"Thou hast power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." There is an old translation that gives this passage a beautiful rendering, "Because thou hast power with God, thou hast with men."
An incident occurred in Wales, that illustrates this passage. At the close
of an evening meeting, the Welsh pastor requested all Christians who were
willing, to name some person they would go home and pray for as much
of the night as they chose. After each one had named the person they
would go home and pray for, the meeting was dismissed. When a pious
hired girl came down the aisle weeping, saying:
"Pastor, you have not given me any one to pray for; I want some one."
He asked her who she was acquainted with that she might take. She was living with a wealthy, unconverted husband and wife. The pastor asked how she would like to take her mistress. She replied: "That will do. She is very kind to me, I will take her".
She returned home, and instead of going to her room, she went to a small
room in the chamber, and closing the door, kneeled down, and hour after
hour continued to offer just this prayer:
"O God, my mistress is very kind, have mercy on her soul."
The husband and wife had retired and were asleep. But about midnight the
wife waked up in great distress about her soul. Said to her husband:
"I never saw myself such a sinner before. O I am such a sinner. I must have some one pray for me; you will have to go out and get a Christian to pray for me."
The husband said: "My wife, it is midnight, can't you wait until morning?"
But she was in such distress she could not wait.
The husband perfectly kind and willing to go, said: "Where shall I go to find a Christian at this hour?"
It finally occurred to him that some one had said their hired girl was a
Christian. The wife said:
"Yes, she is a good Christian. I had not thought of her, we will go to her
room."
They went to her room but she wasnt there and the bed had not been
touched. He inquired if she might not be in another room in the house.
The wife said:
She has occasionally slept in a room in the chamber, we will go and see.
They went to this room and before they opened the door they heard her
say:
"O God, my mistress is very kind to me, have mercy on her soul. The wife said, Here is the reason I could not sleep; here is the reason I felt I was such a sinner."
They opened the door and the wife threw herself in on her knees, by the
side of her hired girl. She had power over her mistress when she had power with
God. So it will be with all Christians. They will have power over wicked
men, to lead them to Christ, if they first have power to move God.
A. B. Earle, From: Incidents Used… In His Meetings, published in 1888.
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