The Prayer Closet
THE PRAYER CLOSET Before I begin, I would like to say most sincerely that I don’t recall when I have been in such an excellent atmosphere in any church apart from EBI, where we’re quite accustomed to it. But I really don’t know what to think. I was sitting here and tried to think back, and I have as yet not been able to think of a place where I felt the presence of God, the spiritual climate (I would call it), so Pentecostal, so rich. You know what I thought also while I was sitting here?
Now you might not believe me, but that’s the truth anyhow. I thought, “If I had to live in Schenectady, this is the church I’d join.” I feel at home and it really speaks well of you folk. It’s not that I brought it. I didn’t bring it at all, I found it here.
You can’t bring a thing like that; that has to be cultivated over a period of time; that’s what you have. I just trust that when you get your new church, you’ll keep it. You can if you will, but if you become more occupied with your new building, than with the price of the building, then you’re going to lose it as sure as you’ve got it—as sure as you got it. Sometimes folks say, “Come see our church, come see our church.” That’s alright, but when they don’t have it, they say, “Come find the Lord.” If you keep the Lord in the first place, that church doesn’t need to hinder you at all, but if you do what the Israelites did: They put their confidence in the house of God instead of in the God of the house, and they lost both the house and God.
These things don’t have to be, but it’s just an expression of my own heart. I trust you will just keep this lovely atmosphere—you rarely find that. I’m not saying you won’t find it—you do—but it’s more and more rare that one does run into something like that, so the Lord bless you real good. I enjoyed my stay with you immensely, so now we’ll see what we can do this evening.
For those of you that have these notes which I’m using as the basis for my study—I’m still on the area of the 2nd page on the 2nd point, the 2nd sub-point, where it reads, “God is omnipresent, Jeremiah 23:24.” Most of the rest of the page, I don’t think we can take care of, but we’ll go back to Jeremiah, and then I want to take you for a bit into Matthew. This morning we observed that God said through Jeremiah, Do not I fill heaven and earth. Now that statement was made in relation to the false prophets who prophesied extensively in the name of the Lord, but they were folk who made up their own prophecies.
They prophesied out of the imagination of their own heart. Some people have never learned the difference between imagination and revelation, or revelation and hallucination. And so God, concerning these prophets said, Do not I feel heaven and earth. In other words, “I am everywhere, and I hear what they say.” We use that principle this morning to assure our hearts, and to encourage our hearts to the fact that God is wherever we are.
Now I want to take you to Matthew 6 to give you, point out to you, what I would consider a practical approach to this truth—for I’m not here merely to inform you. Information is good, but it isn’t good enough. Information needs to be applied. Many people seem to forget that.
Sure, we need to be informed, but there are folk who have a great admiration for the word of God, but forget its appropriation. The Word of God must not only be admired, it must be appropriated. Just as Christ must not only be worshiped, He must also be obeyed. So the thing that I’m stressing—and that’s why I use some of my experiences—is to help you to apply the word, to appropriate the word, in your actual experience right on the level where you live.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t even bother going around if I couldn’t do that. In Matthew 6:6, we have a passage that most of you, I imagine, could memorize or could recite from memory. And yet, you might find something there that will help you. I think I’ll do better by reading the context so we get its proper setting and are able to understand what went on in the mind of the Lord.
Though I’m focusing the attention on verse 6, I’ll read right through to 8. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your heavenly father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Matthew 6:6-8 But don’t forget, ask anyhow, because here He tells us to pray. Don’t say, “Well he knows what I need.” Well, ask him.
“Why should I ask?” So when He meets that need, He’ll get the credit—otherwise, He won’t. If you had been observing here, I don’t know, I know you’ve listened. Have you observed Jesus is here speaking about three kinds of prayers? He spoke about the prayer of the hypocrite; He spoke about the prayer of the heathen, and He spoke about the prayer of a son that is, the son of God.
Now the hypocrite is the one who prays with a wrong motive. He prays to be seen and heard. Jesus said, Verily they have their reward. What’s their reward?—the approbation of men.
The hypocrite is one who prays in the congregation—he prays this way (pointing upward), but he means it this way (pointing outward). Have you ever heard people pray, “Now dear Lord, You know how we shouldn’t do this, and Lord You just convict us if we are guilty, Lord. And if there is anybody (there he is) in our midst this evening. Now Lord.” (Laughter) You don’t have them in Schenectady, so why talk about it.
Or the other kind of a hickacrit, my little girl used to say, “Oh our dear and heavenly God, whub, whub,” and they use such long words and complex sentences so people will say, “My, he has the gift of expression. Brother, that was a beautiful prayer.” “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He’s got his reward. That’s all he’ll ever get. (Laughter) That’s all he’ll ever get.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Um! I really prayed a good prayer today, didn’t I? It was nice, wasn’t it?” “Oh!
It was beautiful.” “Thank you, my sister dear.” (laughter) The hypocrite prays with a wrong motive. He prays to be heard; he prays to be seen. The heathen’s prayer doesn’t get us anywhere either. He thinks that he’s heard for his much speaking.
You can hear heathen pray—I’ve seen them pray before Buddha; I’ve seen them pray before their idols by the hour. I was in a Buddhist temple in Rangoon, Burma a few years back, just passing through on my way down to Indonesia. We had an overnight plane stop and there were a few hours daylight left, so some of us went out to the temple. It was a temple that defies description!
It is absolutely fabulous, fantastic, indescribable! The whole dome of the temple was gold. I don’t remember how many tons of gold were used in that temple. My memory says it was 5 tons, but since I could err, I don’t want to give you the figure, but an enormous weight of gold.
