I gave that money to one of our brothers for safe keeping as that amount was not sufficient to buy a good vehicle. During December that year, I had an invitation from an assembly in Trivandrum for meetings there. Young people there asked me if I had a new prayer experience. I told them that a story has reached only half way and I would tell them when it was complete. They then said the if I told them that much, they would also pray for the completion of the same.
So during one of the meetings there I told how the Lord provided Rs.50,000/- and how the brother from Trichur obeyed the voice of God. That evening after I went to the room where I was staying, a brother came at about 9.30 pm. and knocked at my door. He was a close friend of mine and he apologized for disturbing me during that time. He said that he had brought a cheque for Rs.40,000/- to be given to me.
I said: “Why, you could have given it to me tomorrow; I am going to be here all day tomorrow.”
The brother said: “Tomorrow… I do not know whether I would be able to give it to you because if I thought in the night, ‘even its tithe itself is a good amount; why should I not give him only the tithe?’ ; or I may discuss the matter with my wife and if she expressed disagreement, then I would be found guilty of disobeying God. So please accept it now.”
Then I took the cheque from him and I put my signature behind it. I said, “It is mine now. You will please do me a favor. Tomorrow take it to the bank and bring me cash.” He agreed and took it back and brought money the following day.
I said, “Now, tell me, how did you decide to give me so much money?”
He said: “Ten years ago I lent this money to one of our close friends. Then finding that he would not return it in the time he promised, I asked him several times about it. But he was not in a position to give it back to me. Five years ago, I wrote it off from my mind as money which was lost. But yesterday, before I came to the meeting, he brought the money back apologizing for the undue delay. When I got the money, I thought to myself: ‘why should this money come to me now. It is money written off’ and came to meeting. There as I listened to your testimony, the Lord said, ‘This money is for Mathew Paul’. I decided then and there to give you this money.”
I brought the money and gave it to the brother for safe keeping. I separated tithe from it and spend a little for maintenance of the old van and the amount in safe keeping was 75,000/- Then in a similar manner from an unsolicited source came Rs.25.000/- which was again given for safe keeping. The senior brother who was keeping my money said, “Why should you run the old vehicle any more keeping so much money in hand? Let’s get you a vehicle. I’ll pay the balance now. You can give it me when you get it.”
At last the van came
There was another brother in the assembly who was selling his OMNI for Rs. 1,30,000/- and we got that vehicle on the 1st of March l997. It was a 90 model vehicle, single handed and run 40.000 kms. with a memorable number on it.
We have the same van with us now. We renovated the engine after it had done 2.30.000 kms. And it still serves us though it is seventeen years old. It is difficult to use it for long trips now. We praise God of His kindness in our lives. I know every servant of God is not running a four wheeler! If we had done it for the last twenty two years, it is purely by His grace. To His name be all glory. Amen.