Have you ever read the story of Balaam? See Numbers 22 for the complete account of an ungodly man whom the Lord used to bless the Israelites. Lucy Thurston received a similar blessing from her atheistic cousin.
Shortly before Lucy’s departure for Hawaii, this cousin and his wife come for a visit to the Goodale farm. This visit coincided with the Sunday that Asa preached the sermon in Lucy’s church in Marlborough, Massachusetts. This cousin, the son of a clergyman, boldly proclaimed that he was not a Christian. Nevertheless, he and his wife attended worship that Sunday and heard Asa preach.
The following day, this atheist handed Lucy a poem of blessing that he composed the night before. I will copy it here:
And art thou called to visit distant lands,
To teach the heathen God's divine commands?
Then go, sweet cousin, cross the foaming sea,
Thy God will bless thee whereso'er ye be.
Soon thou wilt see Hawaii's fertile shore,
And settle there to see thine own no more;
There build thy cottage by the rising flood,
And tell the natives of their Savior, God.
His life, his sufferings be thy fruitful theme,
While faith and hope will in their faces gleam;
Thy social hearth will name with love divine,
And all will bless thy steps and all that's thine.
Oh, may He fill thy soul with sov'reign grace,
And bless thy partner in his charge and place,
Bless all his labors, bless his little flock,
And bless thy children from our Goodale stock.
In mem'ry's fav'rite hour wilt thou remember me;
Full oft our prayers shall ascend for thee;
Long shall we dwell on this farewell to you,
And long shall mem'ry linger o'r this last adieu.
Shocked to receive this poem of blessing, Lucy graciously thanked him. Ten years later, Lucy received notice that this cousin had become a Christian. He wrote to her that it took two of his young sons to die before he turned to God.
Here are the exact words from his letter: “We had been insensible of all God’s mercies, but when He laid his hand on our little ones, it brought us to bless His holy name. May praise be His forever.”
You can read the exact account of this unusual event near the beginning of Lucy’s book at the end of Article III. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=C9gTAAAAYAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA7
Once again, God showed Lucy that it was His will that she go to Hawaii with Asa by sending her this special blessing. Similar to the dream that God gave Persis, God revealed His will to His servants in unexpected ways.
I wonder if I am open to God’s leading in unexpected ways. Perhaps I have my life carefully planned so that there is no extra room for God to break in and redirect my path. Something to think about…