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The Father Does Not Give Us Stones Instead of Bread
Basilea Schlink

Basilea Schlink (1904 - 2001). German religious leader, writer, and co-founder of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, born Klara Schlink in Darmstadt to a professor of mechanics. Raised Lutheran, she studied at Fröbelseminar in Kassel (1923) and Berlin’s Inner Mission girls’ school (1924), later earning a doctorate in psychology from Hamburg University in 1934 with a thesis on adolescent faith struggles. From 1933 to 1935, she led the Women’s Division of the German Student Christian Movement, resisting Nazi exclusion of Jewish Christians. In 1947, with Erika Madauss, she founded the Sisterhood in Darmstadt, taking the name Mother Basilea, growing it to 209 sisters across 11 global branches by 2001. Schlink authored over 60 books, including My All for Him, translated into 60 languages, and published tracts in 90. Her radio programs aired in 23 languages, emphasizing repentance and reconciliation, especially between Germans and Jews. Unmarried, she dedicated her life to prayer and ministry, shaping interdenominational Christian communities.
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In this sermon, the speaker shares a personal experience of praying for a highway to be moved away from their property. Despite their persistent prayers, the government initially denied their request. However, the speaker emphasizes that God is a loving Father who will not give His children stones when they ask for bread. They find comfort in the scripture from Matthew 7:9, which highlights God's heart as a fatherly one. Ultimately, after a long period of faith and prayer, a miracle occurs and the highway is moved to a different location, demonstrating God's love and faithfulness in answering prayers.
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God lives and works today. When Jesus talks about the Heavenly Father, He says, What father would give his son a stone to eat when he asked him for bread? How much more, then, will your Father in Heaven give you good gifts if you ask Him? The following program by Basilea Schlenk will share what happened when the sisters from the little land of Canaan asked for a different kind of bread. Once our sisterhood had a very important prayer request. We asked the Heavenly Father to change the planning of a highway that was supposed to run through the property next to ours. It was our goal of faith to one day own this land, which we called Canaan, for our work in the Kingdom of God. But having this land would not do us any good if there were a busy highway running through it. We talked to the highway authorities, and for weeks and months we brought our request in prayer to the Heavenly Father. Then the decision came from the government. It was a definite no. The highway would not be moved. God had not answered our prayers. When our mother Basilea received the letter of denial, she asked in prayer for a verse of Scripture. The Lord led her to Matthew 7, verse 9. What man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? These words let us catch a glimpse into the heart of God, which is a fatherly heart. Mother Basilea told us, even though we have this final decision in our hands, and we are in great need, there is one thing that the Father cannot do. He is a God of love. He cannot possibly offer us a stone as His final answer. That is, He cannot let this noisy highway be built so close to our property, instead of giving us the quiet we had asked for, and which we needed for our life as much as our daily bread. And so we knew that this denial could not be the end of our prayer. The Heavenly Father was only using this problem to chasten and purify us. The Lord would surely provide a solution which would let us taste His goodness after these dark ways of faith. After a long, hard time of faith and prayer, which lasted for one and a half years, a miracle took place. We received word that the highway had been moved to another place far away in the woods, just as we had asked. And so we can testify from our own experiences, the Father in Heaven, in His great love for us, answers prayer. Have you been steadfast in prayer? Have you humbled yourself beneath His chastening hand, which is making you wait so that He can prepare you? Have you thought of God, as Jesus told us to, as a Father who can never give us stones when we ask Him for bread? You will experience Him in the way that you think and speak of Him. You have been listening to a program written by Basile Schlink of the Little Land of Canaan. To learn more about how God lives and works today, visit us at our website, www.canaan.org. That's K-A-N-A-A-N dot org. If you contact us, we would be happy to send you a free inspirational booklet. If you do not have access to the web, please contact this radio station for our postal address. God bless you.
The Father Does Not Give Us Stones Instead of Bread
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Basilea Schlink (1904 - 2001). German religious leader, writer, and co-founder of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary, born Klara Schlink in Darmstadt to a professor of mechanics. Raised Lutheran, she studied at Fröbelseminar in Kassel (1923) and Berlin’s Inner Mission girls’ school (1924), later earning a doctorate in psychology from Hamburg University in 1934 with a thesis on adolescent faith struggles. From 1933 to 1935, she led the Women’s Division of the German Student Christian Movement, resisting Nazi exclusion of Jewish Christians. In 1947, with Erika Madauss, she founded the Sisterhood in Darmstadt, taking the name Mother Basilea, growing it to 209 sisters across 11 global branches by 2001. Schlink authored over 60 books, including My All for Him, translated into 60 languages, and published tracts in 90. Her radio programs aired in 23 languages, emphasizing repentance and reconciliation, especially between Germans and Jews. Unmarried, she dedicated her life to prayer and ministry, shaping interdenominational Christian communities.