THE DAY THE BANKS CLOSED
«And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide» (Genesis 22:14).
IS THERE A STORY in our denominational history that you can call your favorite? I know what mine is. I read it in an article written by Adriel D. Chilson. According to Chilson, it was 1933 and The Great Depression was hitting the U.S. financial system with all its might. In the midst of the climate of uncertainty, Pastor W. H. Williams, associate treasurer of the General Conference, ordered his secretary to keep ten hundred-dollar bills in an envelope, date it, and store it in the safe. And the same must be done in the next few weeks.
Precisely on March 2 of that year, when Pastor Williams was in the office, he felt a touch on his shoulders, and he seemed to hear a voice saying, «Go to New York City tonight.»
Startled, Pastor Williams prayed, «Lord, I am not authorized to do transactions in New York these days.» But then he heard the same voice that said, «Go!» As fast as he could, Pastor Williams headed to the train station, and early in the morning he was already in New York. What am I doing here? was the question he asked himself. Then the same voice spoke to him, «Go to the banks and send the money to the missionaries of each division. »
Isn’t it too early in the month to do this? thought Williams. Still, he proceeded to do so. He went to the first bank and was ready to instruct the teller to send the remittance of money for one month, when he felt he had to send three times the usual amount. Feeling his legs shaking, Williams went to the second bank and conducted the same transaction.
Emotionally exhausted, he made the journey back to Takoma Park, Maryland. That Friday night, Pastor Williams says he slept soundly. On the morning of Saturday, March 4, another voice woke him up: that of the town crier shouting, «All the banks have closed! The banks have closed all over the country!» With tears in his eyes, Pastor Williams realized whose voice it was he had previously heard, and the reason for the haste.
After the sun went down, Pastor Williams received a call from Pastor Shaw, treasurer of the General Conference. In a voice of anguish, he asked, «Have you heard the news? How will we pay the missionaries?»
What Pastor Shaw didn’t know was that God was ready when the banks closed. No missionary stopped receiving their livelihood. What about the General Conference employees? They didn’t either. Remember the envelopes with a thousand dollars that were kept in the office safe for weeks?
Thank You, heavenly Father, because when one door closes, it is because You have already opened another.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Colaboradores: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate.