The Lost Wallet
A True Story Taken From The Novel--The Footsteps Of God
During the mid 1960’s, I worked for my father and my two oldest brothers who were twins. We were in the backhoe business and installing septic systems was our main line of work. It was during the month of August and our annual camp meeting at the House of Prayer in Washington C.H., Ohio was going on.
We were working on a job several miles away from our homes and we were installing a septic system. I was digging the leaching lines to the system and I was piling dirt everywhere. When we got ready to quit for the day, I noticed my billfold was missing from my pant’s pocket. It had evidently vibrated out of my hip pocket and was lying on the ground or in the bottom of one of the ditches I had dug.
We searched and searched that evening but couldn’t find it anywhere. It could have easily been down in the bottom of a ditch or under a pile of dirt. I had $37.00 in it and that was all the money I had in the world. I had no checking or savings account, only the $37.00. That was a lot of money to me back then and was almost a week’s wages.
That night I promised the Lord if He would help me find my wallet, I would put all of the $37.00 in the offering for the camp meeting. I reminded the Lord that my driver's license and my social security card were in my wallet. I told the Lord I would be satisfied to get these back. If I didn't find my wallet, I would have to replace these items and that would cost me money that I didn't have.
The next morning after we arrived at our work site, my father, my brothers and I looked again but we still couldn't find my billfold. I was reluctant to start digging and piling more dirt because it would then be virtually impossible to find my wallet. However, I finally gave up searching for the lost wallet because I had work to do for the day. I started running the backhoe, digging and throwing more dirt on the ground. I noticed my brother out of the corner of my eye and he was walking with his head down.
All at once he stopped. He took his foot and kicked over a clump of dirt. I saw him reach down and pick something up. He then began walking fast to the backhoe holding my billfold high up in the air with tears in his eyes. He said, "I prayed and told the Lord that you needed your billfold." God had led him to that clump of dirt and it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
I kept my word to the Lord and put all of the $37.00 in the offering for camp meeting. God blessed me for it and there never was a lack because He gave us more work than we could do.
The Footsteps of God were walking in my life!
As I wrote this story that happened in my life so many long years ago, I relived it again in my mind and in my heart. My heart was moved with the Spirit and the words below came to me as I again gave thanks unto my God.
"Ah, Lord God, what shall I say? Thou hast sustained me with Thy right hand and looked upon me as the apple of Thine eye. My God! How great Thou Art!"
