No tears are ever in vain

“Because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy garments and weep before me, I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah” (2 Chronicles 34:27)

A servant of God recalls an experience in connection with true prayer and humilitation: In a certain church they arranged for a series of meetings for some days, I was invited to be the preacher. John Hyde was as usual out of sight in the prayer room. His face was drawn and thin - it was apparently a hard fight.

I never encountered a blacker wall of indifference and stolid content. Night after night the atmosphere remained cold and dead. Poor John seemed to shrivel up more and more. The burden on him was awful! I just fancy I see that black cold night we had to face, and to this day it fills my soul with horror as of darkness out of the bottomless pit.

Yet all that should have filled my soul with the joy of victory, for the greater Satan's efforts the more certain it is that His conqueror will tread him under His feet. Oh, struggling saints of God! The harder the struggle, the more hope should possess your souls, for Satan only fights hardest where he is most afraid of defeat. So the more he seems to prevail, the more glorious the victory at hand!

At length the very last night of those meetings came. The message was given with tears - not another eye was wet - not a heart touched. John was as usual in the "inner chamber," his face buried on the floor in agony of supplication. We all knew where he was and what doing. Just after the address our aged friend and chief elder (now with John - yea, rather with his Master - in glory), came forward and asked in a low voice permission to speak. Of course it was gladly granted.

He turned to the audience and said, “Brethren, you may have noticed that I have been very seldom at these meetings. The reason is that God has had a controversy with me. You all know that a famous Persian carpet is for sale in this station. Well, I had made up my mind to buy it, and thought that if it went cheap I would keep it for my own drawing-room; but if it went dear it could be put in my office and Government would pay for it (he was a distinguished Government servant).

Every time I came to these meetings that carpet started up before my eyes and kept me from getting my blessing. Now I have resolved that if that carpet sells dear I’ll have it for myself, but if it sells cheap it will go into my office. Then he cried aloud in agony "Oh brethren, it is I your chief elder, who has been standing between your souls and blessing! I have put that stumbling block in your way! I confess it with shame. God forgive me for this great sin I have committed against you His people as well as against Him!”

How marvelously He showed His forgiveness! How He there and then "cleansed from all unrighteousness"! All were touched; not a dry eye to be seen there. Tears flowing to the right and left.

The tense silence was broken by another elder. "Brethren, our friend is not the only one who has been preventing blessing from this congregation. I have been a greater sinner than all. I have for years been quarrelling with my brother elder - and he named the man with whom he had for long had deep never-dying enmity - have been telling lies about him." There was a movement away on the opposite side of the church. A man rose, his face working. "Brother, I have been a bigger sinner than you about this. Only today I have been telling lies about you. I pray you to forgive me, for God has graciously heard my cry for pardon and forgiven me." Then the two moved towards one another and there in the church these life-long enemies embraced each other as brothers in Christ.

What followed no pen can describe. "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” What a joy when so many were repenting. That congregation, more divided perhaps than even the church at Corinth, though, thank God, not so full of glaring sins (yet St. Paul can thank God for the grace and gifts that had been given unto a Church that sank so low) - that congregation was united as one family in Christ that night. On all sides old enemies were becoming friends. The Holy Spirit was convicting all of sin and leading to this great tenderness and forgiveness of the past. I heard one sister say to another, “You remember that cock you lost and you blamed me for its disappearance? Yes, I did kill it. I'll send you over two hens in its place" (a fourfold requital).

“No, no," says the other. "I ought not to have allowed it into your garden to destroy your plants, or some such excuse. A lad caught me by the feet - he was kneeling before me weeping. "Padre Sahib, forgive me; for Christ's sake, forgive me." "My boy, I have never seen you before." "I know that, but during all the meetings I have been speaking against them." "God has forgiven you, my son. How can I do otherwise?"

And John Hyde? He was seeing of the travail of Christ's soul and ours, being satisfied. But he was out of sight that all the glory might be to God alone. No tears are ever in vain.

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