It’s a fabulous place, and huge at that. And there are those poor people coming with their lotus blossoms and saying their prayers, “mm mm mm mm.” They would go on for the hour, and they think the longer they stay, the more words they use, the more sure they’re going to be heard. You know, Christians can get into that, where they think they are being heard for their multitude of words. And some people really have the gift of gab, or it isn’t speech, it’s a gift of talking.
They just rattle on, rattle on, rattle, rattle, rattle. Not much to say, nothing to say—and they say it. Oh, you look so serious! I’m not talking about you.
But there are a lot of people who have nothing to say, and they say it. When they get done talking half an hour, you still don’t know what they said. Now we can talk that way to God. These heathen here had the wrong concept.
They thought they were heard for their much speaking, but not so. Some of the places in the Far East, you can see trees with pieces of cloth tied to the branches blowing in the wind. Those things blowing in the wind represents the prayers of the people. They get tired talking, so they let the cloth blow in the wind with a prayer written on it.
That means the prayer is being prayed all the time. They think they’re being heard. They’re not heard! Jesus puts the prayer of the son between these two.
We’ll occupy ourselves, of course, with that. I’ll tie that in, at the proper point, where we were this morning with Jeremiah, but I have to say a few things before we get there. Notice in verse 6, But thou, when thou prayest. Do you notice Jesus did not say, But thou, if thou prayest.
He said, But thou, when thou prayest. In other words, God takes for granted that His children pray. Prayer is not a matter of option; prayer is a matter of obligation—to say the least. I prefer to call it a privilege.
The Father expects that His children commune with Him and ask Him. When thou prayest, enter into thy closet—the need of getting alone with God. Pentecost is getting away from that, my friends, but there is no substitute for the private closet of prayer. In fact, you can even learn to enter your closet in the midst of a crowd.
Now you can learn that. I have learned it well, I believe. I can shut myself in with God in the middle of a crowd of people as though I were as isolated as when I’m at home in my private little chamber up in the attic. A few years back, I was going from Nice in France down to Rome for some meetings.
We were leaving very early in the morning, I think around 4, or something like that. It was a rainy day, cloudy, messy, and I like very much to watch sunsets over the clouds, and fly usually—well with the old type plane—when you go in the morning you get there evening. In the evening you get there in the morning and usually you can watch sunset—and I’ve seen some beautiful sights: complete rainbows, complete circles with the shadow of the plane right in the middle of the circle riding over there on the clouds.
I’ve seen it several times. So I was anxious this morning to watch the sun come up over those rainy clouds. The Lord gave me a real spirit of intercession. Oh!
I had such a burden! I remember I squinted, kind of closed my eyes—I wanted my eyes half closed for praying, yet half open to watch this sunrise. I guess I was bad, but I didn’t want to miss it. I said to the Lord, “Lord, how is it I have to spend so much time in intercession when I’m traveling.” And the Lord gave me these words, “Because I have so few to share the burden.” Then I understood.
Well, that thing stayed on me right down to Rome, and I filled out my forms, you know, for landing—declaration, this and that, and the other. That presence was still there in intercession. I remember standing there at the airport waiting for the customs man to come and examine my luggage. I was there quite awhile because there were a lot of people.
I just stood there waiting for the man to go through my luggage, all the time interceding in the Spirit. I didn’t say anything out loud, but in there it was going on. I was in the closet of prayer in the midst of a busy airport—I just stood there. And then after, Brother Perano—I guess you know him—picked me up, the thing very gradually subsided.
But it was a case of having learned to enter the closet in the midst of a lot of people. You know, in these busy days, you just have to learn that, or I think, you’re sunk. Last summer I went over to Africa on a Pan American plane; there were only a few people on the plane, to my great surprise. I sat over on this side, there were 3 seats, and 3 seats over there.
Over there in the corner, there was a lady. Well, it came supper time, and just from her actions, I felt that lady wanted company. It almost looked like she was saying, “May I sit with you, or would you come over here and join me for supper.” You know. Well, that would have been alright, but I didn’t want to, and I’ll tell you why.
Even though the journey’s long, and you just sit there by yourself. I was afraid that if I get over there, I’ll have a certain obligation to stay there and keep talking, and talking, and talking. You know what I mean? What I was afraid was it may be that His presence comes, which it often does, to give me a spirit of prayer, and then I would be sitting with that lady—and however nice she might have been to chat with—then I’m tied up in this social thing to the detriment of what the Spirit wanted to do.
So I pretended that I didn’t recognize her half smile, and her—well, it was written on her face. Alright, I just didn’t look over anymore. I looked out of the window, though it was dark by then. A few minutes later, she sat with somebody else.
One of the gentlemen came over, sat with her, and had supper with her—and that’s what she wanted. It would have been alright, but I did not want to have anything to interfere with that inner work of the Spirit of God that would pray, “Oh God!” Do you know what I mean? Now I was shut in—and that presence came—and I was shut in, shut in with God. There weren’t many people there, but many a time a cabin or a plane was full.
I just was there quietly shut in with God. And when thou prayest, enter into thy closet. My friends, I want to recommend to you to learn to build a closet no matter where it is. I can do it on the train, on the ship, in the car, in the railroad station, at the airport, anywhere at all.
It doesn’t make any difference: I carry with me my own cathedral. There is a closet, so to speak, in my own spirit—I just enter that and have a grand time with God—and that pays off. One year I went to Colombo, Ceylon, and passed down through Rome. I had to change planes in Rome waiting for the plane to come from Amsterdam.
It was about 11:00 o’clock at night and I had the blues. I’d already been traveling a night and a day, and sat there for a number of hours and gradually got the blues—got kind of lonesome. Sometimes you get lonesome in these things. Oh!
