One Shilling in His Pocket
In 1924, Rees Howells stood in Swansea, Wales, with a vision to build a Bible college. His resources: one shilling. That's roughly 5p. Enough for a newspaper, not a building.
But Howells wasn't a normal planner. He was an intercessor — someone who'd spent decades learning to hear God and respond with radical obedience. When he sensed God telling him to build, he didn't draft a business plan. He prayed.
125,000 Pounds from Nowhere
Over the next 26 years, the Bible College of Wales received approximately 125,000 pounds — entirely through prayer. Howells never took out a loan. Never launched a fundraising campaign. Never published a needs list. Every pound came unsolicited, often from people who had no knowledge of the college's specific needs.
The pattern was remarkable in its consistency. A building project would begin. The money would run out. Howells would gather the students to pray. Within days — sometimes hours — the exact amount needed would arrive. A cheque in the post. A visitor with an envelope. A bank transfer from someone they'd never met.
Prayer as Strategy
What made Howells unusual, even among people of faith, was his specificity. He didn't pray vague prayers about provision. He prayed for exact amounts. And he kept records.
Need: 1,200 pounds for a property purchase. Received: 1,200 pounds, three days later. Need: plumbing repairs estimated at 340 pounds. Received: 340 pounds from an anonymous donor the following week.
These weren't coincidences happening once or twice. This was the operating model of the institution for decades.
During World War II, Howells and the college students became famous for their intercession sessions — sometimes praying through the night over specific military situations. The college became a kind of spiritual operations centre, and the financial provision continued unbroken through the entire war.
What This Means for You
You don't need to build a Bible college to take something from Howells' story. His core practice was simple: get specific about what you need, bring it to God, and pay attention to what happens next.
Most of us pray vague financial prayers. "Help with money." "Provide for my needs." Howells would say: what exactly do you need? How much? By when? Bring the specifics. God isn't overwhelmed by details — he invented them.