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THE SACRED READINGS
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Selling Cattle
Shortly after [Dallas] Seminary was founded
in 1924, it almost folded. It came to the point of bankruptcy. All
the creditors were ready to foreclose at twelve
noon on a particular day. That morning, the founders of the
school met in the president’s office to pray
that God would provide. In that prayer meeting was Harry
Ironside. When it was his turn to pray, he
said in his refreshingly candid way, “Lord we know that the cattle
on a thousand hills are Thine. Please sell
some of them and send us the money.”
Just about that time, a tall Texan in boots
and an open-collar shirt strolled into the business office. “Howdy!”
he said to the secretary. “I just sold two
carloads of cattle over in Fort Worth. I’ve been trying to make a
business deal go through, but it just won’t
work. I feel God wants me to give this money to the seminary. I
don’t know if you need it or not, but here’s
the check,” and he handed it over.
The secretary took the check and, knowing something
of the critical nature of the hour, went to the door of
the prayer meeting and timidly tapped. Dr.
Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder and president of the school,
answered the door and took the check from
her hand. When he looked at the amount, it was for the exact
sum of the debt. Then he recognized the name
on the check as that of the cattleman. Turning to Dr. Ironside,
he said, “Harry, God sold the cattle.”
Howard Hendricks
Stories for the Heart compiled by Alice Gray
(Portland: Multnomah Press, 1996), p. 272.
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