It canhit me like everything. There I sat, and I got bluer and bluer; I got so lonesome; I sat there by myself in a corner. I could have walked up to people, but I just don’t do that. I think the good Lord sent a cat along.
Of all things—a cat at that big airport! Well, there was a cat, and he or she—whatever she was, I don’t know—jumped up in my lap and lay there. (Laughter) That’s right! I thought, “Kitty, where on earth do you ever come from, the next place?” But there she was and I guess the Lord wanted to send me a friend along.
So I was stroking around this kitty, and was kind of glad I had something to play with, when suddenly in my spirit, I became alarmed. Something hadn’t sunk in, now it was sinking in. They had told me there in passing through the controls that my papers weren’t in order, but I didn’t pay much attention. Now I sat there with the kitty, and all of a sudden I thought, “Listen Beuttler, didn’t they tell you your papers weren’t in order for Ceylon?” In some of those countries, they don’t like Americans.
In fact, few countries do. They like the American dollar much more than the American. That would be an interesting story to go into, and I could go into and give you the whys and the wherefores, but that would take an hour and a half. We can’t afford that.
I was disturbed, increasingly disturbed, until I was troubled and worried, because it meant I have to leave Ceylon before my work there was finished—unless they gave me an extension. In some of these places, they wouldn’t think of a thing like that. If you got nothing to do in Indonesia, you better stay out. The first thing you do after you get there is go to the police station.
My do they ever give you the run-a-round. As I sat there worrying, this presence came—now we’re back to the presence and to the Father. This presence came, and I had in here (pointing to stomach area) a song. Now let me see, what was that song?
I’ll get it. (Sings song) I know the Lord will make a way for me. I’m not a singer, of course. You know that song.
I know the Lord will make a way for me. At first I paid no attention, then it got to be stronger; it got stronger, and stronger and stronger; it sang around like a little organ in there. I said, “Beuttler, the Lord’s talking to you. He wants to say something.” Oh!
(sings again) I know the Lord will make a way for me. I said, “Hallelujah! Father, I’m going to commit this thing into Your hand. You somehow make a way.” So after another two nights and a day of flying, I got to Colombo very early in the morning.
There sat a little officious looking man—and the people in some of those countries, they’re awfully officious. Since they get their independence, you know, they just feel they got the upper hand, and they let you know it. Oh yes indeed! It makes them happy to make it rough for you.
There he sat, and I was concerned. He went through my papers, and I said, “Oh God, now is Your chance.” So I said, “Sir, I have a problem.” “What’s your problem?” So I told him. “Oh, Oh,” he says. “Well I’ll tell you.
Shall I fix it up for you? I’ll give you two extra weeks.” “Ugh?” I said, “That would be fine.” “Why certainly.” (Stamped document sound.) “Have a good time, sir.” I felt like going through the ceiling. Listen, that just wasn’t true to form. They just don’t act that way normally, but I’ll tell you something, “It was true to His form.” So when you have cultivated that inner sanctum, the closet of prayer, even in the midst of activity, you have a wonderful help in your life.
No wonder Jesus said, When thou prayest, enter into thy closet. Now there’s a place for public prayer. We know there’s a place for family prayer, but that isn’t what Jesus talked about in this verse. In this verse, He talked about this personal approach.
Now again, may I shock you if I’ll promise to unshock you? If I were you, I would not always pray to God. Nope. I don’t pray to God as much as I used to, not nearly as much.
“Then who shall we pray to, the Virgin Mary?” I wouldn’t recommend it, if you want to get results. (Laughter) I guess I can say that, maybe I shouldn’t. Maybe I was just bad, but it’s true anyhow. I don’t pray to God the way I used to, and Jesus didn’t teach it in this verse.
He didn’t say, “And pray to thy God.” No, He didn’t. He said, and pray to thy Father. “But, Brother Beuttler, God and the Father are the same thing.” Well, now wait a minute: Yes, and no. Now look here!
God and the Heavenly Father are identical persons—I’ll grant you that—but there is a difference in relationship. God is the God of all creation, even of Castro, and Hitler, and Stalin, and all the rest of the troublemakers. He is their God—they don’t recognize Him, they don’t know it, but He is their God. But listen, isn’t He our God?
Sure He’s our God, but He is our Father too, but He isn’t their Father. He is our God, certainly, but He’s also our Father—but He isn’t Castro’s Father. “Well, how do you know?” God’s children don’t act the way he does, that’s how I know. And He isn’t Stalin’s Father, and He wasn’t Mussolini’s Father.
Now you folk won’t be angry at me for that, will you now? You better not, or I’ll tell that to my Father. (Laughter) He’s everybody’s God, but He’s my Father and your Father. Look, here is the difference: As our Heavenly Father, God has obligations, and we as His children, have privileges which the sinner does not.
I’ll simplify that for you. As our Father, God has an obligation to us, His children, which obligation He does not have to the sinner. God has responsibilities to you and me, as His children, as our Father, which He doesn’t have to the sinner. You and I, as God’s children, have privileges which the sinner doesn’t have.
So while we deal with the same person, we are praying on the basis of a different relationship. I don’t question the identity of the person of Father and God, but there’s a difference in relationship. The sinner cannot say, “Father.” We cry Abba, Father by the Holy Ghost. You cannot pray that, you cannot say it without the Spirit.
Now wait a minute—you can say the words. A parrot can learn to say, Father, Father, Father. No, no, no. But they’re not praying Father; they’re only saying the word.
