The Wonders of Prayer Part 26

When such a desire for healing is united with the desire and the promise to work in future for the Lord, His own kingdom and glory, the Lord is pleased with it, and His promise is made sure to those who come in faith.

It is needless to say that those who come for prayer, with the desire only for _experiment_, and also those who are _withholding their lives or pledges of devotion to Him, need never expect an answer_.

CURED OF ST. VITAS' DANCE.

"Very early in childhood, I was seized with a nervous trouble, something like St. Vitus' Dance. As I grew older it did not pa.s.s off, but settled into a disease of the muscles. It became a terrible affliction. It was usually under my control, but I could not endure protracted work of any kind, or unusual fatigue; I had consulted, in various cities, the best physicians, but they p.r.o.nounced it incurable. All that could be done was to be careful of overwork and excitement. It must have been twenty-five years since I was first taken.

"Doctor Cullis asked me if I could give my body to the Lord to be healed; I felt that I could truly say 'Yes.' He then, in a simple manner, prayed that the Lord would restore strength of nerve and muscle.

I went home, touched and improved by the comforting words. At the end of the week I was startled at the recollection that I had felt hardly anything of my trouble. My nerves began to feel as if they were held with a grasp of iron. The muscles refused to move as before at every inclination. For two weeks this painful tension lasted. Then I felt a gradual relaxation, and found that I was strong like other people. I tested myself in the severest way--walked, wrote and lifted--after each exertion I could enjoy perfect rest. The mystery of the miracles was explained to me. This power of G.o.d manifested in the past, is manifest to us still. Faith can grasp and use it. Close beside us stands a _living Christ_."

HIP DISEASE CURED.

A lady from Brooklyn, N.Y., came to the Consumptive's Home for prayer cure.

"She had a diseased hip, and _had used crutches for twenty years_. Often the hip joint would slip from its socket, so that it was impossible for her to walk without crutches. She now writes, 'My lameness was incurable, and G.o.d interposed in my behalf, in answer to your prayer. I have been able to walk for five months without the crutches I have used for over twenty years.'"

A BAD DEBT PAID.

A correspondent of Doctor Cullis, who was unable to collect a debt from a refractory and worthless debtor, promised to give it to the Lord, if it was ever paid. The following is his letter:

"Perhaps you remember that the writer, some months ago, asked you to pray that some money which had been due him a long time, and which to all human appearance was never to be paid, might by G.o.d's interposition be paid in full. Enclosed, find the full amount, $25, which was paid a few days since. All glory to Him, who _never, never fails_."

CONSUMPTION INSTANTLY HEALED.

"At a meeting in the Chapel of the Consumptive's Home, held March 7, 1876, public prayer was offered for a young man in Florida, who was apparently gone in consumption; an interested friend had previously written him that prayer would be offered for him at that time.

"Not long after she received letters from him, stating that at _that same hour_ he too had joined in supplication, and _was instantly healed_. He says that while before the Lord, pleading his promise, his voice and strength were taken away for a time. Then he began to praise the Lord, and to feel, 'tis done,' and it was done, and tells of the wonderful change, his ability to talk and sing, with no difficulty whatever."

CURED OF CATARRH.

"I have been afflicted with catarrh for over twenty years. I had consulted many physicians and used many remedies--all failed to help me.

In the Spring of 1874, I grew so much worse that life became a burden; I suffered from dizziness and great prostration; I was urged to go to you for faith cure. This was no new thing to me; I believed in it, yet found it difficult to exercise faith for myself.

"My daughter went to see you, as I was then unable to go. I looked to G.o.d, and believed from that very moment. My whole soul and body seemed thrilled, and I began to gain strength immediately.

"In a few days I was able to go to your _Home_. You prayed simply that G.o.d would take all disease from me. I have been entirely well from that time; not only cured of catarrh, but tumors on my limbs were entirely removed. I desire to give G.o.d the praise; I bless him that He does forgive our transgressions and heal our diseases."

These instances are only a very few out of many, that have occurred, too numerous for repet.i.tion here. It must be admitted, that G.o.d has most signally blessed the faith of the inmates of the Consumptive's Home, answered their prayer for others. In nearly all the cases of healing which have occurred, the sufferers have failed in all other means, and in their extremity have depended wholly in faith in G.o.d.

In speaking of them, Doctor Cullis says: "We do not give these instances of the healing of the body, dear friends of Jesus, as in any degree paramount to the healing of the soul; but that as the dear children of G.o.d, we may claim all our privileges, and enjoy the knowledge of our fullness of possession in Him who declares" _all things are, yours_."

