EVIDENCES OF
SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL HEALING.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
Who healeth all thy diseases. – Psa. ciii: 23.
Who healeth all thy diseases. – Psa. ciii: 23.
Philidelphia,
PA., June 24, 1881
Dear Miss Judd:
After reading
the account in “The Prayer of Faith,” of your wonderful guidance, and
deliverance from sickness, I cannot help giving you a short sketch of my own
past life, which, though very simple, may nevertheless be the means of helping
someone in a similar condition to a fuller and more complete dependence upon
Jesus’ mercy and love. But, above all, would I glorify the name of our Heavenly
Father, from whom all things do come.
I have been
taught by a Christian, God-fearing mother, and it is now over seven years since
I acknowledged Christ as my Saviour and united with the Church. But how little
I knew when what it was to be a child of God in reality as well as in name!
I was indeed serious in my desire to be a living, active, Christian. Now
it is all plain to me, but I could not tell then why I should fail. My
good resolutions fell to the ground, one after another, as soon as formed, and
instead of advancing, I seemed to be continually falling back. At last I became
discouraged, but, seeing no better way, continued still trying to improve myself.
What a mistake, as I afterwards discovered! Had I stopped trying, and
given it all to Jesus to do for me, I would sooner have known and realized the
peace which was afterwards mine.
Three months ago
I attended special service held in a private residence in Philadelphia, where I
was shown the truth in Christ Jesus. There I learned by the testimony of
others, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, that, in order to have the
assurance I desired, I must make a complete surrender of myself to the lord,
and believe He accepted me, then and there, through Christ. Not only that He accepted
me willingly, but that He would keep that which I had committed to
Him, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” –(Rom ii: 11.)
Step by step I
was conscious of being led on by the spirit of God, and taught just what He
wanted me to know. (1 Cor. ii: 10.) And now I want to relate an instance which,
more than anything else, assured me that God really was keeping me.
All my life I
had a great terror of thunder storms. Nothing that my friends could do to cheer
or comfort me was of any avail, and, at last, I settled down to the belief that
I must endure it with patience and submission. All my prayers seemed to return
unanswered, and I now understand fully why it could not have been
otherwise. I asked for strength to overcome my fear, but at the same time had a
secret doubt of being answered, forgetting that according to our faith
it should be done unto us. We are told in James i: , to “ask in faith, nothing wavering,”
and had I any right to suppose God would answer my prayer when I failed to
comply with the condition required? About a month ago, taking 1 John v: 14, 15,
I again asked for freedom from this terrible fear, and had confidence that He
would grant my petition as He had promised. It was some time before I could
see, except by the eye of faith, that my prayer had been answered, as no storms
came. He has not promised to give us grace for next week for what He requires
of us today. Neither will he give strength before it is needed. But Satan
continually tempted me to think that after all perhaps He had not heard me, or
would not notice my prayer. Jude, 24th verse, tells us that He is
able to keep us from falling, and so, believing still, but through His power
alone, the storm came, and terrible it was. I can never think of this without
being filled to overflowing with gratitude. The fear had left me entirely,
and here let me say that I think I never passed a more peaceful or happier hour
in my life.
I had never
heard a great deal about healing by faith, and confess had thought it something
most improbable. I supposed in some rare cases it might be so, but that the
person must necessarily be far advanced in a Christian life before being able
to claim such a promise-at least, it could not be meant for me. What reason I had for thinking so, I
can not imagine; but we often from our option of many things upon no better
authority than I had in that case. In James v: 14,15, by “any” God certainly meant whoever and as many as will believe.
I was at last
convinced by a dear friend who had herself been healed by faith some time
before; and in whose life I could see the gentle leading of her Saviour. She
prayed most fervently for my restoration, and together we poured out our prayer
at the footstool of Him who sitteth upon the Throne. Again He lovingly answered
His children, and took away that most irritating disease, rheumatism, which had
troubled me for so long-made me, as He had promised, “a new creature.” Since
then I have several times been tempted to doubt. But we are not allowed to be
tempted above that we are able to bear, and we are “more than conquerors
through Him that loved us.” –(Rom viii: 34.)
And now, my dear
readers, who have never taken the Father at His word, but have doubted His
readiness or ability to keep you in all things, go to Him now and tell Him you
will believe and trust Him. Consecrate yourself, body and soul, completely to
Him, and believe that He accepts you, and will make you “to will and to do of His good pleasure.” He
will teach you everything by His Holy Spirit. Do not depend upon yourself in anything, but in all things
look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is abide to do
exceeding abundantly, above all we ask or think.-(Eph. iii: 20.) Believe what
He tells you, because He has said so,
not because you feel it. “He is faithful that promised,” and what He has promised
He is able also to perform.
Yours very truly,
E.M.G.
***
HE MAKETH THE BLIND TO SEE.
The following
account of the remarkable restoration of sight to a blind child, published in The Watchman, is translated by Dr. S. F.
Smith from the account given by Rev. Mr. Thessmacher, long known as a beloved
Baptist ministered in Germany. His story is as follows:
“In July last,
in the town of Sage, I visited a family, both the heads of which are, I trust,
converted persons. They had been for a time in great trouble, because all their
children, if I mistake not, six in number, from one to eleven years of age, had
long been terribly afflicted by a disease of the eyes.
“When I visited
the family about eight weeks previously, the parents were almost inconsolable,
the physical having told them decidedly, after a very careful examination, that
both eyes of a daughter three years old were irreparably gone; and if they
would do a good thing for their child, they should send her to a blind asylum.
“At the request
of the anxious parents, I joined them in earnest prayer, begging the Almighty
Physician, if it was consistent with His will, to restore to this child the
precious gift of sight (as He once healed the blind man in the way),
notwithstanding the decided declaration of the physician that both eyes were
gone. And the covenant-keeping God enabled this child, who had been totally
blind for nine months, to see again.
“On the day preceding
my visit, she had walked out into the broad light of nature for the first time.
When she first saw a flower she clapped her hands for joy, and then taking it
in her hands she kissed it again and again. The parents were so rejoiced when
they witnessed her expressible happiness, and saw so manifestly that we have a
prayer-hearing God, that the father said, ‘Before, I could not bear my grief
alone, when I saw the misery of my poor, blind little girl, and now I cannot
bear my joy alone. I must and will tell it to others.’
“Eight weeks
before I had wept with the weeping parents, and wrestled with God, to restore
the sight of their child; now I could heartily rejoice with them, and humble
thank God for so great a blessing. Oh, if we had more faith how often should we
behold the glory of God.