We cannot really say, “Father” in reality unless we’re born again. We can say the word, but you can’t say, “Father.” You cannot pray on that basis—that’s something reserved for His children. So Jesus said, When we go into the secret closet, pray to thy Father which is in secret. I got to watch my time; I got to make a train tomorrow morning.
Do not I fill heaven and earth, and thy Father which is in secret. Do you see how that ties in? You get to be alone with Him. He is there.
How do I know it? He said so. But how do I know it’s so. Because He said so, what He said so, is so.
It is so because He said so, and He said so because it is so. (Laughter) You can go upstairs in a room if there is one. There used to be, in a kitchen somewhere where they make you some nice Italian cookies. Um!
They just go down and won’t come up. (Laughter) Alright, you go up there. Well, nothing here to induce prayer. When you really pray, when you know what prayer is, you don’t need an external inducement.
“Oh, I wish I could pray. I’ll have to look at the cross for 5 minutes, absorb it up so I’ll get the spirit of prayer.” You don’t get the spirit of prayer that way; you get the spirit of goof. The thing you get is not the spirit of prayer—that’s just a religious sanctimoniousness, that’s all. “When at look at that picture, I feel so holy.” When you feel holy, you’re not.
Na, na, na, na. Don’t confuse a religious sanctimoniousness with prayer. I can pray as easily in the coal bin as in a cathedral, and if there is a difference, I can pray better there because there is less to distract me. I’m peculiar, amn’t I?
And you said about my coming back. You talked too soon. One year I was walking around the streets in Paris. It was a little rainy, drizzly cold.
I just wanted to have a little time with the Lord, and my feet were tired. I couldn’t find a place to sit because benches were wet. And then over there on the island in the same, I saw Notre Dame Cathedral. I thought, “Ops, there’s a place there.” I walked over there; sat in there.
You know what cathedrals look like better than I do. There was all that paraphernalia and mmmm mmmm mmmm (mimicked chanting), everything going on. And you know, I sat right in the middle of it; had my eyes closed and had a wonderful time of communion with my Heavenly Father. They had their sayings and all the rest—you know that, of course, and I had my Father.
God was there. Did you know that God’s in Notre Dame Cathedral? Yea, I found Him there. Oh yes!
He’s in St. Peter’s too. A lot of people don’t find Him, but when I go there, He’s there. Do you know why?
I bring Him with me. (Laughter) Sure, you have a cathedral inside of your spirit. Umm! I feel the incense burning in here now—just the altar of incense going up to the Lord, even while I speak to you folk.
That’s the life of Riley, but Riley doesn’t know this life. And thy Father which is in secret— and thy Father which seeth in secret. I take these twin truths and build my tabernacle on it. These are absolutely sure—you can read it for yourself: Matthew 6:6, thy Father which is.
Supposing you go home tonight; your children are asleep; your husband maybe working, or if you don’t have a husband—well, anyhow you’re alone. There you are by yourself, we’ll assume. “My, that presence we had in church tonight.” Wait a minute! Your Heavenly Father is right there in secret, and furthermore, He sees you—and on that, you build your faith and your prayer.
With that in mind again, Jesus said, and pray to thy Father. Friends this truth can revolutionize your prayer habits. I used to pray differently, you know (loudly while pounding pulpit): “Oh God, God of Isaac, God of Benjamin, God of Jacob, God of Oh, hear Thou from heaven.” I don’t pray that way anymore. I guess many a time the good Lord shook His head and said, “Will he ever learn?” Supposing my little girl—well she’s growing up, but I guess when there littlest, they’re cutest.
You like them anyhow, but you know little girls are cute little things. You Mothers with boys mustn’t feel mad at me because I talk girls. I just had them, so you know, that’s where I live. Supposing she came to me one day and said, (loudly while pounding on pulpit) “Daddy, I need a pair of shoes; I need a pair of shoes; I need a pair of shoes.” I’d say, “Norma, just a moment, my dear girl.
You may need a pair of shoes, but we better see a psychiatrist first.” (Laughter) Picture your children coming to you, “I need something to eat; I need something to eat; I’m hungry; I’m hungry; I need something to eat. Mommy, I need something…” Listen, my gracious, whew! No, no, no, no. You don’t get very far that way.
You just wear yourself out, get a nervous breakdown if you don’t quit it in time. That’s no way to pray—that’s not prayer—that’s just yelling around senselessly. Pray to thy Father. When you say Father, it registers with God, and when you have the reality of this Fatherhood of God as you go to the secret closet where God is, you’ll get far more.
You can reach out better; you can expect more; He is my Father. And as a Father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. Pray to thy Father. You know I was in pastoral work once in the early years.
I’m past 30 now, so its a few years ago. I was hard up financially, so I went into my bedroom—and I pray differently from the way people pray. I mean now I do; I didn’t use to. I just prayed the way the crowd prays.
I didn’t have anything in my wallet; I do now so don’t think I’m showing it to you. I’m not. That was empty, and I plopped down on my bed and showed my empty wallet to God and said, “Father, won’t You please put something in here?” Now no exaggeration here, my friends—while I let my Heavenly Father look in—and please don’t say, “Didn’t He know it was empty?” Yea, but this is the way I pray. While I showed Him the empty wallet, I heard the mail come.
I dropped it on the bed, you know, you’re always interested in the mail. You wonder just what’s in the mail. There was one letter there—if you want to call it that—and I found in there a piece of paper folded up. I opened it up and there it was written, My God shall supply all your needs; and a $5 bill was in it—no signature.
So I went back to my bedroom (I just happen to have a $5 bill here), and I took that and showed it to my Heavenly Father. I opened the wallet and said, “Father, thank you so much.” And then I showed it to Him with the $5 in; closed it up and went on my way. Now I know what the smart alecks say. Do you have smart alecks in Schenectady?
