Message received
A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. He had put everything he had into his business, and it was failing. He owed everybody. The situation was so dire he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort, he went to a pastor and tearfully poured out his tale of woe.
When he had finished, the pastor said, “Here’s what I want you to do. Put a lounge chair and your Bible in your car, and drive down to the beach. Take the lounge chair and the Bible to the water’s edge. Sit down in the lounge chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page, and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer. That will tell you what to do.”
A year later the businessman went back to the pastor and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom-tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket and gave it to the pastor as a donation in thanks for his advice.
The pastor recognized the benefactor and was curious. “You did as I suggested?” he asked.