Shall we in any manner, of smallest or largest import, limit the love and power of G.o.d, who deigneth out of the highest heaven to declare,"

_The Lord thinketh upon me_." As an earthly parent separates no part of the well-being of his child from his watchful care, so doth our Heavenly Father not only "_forgive all our iniquities_," but "_healeth all our diseases." Let us not confine faith operation to the saving of the soul, while G.o.d's word is full of previous promise for the saving, keeping, and healing of the body_.

"_For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord_."

A MOTHER'S FAITH--THE LIFE OF BEATE PAULUS.

In a sketch of the life of Beate Paulus, the wife of a German minister who lived on the borders of the Black Forest, are several incidents which ill.u.s.trate the power of living faith, and the providence of a prayer-hearing G.o.d.

Though dest.i.tute of wealth, she much desired to educate her children, and five of her six boys were placed in school, while she struggled, and prayed, and toiled,--not only in the house, but out of doors,--to provide for their necessities.

"On one occasion," writes one of her children, "shortly before harvest, the fields stood thick with corn, and our mother had already calculated that their produce would suffice to meet all claims for the year. She was standing at the window casting the matter over in her mind, with great satisfaction, when her attention was suddenly caught by some heavy, black clouds with white borders, drifting at a great rate across the Summer sky. 'It is a hail-storm!' she exclaimed in dismay, and quickly throwing up the window, she leaned out. Her eyes rested upon a frightful ma.s.s of wild storm-clouds, covering the western horizon, and approaching with rapid fury.

"'O G.o.d!' she cried, 'there comes an awful tempest, and what _is_ to become of my corn?' The black ma.s.ses rolled nearer and nearer, while the ominous rus.h.i.+ng movement that precedes a storm, began to rock the sultry air, and the dreaded hail-stones fell with violence. Half beside herself with anxiety about those fields lying at the eastern end of the valley, she now lifted her hands heavenward, and wringing them in terror, cried: 'Dear Father in heaven, what art thou doing? Thou knowest I cannot manage to pay for my boys at school, without the produce of those fields! Oh! turn Thy hand, and do not let the hail blast my hopes!'

Scarcely, however, had these words crossed her lips when she started, for it seemed to her as if a voice had whispered in her ear,' Is my arm shortened that it cannot help thee in other ways?' Abashed, she shrank into a quiet corner, and there entreated G.o.d to forgive her want of faith. In the meantime the storm pa.s.sed. And now various neighbors hurried in, proclaiming that the whole valley lay thickly covered with hail-stones, _down to the very edge of the parsonage fields, but the latter_ had been quite spared. The storm had reached their border, and then suddenly taking another direction into the next valley. Moreover, that the whole village was in amazement, declaring that G.o.d had wrought a miracle for the sake of our mother, whom he loved. She listened, silently adoring the goodness of the Lord, and vowing that henceforth her confidence should be only in Him."

At another time she found herself unable to pay the expenses of the children's schooling, and the repeated demands for money were rendered more grievous by the reproaches of her husband, who charged her with attempting impossibilities, and told her that her self-will would involve them in disgrace. She, however, professed her unwavering confidence that the Lord would soon interpose for their relief, while his answer was: "We shall see; time will show."

In the midst of these trying circ.u.mstances, as her husband was one day sitting in his study, absorbed in meditation, the postman brought three letters from different towns where the boys were at school, each declaring that unless the dues were promptly settled, the lads would be dismissed. The father read the letters with growing excitement, and spreading them out upon the table before his wife as she entered the room, exclaimed: "There, look at them, and pay our debt with your faith!

I have no money, nor can I tell where to go for any."

"Seizing the papers, she rapidly glanced through them, with a very grave face, but then answered firmly, 'It is all right; the business shall be settled. For He who says, "The gold and silver is mine," will find it an easy thing to provide these sums.' Saying which she hastily left the room.

"Our father readily supposed she intended making her way to a certain rich friend who had helped us before. He was mistaken, for this time her steps turned in a different direction. We had in the parsonage an upper loft, shut off by a trap-door from the lower one, and over this door it was that she now knelt down, and began to deal with Him in whose strength she had undertaken the work of her children's education. She spread before Him those letters from the study table, and told Him of her husband's half scoffing taunt. She also reminded Him how her life had been redeemed from the very gates of death, for the children's sake, and then declared that she could not believe that He meant to forsake her at this juncture; she was willing to be the _second_ whom He might forsake, but she was determined not to be the _first_.