Where Beuttler? “Don’t you know that must have been in the mail before you ever prayed to get it at that time?” Don’t you know we just read that our Father knows what we have need of before we even ask Him? And my Father moved upon somebody’s heart to put $5 in a couple of days before so it would get there while I prayed. That’s my Father!
And pray to thy Father. Of course, you’ve got to be good girls and boys too. Sometimes, He isn’t altogether satisfied. A few years back I was in Singapore for some meetings, and the following year I had to make a trip around the world for the Lord.
I was sitting in my bedroom praying. I was praying to my Father for my fare for the next year. It was quite a bit, you can imagine. My annual travel bill runs around $2,000—and it all has to come in—Father.
So I sat there on the floor and said, “Father, I’m just a bit concerned about next year. I have so far to go, and it’s time that the finances come in.” And He spoke to my heart. What had happened was this. A few days before I bought something there in a Chinese shop for my two girls.
I like to send a present home, or take it home. You know how it is if you’re a Pop, you like to bring something. So because Singapore is quite a ways, I didn’t want to carry it, I was going to ship. The missionary there had it all wrapped for me with a steel band around it.
The two things cost $5, which isn’t so terrible after all. It was already to go to the post office, and I sat there now praying, and you know what: God said to me, “If you need money for your fare, why did you have to buy those souvenirs? I said, “That’s an idea, but I thought I’d send something to my girls so they’ll remember that I didn’t forget them.” Well that was it, I apologized. I said, “Lord, if You don’t like that I’ll try and give it back again.” So I went to the missionary and told him what happened, how the Lord dealt with me.
He thought that the Chinaman would take those things back because I knew him. I said, “Alright, here they are. Please take them back.” Sunday came, and in the morning the missionary said, “Brother Beuttler, we’re going to take up an offering for you this morning. We have the biggest crowd and they’ll be a nice offering.” “Alright, thank you very much.” That was alright with me.
Why not? But he didn’t take an offering. Well, I thought, “I didn’t ask him to.” But I did think it was strange after he volunteered the thing. After the service he said, “Did you notice I didn’t take an offering for you?” I said, “Yes, I noticed, but I hadn’t asked you, and it was your business.” “Yes,” he said, “But do you know what happened?” I said, “No.” He says, “I felt the Lord didn’t want me to take up an offering for you.” (Laughter) Well, that worried me.
If he just didn’t feel like it, that wouldn’t have bothered me, but if the Lord didn’t let him—that bothered me. I thought I was in hot water for sure. So in the afternoon there were fewer there. It was a special meeting, and lo and behold, he took the offering.
He wanted it in the morning where he thought he’d get the most. That was up to him. So they handed me an offering. He said, “Brother Beuttler, before I give you this, I want to tell you what happened.
This afternoon the crowd was smaller, and we’ve taken the biggest offering in the history of the church.” I said, “What!” “Yes,” he said, “And my deacons didn’t want to give it to you. They thought it was too much.” (Laughter) “So I told them the story. I told them what happened; what you did, how you bought these things; how the Lord dealt with you; how you gave them back to me. I told those men, ‘Look here men, God is honoring this man because he obeyed God in this thing.” So they said, “Well, I guess that’s the secret, and we’ll let him have it, but how much did those souvenirs cost?” One of them said.
The missionary said, “He told me $5.00.” “You tell Brother Beuttler to send those things home. I’ll pay for them.” That’s my Father! When He found that I obeyed Him, He paid for the souvenirs on top. I’ll tell you that God is awfully good, but you got to obey Him.
Before I went to Bible school, I went to Brother Swift’s church. I went to CBI—or intended to go to CBI. They wanted, I think, it was $125.00 cash. Well that was a lot of money in those days.
Now you just about get a hoagie for it. Brother Swift took up an offering for a widow, a poor widow—a poor offering. I felt the Lord wanted me to give something, but I thought, “How could I afford it? I’ve got to go to CBI.” So I didn’t want to put anything in.
The Lord kept dealing with me, and so I said to the Lord, “Lord, I’ll put something in if You insist, but if I don’t get to CBI it will be Your fault.” That’s just the way I talked. So I put in, I forgot, $2-3, something like that, which was a lot for me in those days. And I thought, “I may never make it, but then I’ll blame the Lord.”— as though $2 or $3 would have made that difference. A few days later I crossed the Hudson River on the ferry.
A brother sat next to me. He was reading the evening paper—so did I. I saw him there writing, but I paid no attention and his hand reached over to the top of my newspaper and dropped the check. Now that check slipped right down to my chest and stopped there, because that’s how far the newspaper went, you know.
I looked: To Walter H. Beuttler, $25.00. I gave $2 or $3, and here was $25. And the Lord gave me this scripture, Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men carry into your bosom.
I guess that’s my bosom, and they carried it right in here; the check slid right down here, and I read it. Talk about a literal fulfillment: that’s my Father—and pray to thy Father. Again in Singapore, that same summer, after that thing happened, I still had a long way to go with my fare. I was sitting there again in the closet of prayer on the floor, because it’s warm there in and the lower down you’re on the floor, it’s a little bit cooler than up anyhow.
Singapore is always warm, its always humid, year around. There I prayed. God laid upon my heart to write to Brother Radowski on Long Island (guess you know him) asking him whether he would be interested in a missionary service as soon as I returned from the Far East. I don’t like to write that way.
It just isn’t my nature, so I said, “God, I don’t want to do that. The man knows all that goes with it, and he’d feel obligated to give me an offering.” I thought that’s why God wanted me to write in the first place. Oh I said, “Lord, I can’t do that. You’re making a fool out of me.” But for 3 days God pressed on my heart to write him.
