In the summer of the year 1900, my wife and I went to Bakersfield (CA) for a tent campaign…The meetings went on for two months and were blessed to the salvation of a few souls, which greatly gladdened our hearts. When the time came to take down the tent, we went over to the station to get our tickets. Just before purchasing them, a very distinct impression came to me that I should not go through to Oakland, but should stop at Fresno.
Now I know that it is a very dangerous thing to be guided by impressions, but…the more I prayed, the less I could shake it off, so I bought a ticket for my wife to Oakland, but a ticket to Fresno for myself.
I should explain that a year before I had received a letter from a brother in the Lord from Fresno asking me, if circumstances ever permitted me to come to Fresno, to make my abode at his home…I had his address with me, and leaving my bag at the station, I went to the place indicated. What was my disappointment to learn from the neighbors that he was away for a summer vacation. I felt rebuffed and wondered whether I had not made a great mistake in following my impression.
After several days of preaching in the streets of the city, my meager funds were expended and I removed my possessions from the cheap hotel where I had been lodging. A friendly druggist allowed me to leave my suitcase in his store until I called for it.
How utterly alone I felt as I stepped out into the street! But I had a large supply of tracts so I crossed the Santa Fe tracks into what was the worst section of the city, and spent my time until two in the morning visiting the vile saloons and filthy dance halls until I had distributed about 3,000 little gospel messages. God gave the opportunity for testimony to quite a number of desperate souls.
But now the saloons were closing, my supply of tracts was exhausted, and I had no place to go. I tried to sleep in an empty train car, but could not get comfortable. The scripture came to me, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” and my rebellious spirit exclaimed, “Then why does He not do this?”
About four o’clock in the morning I decided it would be more comfortable to walk, so I headed back into town. On the grounds of the courthouse I found a large weeping willow tree, the branches of which hung very low on all sides. I crawled in under them and managed to get two hours’ sleep where no one could see me.
When I awoke God was speaking to me in regard to certain things in my life concerning which I had become very careless, and I knelt beneath the tree and poured out my heart to Him. The more I confessed, the more things came to my mind which required self-judgment, until I no longer wondered why God had not undertaken for me; instead I was amazed to think how very good He had been to me in spite of my many failures…
A little later I went to the post office to look for mail and found a letter from my step-father. As I drew the letter from the envelope, I saw a postscript staring me in the face. It read as follows: “God spoke to me through Philippians 4:19 today. He has promised to supply all our need. Some day He may see that I need a starving! If He does, He will supply that.”
Oh, how real it all seemed to me then! I saw that God had been putting me through that test in order to bring me closer to Himself, and to bring me face to face with things that I had been neglecting. And so I pass this little incident on to others, hoping it may have a message for some troubled worker who may be going through a time of similar need and perplexity.
Written by H. A. Ironside