This is the short version of an amazing and heart-touching episode in the life of Maude Batie (1929-2012) who was affectionately called “Mother Batie”. The video at the end at the end of the article is the local ABC News report of a miracle that God orchestrated because of her obedience to an inspiration. Her following that inspiration was comparable to Peter ignoring the wind and waves of a raging storm and stepping out of the boat when our Lord called him. What happened for Mother Batie was EVIDENCE that obedience to an inspiration that God gives can necessitate a miracle as it was so with Peter.
Mother Batie was not a college graduate. She was by no means ranked with the “whose who” in society. Even so, she personified “faith” and proved that’s “it’s not what you know but it’s Who you know”. This occurrence is a validation of Psalms 90:14, “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Mother Batie had a prayer meeting every Friday morning at 9:00 in her home. About six people were regular attendees. I was one. Attending them were some of the richest moments of my life.
She would often mention her life’s experiences. One of her testimonies was about when an avalanche of trouble that blindsided her in her younger years. Namely, her husband abandoned her and their six young children. But, she esteemed God to be greater than her circumstances and followed blindly listening for and to His inner voice.
One day while taking her children for a walk her attention was drawn to a large empty building diagonally across the intersection from where they were. It had formerly been used for storing automobile parts. She said that it was God that spoke in her spirit and told her to inquire about the building. (It is important to note that the only instruction was to inquire about the building, nothing more.)
She saw a man working on his car across the street from the building. She walked over to him and asked if he knew who owned the property. He said yes, Mr. Stevens owns it. She then said, “I want to inquire about the building”. The man responded, “don’t just inquire about it, lady, ask to buy it”.
(It is important to recall what God said regarding His Word: Isaiah 55:11, “. . . it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Therefore, Divine Providence initiated everything that happened subsequent to Mother Batie obeying God by simply inquiring about the building. Otherwise, God’s Word would have returned to Him void, which unequivocally CANNOT happen.)
Mother Batie was in route to Mr. Stevens when she heard that same inner voice say to her, “offer him $19,500 and no more”. It was at that point that she was convinced that God wanted her to buy the building.
During the meeting with Mr. Stevens Mother Batie asked for an approximate price for which he would sell the property. She said that he replied, “I won’t sell it for under $28,000”. Her response was, “the Lord told me to tell you $19,500 and no more”. She testified that he responded, “well lady, if that is all you will give me I will take it”.
Mr. Stevens was oblivious to the fact that his response was the only one he could possibly give. Otherwise, the God’s Word to Mother Batie about what price to pay would have returned to Him void, which was/is IMPOSSIBLE.
Even so, Mr. Stevens had not heard the last thing that Mother Batie had to tell him. Namely, “I do not have a job”. He then told Mother Batie not to worry about being unemployed. He said that creative financing, leasing with option to buy, would be the solution. They went to a bank, created the contract, and she became the new owner of the building.
Mother Batie testified that she had no idea what she would do with the building. However, after she and some volunteers cleaned it out God ultimately inspired her to open a soup kitchen from which she was paid a moderate income.
Another scenario occurred that taught an invaluable lesson about obeying inspirations that God gives. That instance was when the building caught on fire one night around 1:00am for no known reason and sustained damage.
The sounds of the fire trucks naturally awaken neighbors. Being concerned about Mother Batie some came outside to be with her.
Mother Batie was suppose to prepare about 500 meals that would be served during the course of that morning but she didn’t see how she could do it. In her bewilderment, she said that she suddenly and loudly called for someone to bring her some soapy water and rags so that she could begin washing tables. She testified that to her surprise onlookers began to spontaneously volunteer to do other tasks that were essential to the breakfast being served. The work was completed and breakfast began to be served on time.
Neighbors volunteering to help Mother Batie could be attributed to acts of kindness. But, there is another point to consider. Namely, Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s word cannot return to Him void but would accomplish what He pleases. Thus, it was God that moved on the helpers because the completion of the work was necessary for breakfast being served. The bottom line is that when we obey inspirations that God gives He will cause the right person(s) to unintentionally volunteer to do what is essential to us accomplishing what God intended when He inspired us to do what was on His mind.
God’s strategy at a crutial time
October of 2011 was a memorable month for Mother Batie. The kitchen was facing closing because corporate and private donations had stopped. But, given that God’s Word could not return void, He strategically orchestrated a sequence of events to sustain the operation.
