I was informed that a sister wished to see me. She brought one pound ten shillings for the orphans. Thus the Lord has already kindly sent a little to begin the week with. There was also still further given to-day, one shilling elevenpence; and five shillings one penny was taken out of the boxes in the Orphan Houses.
Aug. 15. There was to-day the greatest poverty in all the three houses; all the stores were very low, as the income throughout the week had been so small. In addition to this it was Saturday, when the wants are nearly double in comparison with other days. At least three pounds was needed to help us comfortably through the day; but there was nothing towards this in hand. My only hope was in God. The very necessity led me to expect help for this day; for if none had come, the Lord’s name would have been dishonored. Between twelve and one, two sisters in the Lord called on me; and the one gave me two pounds, and the other seven shillings sixpence for the orphans. With this I went to the Boys’ Orphan House about one o’clock, where I found the children at dinner. Brother B. put the following note into my hand, which he was just going to send off:—
“Dear Brother,—With potatoes from the children’s garden, and with apples from the tree in the playground (which apples were used for apple-dumplings), and four shillings sixpence, the price of some articles given by one of the laborers, we have a dinner. There is much needed. But the Lord has provided and will provide.”
August 23. Lord’s day. As we have often found it to be the case, so it is again now. After the Lord has tried our faith, he, in the love of his heart, gives us an abundance, to show that not in anger, but for the glory of his name, and for the trial of our faith, he has allowed us to be poor. The Lord has kindly given to-day twelve pounds seventeen shillings.
August 29. For many weeks past very little has come in for the other funds. The chief supply has been by the sale of Bibles. Last Saturday I was not able to pay the whole of the weekly salaries of the teachers in the day schools, which, however, does not make me a debtor to them, as it is an understood thing that they have not to look to me for payment, but to the Lord. To-day again only two shillings was in hand, whilst several pounds were needed to pay the salaries. It appeared now plainly to be the will of the Lord that, as all the laborers in the Orphan Houses know about the state of the funds, so the brethren and sisters who labor in the day schools should share the trial of faith and the joy of faith with us. Accordingly we all met, and after I had laid on their hearts the importance of keeping to themselves, for the Lord’s sake, the state of the funds, we prayed together.
September 5. Saturday. Because there had come in so little during the last days, at least three pounds was requisite to supply the need of to-day. There was, however, not one penny in hand when the day commenced. Last evening, the laborers in the Orphan Houses, together with the teachers of the day schools, met for prayer. This morning, one of the teachers, who had a little money of his own, brought one pound five shillings sixpence. Thus we were enabled to provide for the dinner. In the afternoon all of us met again for prayer. Another teacher of the day schools gave two shillings sixpence, and one shilling came in besides. But all this was not enough. There was no dinner provided for to-morrow, nor was there any money to take in milk to-morrow, and besides this a number of other little things were to be purchased, that there might be no real want of anything. Now observe how our kind Father helped us! Between seven and eight this evening, a sister, whose heart the Lord has made willing to take on her the service of disposing of the articles which are sent for sale, brought two pounds ten shillings sixpence, for some of the things which came a fortnight ago from Worcester, and last Wednesday from Leeds. The sister stated, that though she did not feel at all well, she had come because she had it so laid on her heart that she could not stay away.
September 8. How kindly has the Lord so ordered it that for some time past the income for the school fund should have been so little, in order that thus we might be constrained to let the laborers in the day schools share our joys and our trials of faith, which had been before kept from them! But as above two years ago the Lord ordered it so that it became needful to communicate to the laborers in the Orphan Houses the state of the funds, and made it a blessing to them, so that I am now able to leave Bristol, and yet the work goes on, so, I doubt not, the brethren and sisters who are teachers in the day schools will be greatly blessed by being thus partakers of our precious secret respecting the state of the funds. Our prayer meetings have been already a blessing to us, and united us more than ever in the work. We have them now every morning at seven, and we shall continue them, the Lord helping us, till we see his hand stretched forth, not merely in giving us means for the teachers, but also for other purposes; for we need a stove in one of the school-rooms, a fresh supply of several kinds of Bibles and New Testaments, and it is desirable to have means to help missionary brethren who labor in dependence upon the Lord for the supply of their temporal necessities.
September 21. To-day a brother from the neighborhood of London gave me ten pounds, to be laid out as it might be most needed. As we have been praying many days for the school, Bible, and missionary funds, I took it all for them. This brother knew nothing about our work, when he came three days since to Bristol. Thus the Lord, to show his continual care over us, raises up new helpers. They that trust in the Lord shall never be confounded. Some who helped for a while may fall asleep in Jesus; others may grow cold in the service of the Lord; others may be as desirous as ever to help, but have no longer the means; others may have both a willing heart to help, and have also the means, but may see it the Lord’s will to lay them out in another way;—and thus, from one cause or another, were we to lean upon man, we should surely be confounded; but, in leaning upon the living God alone, we are beyond disappointment, and beyond being forsaken because of death, or want of means, or want of love, or because of the claims of other work.
October 7. It is now five weeks since we have daily met for prayer. Not indeed merely to ask for means, but for grace and wisdom for ourselves in reference to the work, for the conversion of the children under our care, for grace for those children who stand already on the Lord’s side, for a blessing upon the circulation of the Scriptures, for a blessing upon the work with reference to the church at large, etc. But whilst we thus, as the Spirit led us, prayed for various things, nevertheless, the lack of means was that which had brought us day after day together. We asked the Lord to give us the means which are needed for carrying on the day schools, for buying Bibles, as several sorts are needed, and to enable us to assist missionary work in foreign countries. Never at any previous time, since first the work commenced on March 5, 1834, have we had to continue so long a time in prayer for these funds, without obtaining the answer. The Lord, however, gave us grace to “continue in prayer,” and kept our hearts in the assurance that he would help. Now, though he delayed long, before he sent us the answer, in his own time he made it manifest that he had not only not shut his ear against our prayers in anger, but that he had answered them even before we called; for there was sent to-day, from the East Indies, a bank order for one hundred pounds, which had been sent off two months since, therefore several days before we even began to pray. It was left to me to apply this money as it might be needed. As we had so long and so particularly prayed for these funds, I took the whole of it for them, and not for the orphan fund.
October 26. Yesterday morning, when I took my hat from the rail, I found in one of my gloves a note containing a five-pound note, and the following words: “Two pounds for the orphans, the rest for dear brother and sister Müller.” There came in still further yesterday two pounds twelve shillings sixpence. Thus we are again supplied for about three days.