Isaiah 65:24   And it shall  come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and  while they are yet speaking, I will hear.   This is a story  written by a doctor who worked in Africa:
One night I had worked hard to help a  mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do,  she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a  crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty  keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no  electricity to run an incubator).
We also  had no special feeding facilities.
Although  we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with  treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box  we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby  would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke  up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back  shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle,  it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical  climates).
‘And it is our last hot water  bottle!’ she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good  crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be  considered no good crying over burst water bottles.
They do not grow on trees, and there are no  drugstores down forest pathways.
‘All  right,’ I said, ‘put the baby as near the fire as you  safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to  keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby  warm.’
The following noon, as I did most  days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage  children who chose to gather with me. I gave the  youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and  told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem  about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot  water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it  got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister,  crying because her mother had died.
During  prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the  usual blunt conciseness of our African children. ‘Please,  God’ she prayed, ‘Send us a hot water bottle today It’ll  be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so  please send it this afternoon.’
While I  gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added,  ‘And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly  for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?’
As often with children’s prayers, I was put  on the spot. Could I honestly say ‘Amen?’ I just did not  believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I  know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But  there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could  answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a  parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost  four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a  parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did  send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I  lived on the equator!
Halfway through the  afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training  school, a message was sent that there was a car at my  front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone,  but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I  felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel  alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we  pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We  folded the paper; taking care not to tear it unduly  Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of  eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. > From  the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys.  Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the  knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the  children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed  raisins and sultanas – that would make a batch of buns for  the weekend.
Then, as I put my hand in  again, I felt the…..could it really be?
I  grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot  water bottle. I cried.
I had not asked God  to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children.  She rushed forward, crying out, ‘If God has sent the  bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!’
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box,  she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her  eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking  up at me, she asked, ‘Can I go over with you and give this  dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus  really loves her?’
‘Of course,’ I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five  whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class,  whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send  a hot water bottle, even to the equator.
And one of the girls had put in a dolly for  an African child – five months before, in answer to the  believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it ‘that  afternoon.’
‘Before they call, I will  answer.’ (Isaiah 65:24)
When you receive  this, say the prayer. That’s all I ask. No strings  attached. Just send it on to whomever you want  but  do  send it on.   Prayer is one of the best free  gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.  Let’s continue praying for one another.
This  awesome prayer takes less than a minute.
Gracious God, I ask you to bless my  friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their  spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and  mercy. Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed  confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness  or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding,  guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your  love and release to them Your courage. Bless their  finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders  and friends to support and encourage them. I ask You to do  these things in Your name. Amen
P. S.  Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.  Passing this on to one not  considered a friend is something your loving God would  do.

Submitted by David Charbonneau, MRMC