A POOR weaver lived in the little German town of Wupperthal. He was a poor man in his outward circumstances, but rich toward God, and well known in his neighborhood as one who trusted in the Lord at all times. His constant faith expressed itself in what became his customary saying under every trial and trouble.
“The Lord helps” he would say; and he said it undauntedly, even when it looked as if the Lord had forsaken him. Once when, in hard times, work ran short, many hands were discharged, and the weaver himself lost his job.
After many fruitless pleadings that he might be kept on, he said at last, “Well! the Lord helps,” and so returned home. His wife, when she heard the bad news, bewailed it terribly; but her husband strove to cheer her with his accustomed assurance. “The Lord helps,” he said; and even though, as the days went on, and poverty pinched them sorely, nothing could shake his firm reliance on Him in whom he trusted. At last came the day when not a penny was left; no bread, no fuel in the house, and starvation stared them in the face. Sadly the wife tidied and swept the little room on the ground floor in which they lived. The window was open, and possibly the words were heard outside with which the weaver strove to keep up their courage: “The Lord helps.” Presently a street boy looked saucily in, and threw a dead raven at the feet of the pious man. “There, saint, there is something for you to eat,” he cried.
The weaver picked up the dead raven, and stroking its feathers down, said compassionately, “Poor creature! You must have died of huer.” When, however, he felt its crop to see whether it was empty, he noticed something hard, and wishing to know what had caused the bird’s death, he began to examine it. What was his surprise when opening its crop a gold necklace fell into his hands! The wife looked at it confounded; the weaver exclaimed, “The Lord helps,” and in haste took the chain to the nearest goldsmith, told him how he had found it, and received with gladness two dollars, which the goldsmith offered to lend him for his present use.
The goldsmith soon cleaned the trinket, and recognized it as one he had seen before. “Shall I tell you the owner?” he asked, when the weaver called again. “Yes,” was the joyful answer; “for I would gladly give it back to the right owner.”
But what cause had he to admire the wonderful ways of God when the goldsmith pronounced the name of his master at the factory!
Quickly he took the necklace and went with it to his former employer. In his family too, there was much joy at the discovery, for suspicion was removed from a servant. But the merchant was ashamed and touched; he had not forgotten the words uttered by the poor man when he was dismissed. “Yes,” he said, thoughtfully and kindly, “the Lord helps; and now you shall not only go home richly rewarded, but I will no longer see without work so faithful and pious a workman, whom the Lord so evidently stands by to help; you shall henceforth be no more in need.”
Thus He who fed Elijah by the living ravens proves Himself equally able to supply the needs of His tried and suffering children by the same bird when dead. We almost at once say, after reading such a story as this, “Lord, increase our faith.” Let those who are tried in circumstances, and in whatever way suffering may come, remember that “nothing is too hard for the Lord.” He honors simple faith.
This faith in God kept the poor weaver buoyant and happy, and it was well rewarded. Jesus is the object on which faith rests. Let Him be all our confidence and all our hope, and we shall be sure to know everlasting joy in the days to come.
ML-02/25/1962