Your tears and your cries have not gone unmarked before the throne of the Most High. The burden of debt lies heavy upon you, and the shame of it, with the constant harassment, has made your spirit to stoop. Yet it is often in such low estate that the Lord begins to do his greatest work. Remember the word: “The Lord will abase thee, whosoever thou mayest be; the axe is ready to be laid at thy root even now.” And again: “The low tree, fostered by the husbandman, shall mount even to the stars.” Before you can be lifted out of this pit, see that you lie low before him in true repentance. Let no self-righteousness keep you from the mercy seat; all your own goodness is but a moth-eaten garment. Go to God with no plea but the blood of Jesus.
I do not bid you look for a miracle of a loan as your chief hope, though God can send it if he wills. The miracle you most need is a heart that trusts him entirely, even when the waters rise to the neck. Job, when stripped of everything, “sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” He sat among the ashes, and in the end the Lord gave him twice what he had before. Will you not honour God by a holy patience? The banks may rage, and collectors threaten, but neither their words nor their visits can strip you of your soul’s true treasure. Christ is grand in emergencies; when the loaves are few, his hands can multiply them. Have faith in God! That is the connecting link between divine power and your empty purse. Quit your feverish striving, and commit your cause to him who knows your needs.
Consider, too, whether your desire to repay everyone springs from a right motive. It is noble, but if it consumes you with anxiety and leads you to think unworthy thoughts of God, then you are leaning upon your own understanding. “In the presence of God, Job bowed his head and repented of all his suspicions and mistrusts.” Are you not suspicious that he has forgotten you? Ah, but he is the God who exalts the dry tree, who causes it to flourish. A Christian is a miracle from start to finish; you could not earn a penny of heaven’s favour; it must all come as free grace. Stand still, then, and see the salvation of God. Cease from the fear of what man can do; the threat of legal action and the shame of exposure are but the fiery furnace, and the Son of God walks in it with his children.
If the loan be withheld, be sure his grace will be sufficient. He may send provision from a quarter you never dreamed of, or move the hearts of your creditors to show mercy. But even if not, fresh oil shall be poured upon your head, and your glory, like Job’s, shall be restored in his own time. Do not bind the Almighty to a single path; his ways are in the sea. Let this trial drive you far from the world’s broken cisterns to the fountain of living waters. Pray, yes, and pray earnestly, but believe as you pray, not because your faith is strong, but because the object of your faith is strong. The power to save lies wholly in Jesus himself; it is not dependent upon anything in you. Go to him now, and say with all your heart, “It is the Lord: let him do what seems good to him.” Then watch for the dawn.