A Hard Question

But what would they use for money to pay the printer, to say nothing of the problem of gathering articles and circulating the paper? The record states that James White pondered this question till the summer of 1849. Then the impression took hold of him that indeed he should write and publish a little paper. But almost immediately he became troubled with “doubt and perplexity, as he was penniless.” So, lacking in faith, he decided to go out again and find a job with his scythe, mowing a grain field. Here is the story of what happened then, as recorded by Mrs. White:WBEGW 32.1

“As he left the house, a burden was rolled upon me, and I fainted. Prayer was offered for me, and I was blessed, and taken off in vision. I saw that the Lord had blessed and strengthened my husband to labor in the field one year before; that he had made a right disposition of the means he there earned; and that he would have a hundredfold in this life, and, if faithful, a rich reward in the kingdom of God; but that the Lord would not now give him strength to labor in the field, for He had another work for him to do, and that if he ventured into the field, he would be cut down by sickness; but that he must write, write, write, and walk out by faith. He immediately began to write, and when he came to some difficult passage, we would unite in prayer to God for an understanding of the true meaning of His word.”—Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 125, 126.WBEGW 32.2