One of the greatest privileges of the believer, while passing through this wilderness, is to make God his refuge in every time of need. The Scriptures enjoin us to do so. Faith always looks to God, pleading the name of Jesus. Unbelief always pleads some reason for leasing upon an arm of flesh. But the truth of God stands fast, that “blessed are all they that put their trust in Him;” and those who do trust will always find that, in some way or other, God certainly comes to their help, though it may not always be in the way they expect. “God is faithful.” “He cannot deny Himself.” “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
The following account of how graciously the Lord came to the help of our dear Prussian brethren during the late war cannot fail to be interesting and encouraging to every believer before whom it may be brought.
“You can believe that, when the late dreadful war broke out, the hearts of the Lord’s people were too much exercised before Him to be writing much on the subject ... It was soon known that our dear Prussian brethren would, many of them, have to serve; many sons would have to leave their parents, and many fathers and husbands have to go themselves. The hearts of all were tried. It was asked whether, if the Ring of Prussia were written to, they might net be spared from serving. The reply was, “It is of no use writing to him; better to ask One higher about the matter.” And much unceasing prayer was made. The time came, and many brethren were obliged to join the army in service. In Prussia, and also in Germany, the law is, that at a certain age all must serve; and, in time of war, to refuse or evade is to be shot; thus, humanly speaking, there is no escape. Yet with God, no law, no king, can prevent or interfere with a deliverance. The Prussian brethren called on to join the army engaged in war were twenty-eight or thirty in number, or there might be more. I believe that these brethren were in general scattered throughout the fighting army, yet I heard of some being able to meet occasionally for prayer, and reading the word. In every corner they could they took tracts, which their comrades were glad enough, at such a time, in general to receive, and various accounts tell they had many blessed opportunities of making known the glad tidings of salvation, and had many souls given to them.
“The way in which the Lord answered the earnest prayer made by many about these dear brethren being compelled to serve, and His deliverance, is very striking. They obeyed the ruling powers, and left their homes with sorrowful hearts we can believe, and souls shrinking with horror from the thought of having to shed blood; and, wondrous to relate―forever blessed be His name for the remarkable mercy―not a single man was called into the battle-field! Before the different regiments were summoned into action, a certain number of men were counted off to remain on guard (it might have been every twentieth or fiftieth man). How exactly it was done I do not know, but so it was; wherever they were, our dear brethren were amongst those counted off, and had to stay beside “the stuff,” or remain in the place where they were stationed, and thus not one of them was called to shed blood, or even were, I understand, on the battle-field, and none were wounded; all the blood they saw was in attending those who were wounded. Two brothers in the Lord named S―, wrote such letters to their parents, that they were obliged to leave off sorrowing on their account; for their letters were full of joy, because of open doors and opportunities for making known the salvation that is in Christ.”