"Feed the Flock": His Mysterious Ways

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 8
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
(Little Flock Hymnbook, Appendix #44)
A servant of the Lord, preaching the gospel in a foreign land, was kidnapped by those who hated him and his gospel message. Locked into a small, dark room with nothing but a trickle of water escaping from a leaky water pipe, he soon realized his wicked captors were not going to give him food.
As he suffered the increasing agonies of hunger, he prayed that the Lord would somehow provide food so that he would not starve.
Very soon after, he began to hear a persistent scratching behind one of the walls of his cell. At first he thought he was imagining things, but the scratching continued. He began intently watching the place from where the noise seemed to be coming. Suddenly he saw a few tiny pieces of dusty wallboard fall to the ground. Then a tiny hole appeared. As it slowly grew larger, he finally saw a fat little mouse stick its head out of the hole.
Though suffering from great hunger, the man shuddered in revulsion. Then closing his eyes he prayed, “Lord, I asked for food and you have sent me this mouse. If you help me catch it, I’ll eat it.”
He made a desperate lunge for the little creature, but in his weakened condition missed, and the mouse quickly vanished into the hole. But as the man grabbed for the disappearing mouse, his hands struck against the hole it had made with extra force. This caused the hole to become larger. To his glad surprise, he watched a steady stream of corn begin to pour out of the opening. Unknown to him, the room in which he was imprisoned was connected to a granary storage building, separated in that place only by a very thin wall. God had answered the servant’s prayer by sending the little mouse to guide him to an abundant supply of food—more than enough to last until he was finally set free.
Our blessed God, who in love gave for us the dearest Object of His heart, always does exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:2020Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (Ephesians 3:20)). We know that His ways are not according to our thoughts, for He has said that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-98For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8‑9)).
What a wonderful God and Father we have who shows the “exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe” (Eph. 1:1919And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (Ephesians 1:19)) and who, in a coming day, will display the “exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:77That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)), while at this present time desiring that His children might “know the [surpassing or exceeding] love of Christ” (Eph. 3:1919And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)).
Ed.