Lessons from Oliver Heywood: Double Bookings

In November, 1669, Oliver Heywood was booked to preach at Slaithwaite at Kirklees, Yorkshire, but there had been a miscommunication:

I stayed at home and preacht went on friday to Mr Dawsons where we spent the day in fasting and prayer- Oh it was a sweet day! it was Novemb 26 1669 -oh what meltings! the day after I came to Slaighwait according to appointment, but upon the wrong day, for I was expected the Sabboth before through their mistake of the day, it was a heavisome disappointmt multitudes came from all sides, no body came to supply the place, they returned home, the day after came both Mr Crayton and I we shared the day betwixt us,-it grieved me much, the lord sanctify it-it was Nov 28 1669.

He preached well on the Friday (he uses the word ‘meltings’ to describe melted hearts of his hearers; today we would talk about hearts being 'moved'), but on the appointed Sunday (which he calls the Sabbath) another preacher turned up, but no-one had preached there the week before, which he describes as a heavy disappointment. The advantage, though, is that the Lord provided the godly auditors of Slaithwaite with two worthwhile preachers the following Sunday.

As someone who arranges a preaching plan, I dread the day that no-one comes to preach, or two preachers attend the same day. Yet when we hunger one week, we receive double the next. The Lord does not provide all at once, but He provides all we need, and, sometimes, much more besides. There may be days of little, but always days of plenty.