So I said, “Alright Lord, if You want to make a fool out of me, this is a good way.” So I wrote, “Dear Brother Radowski, I’m here in Singapore and will be going back to the Far East next year, and I wonder whether you would be interested in a missionary service as soon as I get back.” So before I left Singapore, the answer came back. It doesn’t take so long nowadays, you know. I’ll never forget that letter. Dear Brother Beuttler, “Hallelujah!
Now I know God can do anything.” “Ugh?” “Wife and I wanted you for your first missionary meeting after you get back. We had no idea where you were, so wife and I dropped down on our knees and said, ‘God, You know where Brother Beuttler is. Ask him to write to us.’” Whee! And here comes the letter, and I thought I was going to be the fool.
I would have been the fool if I hadn’t obeyed. Now here God answered in Singapore—it’s just right at the bottom of Schenectady from me. God answered that prayer half way around the world in a jiffy—and back again. That is our Father.
No wonder Jesus said and pray to thy Father, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. There is something that goes with this though, my friends, that we mustn’t overlook. Verse 33 is very vital to the operation of the thing that I’ve talked about. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Now look—Seek ye first the kingdom. Of what kingdom did Jesus speak?—of the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God? Well a lot of people say, “Heaven.” I’ll say to you “Nixcomerous.” This is not heaven.
Jesus said, The kingdom of God is within you. I’ll tell you what it is. It is the sphere in which God Himself is sovereign over your life and mine, and we are His subjects. The kingdom of God is here (pointing to heart).
The idea of sovereignty and what it entails is that, if God is sovereign in our lives, we must respect that sovereignty by submitting ourselves to His rule and His control—that is to say, to do His will. The question is: Is He sovereign? He may be our Father, very well, but do we respect His sovereignty as sovereign? Do we subject ourselves to His will?
Supposing you know in your heart God wants you to go to Bible school. I’m just assuming now, just making it up. But you have a good job in an office and make $125.00 a week. We might as well make it big while we’re at it, you know it’s just as easy.
You say, “Well now, I know the Lord wants me in school, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime--$125.00 a week, why I can’t give that up. I’d be a fool.” Well, if God calls you, you’ll be the fool if you don’t. Now if you say, “Job or no job, if God wants me in Bible school, I’ll go to Bible school.” Then you are seeking the kingdom of God first. Oh yes!
This is a matter of obedience, and if we want to come to Him in that confidence of Father, and look in His face with confidence, there must necessarily be a subjection to His sovereignty. Oh yes! Obedience is absolutely essential in this thing. Some years ago now, I was going to go to South America and didn’t have enough money.
I had a little bit on the bank, not much, a little bit for a rainy day. You know what a rainy day is. You have rainy days in Schenectady don’t you? After all, you’ve got a family; if something all of a sudden comes, you don’t want to leave a family high and dry while I’m overseas.
Wife would be home and all of a sudden if something happens, then she’s got nothing—that wouldn’t do. So I have put something aside for her. I prayed and prayed and prayed, nothing—finances just didn’t come in. I said, “God, I don’t understand this.” So the Lord, not in words, but gave me that strong impression within my heart.
I knew it was Him, as though He was saying, “Why do you ask me for money when you have it on the bank?” That’s a thought, isn’t it? I said, “I know I have it, but Lord it isn’t enough either, but I have put that aside for Wife for a rainy day. Something might happen and the poor kid needs something to fall back on.” But God didn’t seem to be impressed with my argument, just left me high and dry. So I said, “Lord, if you want it, as far as I’m concerned, You can have it, but it’s really Wife’s, and I’d have to see what she has to say about it.
After all, we have it in common.” So I talked to Wife. I said, “Elizabeth, what would you think if the Lord wanted me to use our little nest egg to go to South America with?” I was a little nervous; I just wondered what she would say. Well, she’s a good kid. (Laughter) She didn’t say anything for awhile.
She didn’t say, “Oh what!” No, she didn’t say anything, so I let her think it over. “Daddy,” she said, “I’ll tell you. If the Lord wants it, He can have it.” “Alright,” I said, “Supposing we’ll use that.” And do you know what? From that time on, money came in and I never had to use it.
When the Lord saw that I submitted to His authority and said, “Yes,” then He said, “Yes” to me. Remember this, my friends, if you will respect the sovereignty of God, He will respect your need. Now this isn’t always presto, change-o, easy-o. I suppose that it’s quite possible that some of you were with me in the Sherburne Camp when this happened—very likely.
I was there and the following year had to go also on a round-the-world journey for the Lord (I’ve made several of them now), and had a long ways to go with my finances. I had been praying. This morning I was giving a Bible study there on some subject. The offering had been taken, and in the middle of it, the dew of God’s presence settled down and I stopped.
People put up their hands, Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelu, hallelujah. You know how we do it—and may we ever do it. While they hallelued, the Lord talked to me in here and said, “I want you to take up a missionary offering right now for your trip next year.” “Me? Take an offering for me?” I said, “God, that’s awful.” But there it was so in my spirit so strong in my conscienceness—I knew that was it.
I said, “God, that’ll cook my goose! What will those people think?” Can you imagine, “Brother Beuttler, I never thought he’d have the nerve like that—and for himself, I never.” I just about could hear them talk. There I was, and the hallelujah subsided. Now it was up to me.
There sat Brother Flower—Flower from New York, what’s his name, John—and some of the other dignitaries, you know and preachers. There was Brother Flower. Well, I thought I’ll compromise, so I said, “Brother Flower, what would you think if I said I felt the Lord wanted us to take up a missionary offering now?” I only went this far. That wasn’t far enough, but I went this far.