"In the meanwhile, her husband waited down stairs, and night came on; but she did not appear. Supper was ready, and yet she stayed in the loft. Then the eldest girl, her namesake Beate, ran up to call her; but the answer was, 'Take your supper without me, it is not time for me to eat.' Late in the evening, the little messenger was again dispatched, but returned with the reply: 'Go to bed; the time has not come for me to rest.' A third time, at breakfast next morning, the girl called her mother. 'Leave me alone,' she said; 'I do not need breakfast; when I am ready I shall come.' Thus the hours sped on, and down stairs her husband and the children began to feel frightened, not daring, however, to disturb her any more. At last the door opened, and she entered, her face beaming with a wonderful light. The little daughter thought that something extraordinary must have happened; and running to her mother with open arms, asked eagerly: 'What is it? Did an angel from heaven bring the money?' 'No, my child,' was the smiling answer, 'but now I am sure that it will come.' She had hardly spoken, when a maid in peasant costume entered, saying: 'The master of the Linden Inn sends to ask whether the Frau Pastorin can spare time to see him?' 'Ah, I know what he wants,' answered our mother. 'My best regards, and I will come at once.' Whereupon she started, and mine host, looking out of his window, saw her from afar, and came forward to welcome her with the words: 'O Madame, how glad I am you have come!' Then leading her into his back parlor he said; 'I cannot tell how it is, but the whole of this last night I could not sleep for thinking of you. For some time I have had several hundred _gulden_ lying in that chest, and all night long I was haunted by the thought that you needed this money, and that I ought to give it to you. If that be the case, there it is--take it; and do not trouble about repaying me. Should you be able to make it up again, well and good--if not, never mind.' On this my mother said: 'Yes, I do most certainly need it, my kind friend; for all last night I too was awake, crying to G.o.d for help. Yesterday there came three letters, telling us that all our boys would he dismissed unless the money for their board is cleared at once.'

"'Is it really so?' exclaimed the innkeeper, who was a n.o.ble-hearted and spiritual Christian man. 'How strange and wonderful! Now I am doubly glad I asked you to come!' Then opening the chest, he produced three weighty packets, and handed them to her with a prayer that G.o.d's blessing might rest upon the gift. She accepted it with the simple words: 'May G.o.d make good to you this service of Christian sympathy; for you have acted as the steward of One who has promised not even to leave the giving of a cup of cold water unrewarded.'

"Husband and children were eagerly awaiting her at home, and those three dismal letters still lay open on the table, when the mother, who had quitted that study in such deep emotion the day before, stepped up to her husband, radiant with joy. On each letter, she laid a roll of money and then cried: 'Look, there it is! And now believe that faith in G.o.d is no empty madness!'"

THE PERSECUTOR'S FATE.

Dr. Eugenio Kincaid, the Burman missionary, states, that among the first converts in Ava were two men who had held respectable offices about the palace. Some time after they had been baptized, a neighbor determined to report them to government, and drew up a paper setting forth that these two men had forsaken the customs and religion of their fathers, were wors.h.i.+ping the foreigner's G.o.d, and went every Sunday to the teacher's house; with other similar charges. He presented the paper to the neighbors of the two disciples, taking their names as witnesses, and saving that he should go and present the accusation on the next day.

The two Christians heard of it, and went to Mr. Kincaid in great alarm, to consult as to what they should do. They said if they were accused to government, the mildest sentence they could expect would be imprisonment for life at hard labor, and perhaps they would be killed. Kincaid told them that they could not flee from Ava, if they would; that he saw nothing he could do for them, and all that they could do was to trust in G.o.d to protect them, and deliver them from the power of their enemies.

They also prayed, and soon left Kincaid, saying that they felt more calm, and could leave the matter with G.o.d.

That night the persecutor was attacked by a dreadful disease in the bowels, which so distressed him that he roared like a madman; and his friends, which is too often the case with the heathen, left him to suffer and die alone. The two Christians whom he would have ruined then went and took care of him till he died, two or three days after his attack. The whole affair was well known in the neighborhood, and from that time not a dog dared move his tongue against the Christians of Ava.

Is there no evidence in this of a special providence, and that G.o.d listens to the prayers of persecuted and distressed children?

THE CAPTAIN AND THE QUADRANT.