An Unexpected Arrival

An Unexpected Arrival

In the late nineteenth century, Anglo-American communications were difficult for everyone . . . and how! Yet God was in charge then, too.

ON JUNE 17, 1873, Dwight L. Moody and his new inexperienced song leader, Ira Sankey, arrived in Liverpool, England, with their wives and the Moody children to hold evangelistic meetings. They had come at the invitation of three Christian men, who had promised to pay for their travel expenses even though they had never actually met Moody. Having exhausted all his own funds for the steamship tickets, Moody arrived in England only to learn that two of the men had died, and the third had forgotten his promise. No arrangements had been made for any meetings, there was no sponsoring committee and no funds. They were stranded three thousand miles from home.

Moody said to Sankey, “God seems to have closed the doors. We’ll not open any ourselves. If He opens the door, we’ll go in. If He doesn’t, we’ll return to America.”

At their hotel that night Moody remembered that the one specific invitation he had received from England was from George Bennett, a young chemist in York who was the founder/secretary of the local YMCA. Moody had only vaguely replied to Bennett’s invitation when he first received it. Telling Sankey, “This door is only ajar,” Moody now had the secretary of the Liverpool YMCA send Bennett a telegram: “Moody here—are you ready for him.”

Since he had received no firm reply to his invitation, Bennett had not pursued the idea any further and had only told one person that he had sent the invitation. He was thus justifiably shocked when he received Moody’s telegram saying he had arrived. He replied with a telegram to Moody: “Please fix date when you can come to York.” Moody replied immediately, “I will be in York tonight ten o’clock—Make no arrangements till I come.”

Bennett appeared dazed as he met Moody at the train station that evening. Over supper Moody suggested a course of action: “I propose we make arrangements tomorrow, Saturday, to commence meetings Sunday.” As they ate, they came up with a plan to have posters printed and posted on Saturday as soon as Bennett could find a place for him to preach.

Starting that Sunday, Moody began holding services in local churches, including one pastored by F. B. Meyer. Initially the meetings were only moderately successful, but for Meyer the experience of having Moody preach in his church was life changing. In the small vestry room of Meyer’s church, Moody and Meyer prayed many hours for England, kneeling together at the leather-covered table in the center of the room. Moody later referred to that little room as “the foundation from which the river of blessing for all England had sprung,” for during the next two years, two and a half million people heard Moody preach throughout England. It was the greatest British revival since John Wesley’s day.

Reflection

We all experience times when we are at the end of our resources and it seems as if God is not there. When this happens, the answers are to be found in our own prayer rooms, where God will in time reveal himself. His timing may not be our timing, but his plan is perfect if we are willing to wait and put our trust in him.

I am confident that I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14