Comfort from Tweed

Oswald Chambers is the wonderful Christian who wrote the Christian devotional classic ‘My Utmost for His Highest.’  In the years around 1901- he passed through a time of inner turmoil.  Few people in the Bible College where he worked knew of his deep struggles.  But if you had looked at of that college in Scotland in the middle of the night you might have seen the tall figure of Chambers pacing with his head down, followed a slight distance behind by his collie dog, trotting to keep up with the long strides of his master.

Oswald was wrestling within himself.  He longed for a deeper experience of the presence of God and a greater purity of life.  How could he speak to others about God when his own experience seemed so shallow?  How could he represent Christ when his heart was so filled with selfish impurity?

Oswald put a strong premium on feeling of intimacy with God.  David McCasland writes, ‘Only three times during the past four years has Oswald been conscious of God speaking to him personally: Once, when sitting in his room late one night, his collie, Tweed, had come through the window, put his head on Oswald’s knee, looked into his eyes for a few minutes, then gone out again.  Another time, his door opened and in came the baby boy of the house, barefoot and in his night-clothes.  He came up to him and said, “Mr. Chambers, I loves you” and went back to his bed.  Again, when conducting a Christian Endeavour meeting, a mentally retarded girl walked down the church aisle and laid a bunch of withered flowers on the table.  A piece of paper tied to the flowers said, “With love from daft Meg.”  Each event seemed to be a tender touch from the Father conveying His presence and love.’