How I Came Into Healing by John Alexander Dowie.
I sat in my study in the parsonage of the earthly temples of God’s children and there was no Congregational Church at Newtown, a suburb of deliverance. the beautiful city of Sydney , Australia. My heart And there I sat with sorrow-bowed head for was very heavy , for I had been visiting the sick and my afflicted people, until the bitter tears came to dying beds of more than thirty of my flock, and I relieve my burning heart. Then I prayed for some had cast the dust to its kindred dust into more message, and oh, how I longed to hear some words than forty graves within a few weeks. Where, oh from Him Who wept and sorrowed for the suffering where, was He Who used to heal His suffering long ago, a Man of Sorrows and Sympathies. The children? No prayer for healing seemed to reach His words of the Holy Ghost inspired in Acts 10:38, ear, and yet I knew His hand had not been stood before me all radiant with light, revealing shortened. Still it did not save from death even Satan as the Defiler, and Christ as the Healer. My those for whom there was so much in life to live for tears were wiped away , my heart strong, I saw the God and others. Strong men, fathers, good citizens, way of healing, and the door thereto was opened and more than all, true Christians sickened with a wide, so I said, “God help me now to preach the putrid fever, suffered nameless agonies, passed into Word to all the dying around, and tell them how `tis delirium, sometimes with convulsions, and then Satan still defiles, and Jesus still delivers, for `He is died. And oh, what aching voids were left in many a j ust the same today .'” widowed or orphaned heart. Then there were many A loud ring and several raps at the outer homes where, one by one, the little children, the door, a rush of feet, and there at my door stood two youths and the maidens were stricken, and after panting messengers who said, “Oh, come at once, hard struggling with the foul disease, they too, lay Mary is dying; come and pray . “With j ust a feeling cold and dead. It seemed sometimes as if I could as a shepherd has who hears that his sheep are almost hear the triumphant mockery of fiends being torn from the fold by a cruel wolf, I rushed ringing in my ear whilst I spoke to the bereaved from my house, ran hatless down the street, and ones the words of Christian hope and consolation. entered the room of the dying maiden. There she Disease, the foul offspring of its father, Satan, and lay groaning, grinding her clenched teeth in the its mother Sin, was defiling and destroying the agony of the conflict with the destroyer, the white froth, mingled with her blood, oozing from her pain- was doing Satan’s will. “It is not so,” I exclaimed, distorted mouth. I looked at her and then my anger “no will of God sends such cruelty , and I shall never burned. “Oh,” I thought, “for some sharp sword of say ‘God’s will be done’ to Satan’s works, which heavenly temper keen to slay this cruel foe who is God’s own Son came to destroy , and this is one of strangling that lovely maiden like an invisible them.” Oh, how the Word of God was burning in my serpent, tightening his deadly coils for a final heart: “Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good, victory .” and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for In a strange way it came to pass; I found the God was with Him.” And was not God with me? And sword I needed was in my hands, and in my hand I was not Jesus there and all His promises true? I hold it still and never will I lay it down. The doctor, felt that it was even so, and turning to the mother I a good Christian man, was quietly walking up and enquired, “Why did you send for me?” To which she down the room, sharing the mother’s pain and answered “Do pray , oh pray for her that God may grief. Presently he stood at my side and said, “Sir, raise her up.” So we prayed. What did I say? It may are not God’s ways mysterious?” Instantly the be that I cannot recall the words without mistake, sword was flashed in my hand-the Spirit’s sword, but words are in themselves of small importance. the Word of God. “God’s way!” I said, pointing to the The prayer of faith may be a voiceless prayer, a scene of conflict, “how dare you, Dr. K-, call that simple heartfelt look of confidence into the face of God’s way of bringing His children home from earth Christ. At such moment words are few, but they to Heaven? No, sir, that is the devil’s work, and it is mean much, for God is looking at the heart. Still, I time we called on Him Who came to `destroy the can remember much of that prayer unto this day , work of the devil,’ to slay that deadly foul destroyer, and asking God to aid I will endeavor to recall it. I and to save the child. Can you pray , Doctor, can cried: “Our Father, help! and Holy Spirit, teach me you pray the prayer of faith that saves the sick?” At how to pray . Plead Thou for us, oh, Jesus, Savior, once, offended at my words, my friend was Healer, Friend, our Advocate with God the Father. changed, and saying, “You are too much excited, Hear and heal, Eternal One! From all disease and sir, ’tis best to say `God’s will be done,'” he left the death deliver this sweet child of Thine. I rest upon room. the Word. We claim the promise now . The Word is Excited! The word was quite inadequate for I true, ‘I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ Then heal was almost frenzied with Divinely imparted anger her now . The Word is true, ‘I am the Lord, I change and hatred of that foul destroyer, Disease, which not.’ Unchanging God, then prove Thyself the healer now . The Word is true, ‘These signs shall laugh, and drank and ate again, and yet again, follow them that believe in My Name, they shall lay until all was gone. In a few minutes she fell asleep, hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ And I breathing easily and softly . Quietly thanking God believe and I lay hands in Jesus’ Name on her, and we left her bed and went to the next room where claim this promise now . Thy Word is true, ‘The her brother and sister also lay sick of the same prayer of faith shall save the sick.’ Trusting in Thee fever. With these two we also prayed, and they were alone, I cry , oh, save her now, for Jesus’ sake, healed. The following day all three were well and in Amen!” a week or so they brought me a little letter and a And lo, the maid lay still in sleep, so deep gift of gold, two sleeve links with my monogram, and sweet that the mother asked in a low whisper, which I wore for many years. As I went away from “Is she dead?” “No,” I answered, in a whisper lower the home where Christ as the Healer had been still, “Mary will live; the fever is gone. She is victorious, I could not but have somewhat in my perfectly well and sleeping as an infant sleeps.” heart of the triumphant song that rang through Smoothing the long dark hair from her now Heaven, and yet I was not a little amazed at my own peaceful brow, and feeling the steady pulsation of strange doings, and still more at my discovery that her heart and cool moist hands, I saw that Christ He is j ust the same today . had heard and that once more, as long ago in Peter’s house, “He touched her and the fever left her.” Turning to the nurse I said, “Get me at once, please, a cup of cocoa and several slices of bread and butter.” Beside the sleeping maid we sat quietly and almost silently until the nurse returned, and then I bent over her and snapping my fingers called “Mary!” Instantly she woke, smiled and said, “Oh, sir, when did you come? I have slept so long;” then stretching her arms out to meet her mother’s embrace, she said, “Mother, I feel so well.” “And Digital Copyright © 2004 by Healing and Revival Press. All hungry , too?” I asked, pouring some of the cocoa in rights reserved. Excerpt from “The Sermons of John A lexander a saucer and offering it to her when cooled by my Dowie Champ ion of the Faith” by Gordon Lindsay. Small breath. “Yes, hungry too,” she answered with a little typographical corrections have been made.