It was around 2010 that a lady named Lynn became a Born-again Christian and subsequently became a member of the same church Mother Batie attended. Lynn was unemployed when she accepted the Lord. During her quest to find employment, God lead her to the Detroit Rescue Mission (DRM): a ministry that houses the indigent, rehabilitates substance abusers, facilitates the reentry of released prisoners back into society, and ministers the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them during the process.
Divine Providence cause DRM to hire Lynn and assigned her to a workstation that was in close proximity to where a conversation would eventually take place. That conversation occurred months later about Mitch Album; a famous columnist in Detroit, Michigan.
Lynn overheard the conversation from her workstation. She heard (Jennifer) a member of Album’s staff say that he was looking for another project; a story to write about in his column. Lynn thought about Mother Batie without being aware of the precarious situation with the soup kitchen. She told Jennifer about Mother Batie and Jennifer told Album.
The short of the story is that Album scheduled an interview with Mother Batie for 1:00 pm on Wednesday, 19 October 2011. (She invited me to attend and ask me to arrive by 12:00 pm.) Mother Batie gathered the volunteer workers on that day at 12:00 pm to inform them that contributions from corporate, the government, and the private sector had stopped. There was no more money in the treasurer. She told them, “if the LORD does not do something by Friday (21 October 2011), the kitchen would have to close indefinitely.”
Her statement triggered memories I had of the numerous times I heard her testimony about how miraculously God gave her the soup kitchen. I then raised my hand to ask for permission to speak. (I knew that most of her staff were non-believers in Jesus Christ so I took this opportunity to be deliberate in a vocabulary to challenge their thinking.) Mother Batie acknowledge me and allowed me to speak.
I said, Mother Batie, your testimony is that God spoke to you and instructed you to inquire about this building when you had no money. You asked the mechanic that was working on a car if he knew who owned the building. When God spoke to you He foresaw this day.
Isaiah 55:11 says that no word that goes out of His mouth would return to him void, but would accomplish what He pleases (the building becoming a soup kitchen) and the thing (the soup kitchen) that He addresses will prosper. I concluded my remarks by saying, if God lets this kitchen close it will invalidate the Bible, which He WILL NOT allow. Therefore, something is going to happen to keep it open. (I didn’t recognize the name, Mitch Album, until I saw him and remembered seeing him in local TV news broadcasts.)
Fast forward – The following video is Glenda Lewis of TV-7 (Detroit, MI) giving a news report summarizing what happened subsequent to Mitch interviewing Mother Batie.
The point is is that God will miraculously sustain us when we dare to follow what He inspires us to do. A cliche in Christendom is, “For every God given vision, He makes provision.”
I therefore encourage you to not ignore an idea for an invention or an aspiration for having a business. Either could exceed your intellectual and/or financial capability and may be an opportunity that would NEVER come your way again.
The FACT is that when God inspires us to do something He already knows what we have, what we don’t have, what/who we know, and what/who we don’t know. If none of that bothers Him, let’s not let it bother us. Moving forward without having what we need will necessitate a miracle because God’s word CANNOT return to Him void.
Remember Romans 2:11, “. . . there is no partiality with God.” Thus, what He did for Mother Batie is typical for what He would do for anyone that obeys Him by initiating the process to bring to fruition what He inspires one to do.
Although I said it in other posts, it’s repeated again, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding [your logic]; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” NOTE THIS – No one can make a path standing still. One has to be going forward . . . taking action, which would give God something for which to inspire us with directions.
Up until Mother Baties death at the age of 82, she was still very actively involved in the operation of the soup kitchen in a poverty stricken neighborhood in Highland Park, Michigan. The kitchen is a monument to Mother Batie’s faith in God and was ultimately named “Mother Batie’s Kitchen”.
When God inspired Mother Batie to inquire about the building He was fully aware of her financial situation, her ignorance of real estate contracts, and every negative circumstance that would arise. However, when she took the first step and made the inquiry it then became God’s obligation to initiate a deliberate and purposeful process for the acquisition of the property and its prosperity or His word would have returned to Him void.
Romans 2:11, “. . . there is no partiality with God.” Thus, what He did for Mother Batie is comparable to what He will do for anyone that follows through with what He inspires her/him to pursue OR takes advantages of opportunities that He brings.