You see I played it safe, and I got in Dutch with it. Brother Flower said, “Brother Beuttler, if you feel the Lord speaks to you, we’ll accept that as from the Lord. We’ll take up the offering.” So he said, “Brethren, lets take up an offering.” They took up an offering. Incidentally, there was a lady there that morning—only at that time—she dropped in $200 all by herself.
Now you know that doesn’t happen so easy, believe you me. They took up $600 that morning. No whipping, no come on everybody or you’ll get cancer if you don’t. No, nothing at all—that was it: pass the basket.
Well I only learned later it was $600 and that lady put that in. I was whipped. Whew! Did God convict me on that platform, because I didn’t obey; I only obeyed partially.
I didn’t respect His sovereignty fully. Now don’t any of you try to imitate me here. You’ll make a terrible fool of yourself. Whew.
I lost the anointing; I couldn’t teach right, and the people knew it. And the next day, I just couldn’t get anywhere. The people started to talk, “What’s happened to Brother Beuttler? The man isn’t himself anymore, something’s wrong with the man.
What happened to him?” I didn’t say a word. What’s the woman’s name who’s always in camp up there? She and her husband is the evangelist—Mrs. Kelner.
I said to her, “Mrs. Kelner, have you noticed anything about me?” She said, “Brother Beuttler, you’re just not Brother Beuttler.” I said, “You better pray for me.” She said, “I am. There’s something wrong with you.” I said, “I know it.” But I didn’t tell her what. The meetings just didn’t go right—they wouldn’t go that’s all there is to it.
I talked, but people want more than talk; they want bread. I gave them bones. That’s all I had—no anointing. God spanked me, whew!
You know when you’re the Father’s child, He gives you what you need in more ways than one. I remember my father when I was up the cherry tree as a youngster—the cherry tree of a widow. That poor widow came along and saw two bad boys up a tree, “You bad boys, will you come down off my tree?” We just picked up some cherries and dangled them like that so she could see them, and then plop in the mouth. I heard a man’s voice and thought I recognized it.
It was my Pop. He was out for a Sunday morning walk. We had a parcel of ground nearby he came to see. This lady said to him, “Will you please go over and chase those bad boys off my tree?” In fact, she had just given him a bag of cherries for his children—one of them was up a tree!
She didn’t know me of course. We got off that tree. Now he was a soldier in the German army, and the race was on: over hill and dale, over fences and brooks (makes galloping noises): he after me, and I ahead of him. Gradually I outdistanced him.
I guess it was the difference in age. But you know, when I got home, I got an education. There was an old-fashioned carpet sweeper behind the mirror that looked like this—made of, I don’t know what. Well we’ll stop the story right here—you’re enjoying it too much.
(Laughter) Why didn’t he go after the other fellow? I was his boy, that’s why. When we’re children, we’re not only the recipients of the Father’s care, we’re also the objects of the Father’s discipline—and He disciplined me. Sunday morning came and there were a lot of people there that morning.
Wife and I were down in the Bluebird Restaurant. I’d like to get back there sometime. We had breakfast, and we were eating and God spoke to my heart. He spoke to me and this is what He said, “This morning is your last chance.” I knew what He meant.
I knew He meant, “If you don’t obey this morning, you’re going to stay home.” But that’s too big a price to pay, so I made up my mind then and there, “I’m going to obey.” The first thing I did was I said to Wife, “Elizabeth, will you do me a favor?” Now she said, “Sure.” But first I would say, “What is it?” But she’s different. She says, “Sure.” I said, “Would you mind not going to the service this morning—just go back to the room?” She said, “You mean you don’t want me to attend your Bible study?” I said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.
She said, “If you don’t want me to come, I’ll stay and pray for you.” I said, “You do that.” She asked, “Would you mind telling me why you don’t want me there?” I said, “Yes, I just want to die alone.” That’s exactly what I said. I didn’t explain—she had no idea. But good girl that she is, she went back and prayed. I had it all figured out, or was figuring it out.
I thought, “I’ll have to obey or stay home.” But what I’ll do, I’ll take my old Chevy and turn it around by the tent facing away out toward the road. I’ll obey, then I’ll ask all the people to stand, close your eyes, and ask one of the preachers to lead in prayer. While all their eyes are closed, I’ll sneak into my car and step on the gas and zip—I’ll go; I wouldn’t know where, just go and go and go, anywhere—just away from camp. It was all fixed up, but I never got to the starter.
Morning came, my turn came, and I said, “Folk, you know that I haven’t been right the last few days.” They nodded; yea, they knew. Then I told them the story. I said, “God wanted me to do this, but I was ashamed to do anything like that, and because I didn’t obey, God so whipped me that unless I tell you this thing, I just cannot go on this way.” Brother Caldwell, one of the preachers, stood to his feet. He took things out of my hands.
He said, “Brother Beuttler, if we had known that offering was for you, it would have been a lot more. What do you say folks, we take another one?” Amen! I was paralyzed; I didn’t know what to do, I was so shocked. The car stood there, but I forgot all about the car; I just got, you know—blank.
Because I’m easily embarrassed; I’m a timid soul. Nobody believes me, but I am. I am shy. You don’t believe that, do you?
You just don’t know. Oh no, I’m retiring by nature. I just have to push myself all the time and take the chance of over pushing. Brother Caldwell said, “Over there is a cardboard box.
Let’s have it.” Cardboard box! They gave him the cardboard box and he said, “Brother Beuttler, will you step off the platform.” So I stepped off in front. He came up the side of the tent and handed me the cardboard box. He said, “Brother Beuttler, you stand here and hold the box.” Whew!
