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healed by the famous woman evangelist.
We were unable to gain contact with Mrs.
McPherson befare the service. And we were equally
unable, after the service. I helped get the disappointed
cripple back into their car.
"If
you really want to be healed," 1 said before they
drove off, "1 would be glad to cometo your borne and
pray for you. Mrs. McPherson has no power within
herself to heal anybody. 1 have none. Only Goo can
heal. But 1 do know what he has promised todo, and 1
believe God will hear me just as willingly as he will
Mrs. McPherson- if only you will
BELIEVE
in what
Goo has promised, and put your faith in
HIM
and not
in the person who prays for you."
They gave me their address, just south of Foster
Road. The next day 1 borrowed my brother Russell 's
car and drove out.
1 had learned, in studying the Bible on the subject
of healing, that there are two conditions that God
imposes: 1) we must
keep his commandments
and do
those things that are pleasing in bis sight
(l
John
3:22); and 2) we must really
BELIEVE
(Matt. 9:29).
Of course I realized that many people might not
have come into the understanding about keeping all of
God's commandments-he does look on the
heart.
It
is the
spirit, and willingness
to obey. And therefore
sorne who really
BELIEVE
are healed, even though they
are not strictly "commandment keepers." But once
the
knowledge of the truth
comes, they must
OBEY.
In
this case 1 felt sure that God wanted me to open the
minds of these people about bis commandments, and
that
SIN
is
the transgression of God's
LAW.
Consequently, 1 first read the two scriptures quoted
above, and then explained what 1 had been six months
learning about God's law-and particularly about
God's Sabbath . 1 wanted to know whether this cripple
and bis wife had a spirit of
WILLINGNESS
to obey God.
They did not. I found they were "Pentecostal." They
attended church for the "good time" they had there.
They talked a good deal about the "good time" they
enjoyed at church. They scoffed and sneered about
having to obey God. 1 told them that, since they were
unwilling to obey God and comply with God's written
conditions for healing, 1 could not pray for him.
Was This an Angel?
This case had weighed heavily on my mind. I had been
touched with deep compassion for this poor fellow.
Yet bis mind was not impaired, and 1 knew that God
does not compromise with
SIN.
Sorne weeks later I had borrowed my brother's car
again, and happened to be driving out Foster Road.
Actually at the time my mind was filled with another
mission, and this deformed cripple was not on my
mind at all. 1 was deep in thought about another
matter.
Coming to the intersection of the street on which the
cripple lived, however, l was reminded of him.
1nstantly the thought carne as to whether 1 ought to
pay them one more call- but at the same instant reason
ruled it out. They had made light of, and actually
ridiculed the idea of surrendering to
obey
God.
2
Immediately 1 put them out of mind, and again was
deep in thought about the present mission 1 was on.
Then a strange thing happened.
At the next intersection, the steering wheel of the
car automatically turned to the right. 1 felt the wheel
turning. 1 resisted it. It kept turning right. Instantly 1
applied all my strength to counteract it, and keep
steering straight ahead. My strength was of no avail.
Sorne unseen force was turning that steering wheel
against
all my strength. The car had turned to the
right into the street one block east of the home of the
cripple.
I was frightened. Never befare had 1 experienced
anything like this. 1 stopped the car by the curb. I
didn't know what to make of it. Jt was too late to back
into traffic-heavy Foster Road.
"Well," 1 thought, "1'11 drive to the end of this
block and turn Ieft , and then back onto Foster Road."
But, a long block south on this street, it turned
right
only.
There was no street turning east. In getting
back onto Foster Road I was now compelled to drive
past the borne of the cripple.
"Could it possibly be that an angel
forced
the
steering wheel to turn me in here?" I wondered,
somewhat shaken by the experience. I decided I had
better stop at the cripple's borne to be sure.
I found him stricken with blood poisoning. The red
line was nearing bis heart.
I told them what had happened.
"1 know, now," I said, "that God sent an angel to
turn me in here. I believe that God wants me to pray
for you- that he will heal you of this blood poisoning
to show you bis power, and then give you one more
chance to repent and be willing to obey him. And if
you will do that , then he will straighten out your
twisted spine and heal you completely.
"So now, if you want meto do so, 1 will pray for you
and ask God to heal you of this blood poisoniog. But 1
will
not
ask God to heal your spine unless and until you
repent and show willingness to obey whatever you
yourself see God commands."
They were now desperate. He probably had about 12
hours to live. They were not joking and jesting lightly
about the "good times" at "Pentecostal meetin'." They
wanted meto pray.
I was notan ordained minister, sol did not anoint–
with oil. I had never yet in my life prayed aloud before
others. 1 explained this to them, and said I would
simply lay hands on the man and pray silently, as 1 did
not want any self-consciousness of praying aloud for
the first time to interfere with real earnestness and
fáith. 1 did have absolute faith he would be healed of
the blood poisoning. He was.
1 returned the next day. The blood poisoning had left
him immediately when 1 prayed. But, to my very great
sorrow and disappointment, they were once again filled
with levity, and sarcasm about God's law. Again they
were jestingly talking about having a "good time" at
"Pentecostal" meetings.
There was no more 1 could do. It was one of the
great disappointments of my life. 1 never saw or heard
from any of them again. o
The PLAIN TRUTH