“Alright,” he said, “Folk, everybody walk up and put something in the box for Brother Beuttler’s missionary trip.” There I stood, and those good people kept walking and kept coming—and I was so ashamed. I didn’t look at anybody; I just closed my eyes and held that box, but boy did I have a fight on my hands. I said, “Beuttler, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.” And I heard them come. Then I remembered an Arab in Algiers where I’ve been a few times.
I remember seeing that beggar on the side of the road with a tin can in his hands. Once in awhile I’d drop a coin in there, you know pity. I said, “Beuttler, do you know what? You’re no better than that man in Algiers.
The only difference between you and him is that he had a tin can and you have a cardboard box.” And so I accused myself while those poor people kept coming. Incidentally, my ticket that year was $1,338. That’s a lot of cash. Just keep that figure in mind; I have a reason for telling you.
So there I stood with that box, people kept coming, and I got so ashamed I must have blushed as red as a beet. It felt that way—my neck was hot, my face was hot, perspiration was on my forehead—it felt like it anyhow. And then I thought of the Lord on the cross how He bore shame for me, and I thought, “Beuttler, you should be willing to bear a little shame for your Master.” I tried to bolster my spirit so I wouldn’t cave in. I stood there, eyes closed, accusing myself, and all of a sudden discovered that the people weren’t coming any longer.
Then I felt worse. Here I stood with that box, everybody had stopped coming—only God knows for how long, and I stood there as though I wanted some more. Whew! Oh God, don’t do that ever to me again, please!
(Laughter) When I realized my predicament and discovered the people hadn’t come anymore, and I didn’t know how long I stood there after they were finished, I broke. I put my box down in the sawdust or the grass (whatever they had), knelt beside it and bawled. I just couldn’t take anymore. After awhile they came up and took me by the arm, “Brother Beuttler, we have something for you.” And they handed me a check for $1,332.
Hey gentlemen, that’s a lot of cash. Now what did it take, help on the one hand, the Fatherhood of God. On my part it took submission to His sovereignty. Folk, that was a bitter pill for me to swallow, and yet, God knew all the time what He was doing.
And then Brother Flower came to me and said, “Brother Beuttler, I’m sure glad you told us what it was for. The first offering was $600. We felt it was meant for you, but we couldn’t give you that offering. We’d be criticized by the people; we’d be criticized by Springfield.
We know the man ought to have it, but how can we give it to him. We’ll never justify it, but now that you told the full story, now we’re clear. The responsibility is on you.” “Uh ha! I thank you.” Everything turned out alright, but friends, this obedience sometimes is not an easy thing.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you. Just a few weeks ago I came back from Tokyo. That trip cost me $1,600 for two weeks.
It was worth it; God sure did a work. But when I left the finances hadn’t come in for the first time in all my experience of traveling some quarter of a million miles now by air, approximately. You see, I was sick in the hospital, and apparently the preachers then thought, “That Beuttler is wasted up anyway. There’s no use wasting any more money on him.” I guess so.
They just didn’t respond the way they usually did. I have to pray most of it in; I can’t run all over the country. But I had made my commitment, everything was arranged. I had felt God wanted me to go, so I followed Him and went.
The first time, when I came back I had a debt on my hand—I had a debt here and I left a debt in Tokyo. That’s all cleared up now. After I got back, somebody walked up to me—just a young woman; just a girl in her early twenties. She said, “Brother Beuttler, I inherited some money, and I feel God wants me to give you $400 of my tithe.” Whew!
I never thought a little girl like that had $400 to give away. And all the rest came in too. My Father put me to an extreme test, but I’ll just keep going until He fails. Do you know what I tell the Lord, “Lord, if You don’t send my fare, I’ll stay home with Norma and catch pollywogs.” I tell that to God every year.
How many pollywogs do you think I’ve caught? Not a one. I get down to Buenos Aires once in awhile and I told that story to those preachers. The last time I was there, I got started on the study, Divine Guidance, I guess.
One of them put his hand up first thing, in the first meeting at the very beginning, and said, “Brother Beuttler, first of all tell us how many pollywogs did you catch?” I said, “How many do you think?” He said, “None.” I said, “Right you are.” My friends, we’ve got a wonderful Father. No wonder Jesus said, And pray to thy Father. I have that map in my office about this size. I get an estimate, a rate from an airline.
Maybe it’s $1,700—last year it was $2,100. That’s a lot of cash! Do you know what I do? I say, “Father, will You look at this that I got from the airline?” I show it to Him.
I put my hand on it, “Father, do You see this? Do you want me to catch pollywogs or do You want me to go?” I haven’t stayed home yet. No wonder Jesus said, After this manner pray ye, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, and when we submit to the essence of that prayer, then we discover that He is indeed a Heavenly Father, who has all power, and who said, Do not I fill heaven and earth. In the light of that, in closing, I’d like to recommend to you that you let the reality of the omnipresence of God grip your soul, and look well after your private closet, and submit yourself to the known will of God.
Then go to Him, Our Father, who art in heaven. God bless you. It was real nice to chat with you. Audience sings: Shut in With God in a Secret Place.
This message is one of the sixty-six surviving transcripts of Walter Beuttler's teaching. To hear his voice, visit the Messages page. To read the story of his life — from the Brooklyn Bridge to the school of the Spirit — see Who Was Walter Beuttler? The True Story of the Man Who Knew God.
The Man Who Knew God
Walter Beuttler was never famous, yet he carried God's presence to more than a hundred countries. His students said that when he walked into a room, the air changed. This is the first full account of a friendship with God that was specific, sustained, and costly. Read the story of his life →