Part 9 (2/2)

I asked him whether they did much talking during that terrible storm and he said, ”No, I was praying all the time that we might reach land safely, because the young man with us was not saved and he was the sole support of his widowed mother, his father and one or two brothers having gone down somewhere in the North Sea not so long ago. We were getting along very well--for the Lord helped me steer the boat right--but the worst that we had to meet was just before we landed--there were three sandbars we had to cross. If the waves struck us just right we would get over, but if not, we would get stuck in the sandbars, and there would be no help for us. When we came to the first one a big wave carried us safely over the sandbar. I said 'Thank G.o.d, we are over the first one;' and so it was with the other two; and each time I said, 'Thank G.o.d for taking us over, and too, for not letting the water get into our boat.'”

A week later I embarked on the steamer Olaf Barger, sailing from Fredriksen, Denmark, to Sweden. As I was going on board the boat the Captain came to me and asked whether I could spare him a few minutes before we landed in Sweden, as he wished to have a talk with me. When we got so far that we could begin to see the rocky coast of Sweden he came to me and began his narrative. He said, pointing ahead, ”You see that three-mast schooner standing upon that rock?” I said, ”Yes, I see it.” ”You remember the awful storm we had a week ago today. We were just coming out from Gottenburg to return to Denmark--an hour's sailing--and the schooner called for help but we were unable to even help ourselves so that we could not possibly help them. They were blown upon the rocks, but the people were saved.” Then he pointed to the left to two big rocks, and continued, ”And right there was a small steamer in trouble. They, too, called for help but we could not give it and they went down.

”We now saw that it would be impossible for us to reach Denmark and were fortunate in managing to turn the s.h.i.+p's course back toward Gottenburg. I tied myself to the bridge with an inch rope. Down into the waves we went and I said to myself, 'We have seen the sun for the last time.' But we came up and went down again many, many times. Then I did something I had never in all my life done before--I am sixty-five years old--I prayed the Lord to save my s.h.i.+p and all that were sailing with me. Along in the afternoon I found myself calling on G.o.d for salvation of my soul, and the Lord did save me and finally brought my s.h.i.+p, and those sailing with me, safely into the harbor at nine o'clock that evening, it having taken us nine hours to do one hour's sailing.

”Knowing that you were a minister of the gospel I wanted to tell you the story that you might perhaps tell it to others.”

How longsuffering and merciful is the Son of G.o.d toward the children of men that when they repent and turn to Him, HE FORGIVES THEM.

One time when I arrived home from one of my evangelistic tours I found that my two young sons who were twins, eleven years of age, had been cutting hay. It was all raked and rowed up ready for hauling, and they were rejoicing that I had come as they were counting on me to help them haul and stack the hay. They said, ”Dad, tomorrow you will have to help us.” I said, ”All right, we will have to get up early to get it done as I am leaving the following day to start another meeting.”

The next morning we started out. We had to drive eighty rods south on the road, then we turned another eighty rods east to the hay meadow. Just as I began to pitch the hay up in the rack the boys exclaimed, ”Dad, it's raining.” ”Yes,” I said, and stuck my pitchfork in the ground, threw my hat beside it and said, ”Let's pray.” I said to the Lord, ”This hay is yours; this farm is yours and I am your servant. This hay must be hauled today as I leave tomorrow to minister unto the people, so please, at least keep the rain off the hay meadow and off the road where we have to drive. Amen.”

I went to pitching hay again; it was just pouring down all around us as far as we could see across the fence and west of the road. The only spots where it did not rain was where we were working and on the road we were driving.

It rained all day, and it did not just rain--it poured! We hauled hay all day, until a little after six o'clock I slid off the stack in the yard and then the rain just poured down. I said to the boys, ”The Lord surely heard prayer.” They said, ”Yes, He did,” and we thanked the Lord.

After I had left the next day, our neighbor came over and seeing the stack asked the boys when they stacked that hay. They told him, ”Yesterday, Daddy was home.” (There was a distance of about twenty rods between his house and ours). He said, ”That is impossible. I took a rest all day for the rain just poured down and I could not do anything.” He thought it must have been the day before that we hauled and stacked the hay. But the boys told him that ”Daddy prayed and it did not rain on our hay meadow, nor on the road where we were driving.” This man was greatly astonished at hearing this.

One afternoon, about three o'clock, the renters on our place came running in great excitement into wife's room and said, ”Mrs. Susag, a cyclone is coming.” She went out with them and it was dark. There was a wood pile about three or four rods south of our houses and parts of our neighbors buildings south of us were blowing through our pasture and wood from the wood pile began to go up in the air. Wife lifted her hands toward heaven facing the storm and cried, ”Lord G.o.d, don't let that storm strike our dwelling.” The cyclone turned right square to the east several rods and then turned square again to the north-east of the buildings. When it got beyond our buildings it turned west and when it got just in line with the direction from which it came, it turned north again, rooting up big trees and damaging the neighbor's buildings; but not a thing on our premises was disturbed.

The spout of the cyclone dug a ditch several feet deep in some places. Once more G.o.d's Word was verified: ”Call and I will answer.”

GLUTTONOUS MAN WITH DYSPEPSIA

At a meeting we were holding, Brother Tubbs, Brother Enos Key and myself was asked to fast and pray for a man weighing from 250 to 260 pounds and calling himself a saint!

We fasted, accordingly, and went after service Sunday noon to pray for him.

We were still fasting, but he sat up to the table and ate a big chicken dinner and when he had finished eating he said, ”Now you can pray for me.”

Bro. Tubbs said, ”No, we are not going to pray for you. We have been fasting for you, and still haven't eaten, and you have sat up to the table and eaten as much as we three preachers, together, could eat. Goodbye!” And out we went.

CASTING OUT DEVILS

At a meeting in Chicago there was a woman possessed with devils, and wanted to be delivered. Seven ministers, four men and three sisters, were working with her for over an hour but without apparent success. We tried to lay our hands on her but the devils in her would kick our hands away. Big knots came out on her body, on her shoulders and neck the size of a good sized apple. Then we ministers withdrew for a consultation among ourselves--to see whether the hindering cause in casting these devils out, lay in us, among ourselves--to be a.s.sured of complete unity and agreement in our midst: And we found that there was perfect unity. That being the case, we said, ”We must have the victory, the evil spirits must go.” We went back to the woman and worked, prayed and rebuked the enemy for nearly three hours, all to no avail.

Then one brother said, ”There must be someone in the chapel sympathizing with her.” We began a search looking everywhere to find where the trouble was and behind some folding doors in the prayer room we found a man.

Brother Knight said to him, ”What are you doing here?” He said, ”Can't I stay here?” But he was told to leave forthwith and he went. We then locked the doors of the chapel and in a few minutes the woman was delivered.

She was obliged to go home as her husband went to work at four o'clock in the morning, but he came back the next day and was gloriously saved.

Another case of demon possession happened in Grand Forks. During a meeting we were holding there, a man came to the service who formerly had taken his stand with the church, coming out of a certain denomination, but before long he returned to it again. When he came to the meeting we were holding he was possessed. In one of the services Brother Krutz and I attempted to lay hands on him: He was kneeling at the altar with his back to the pulpit and he was taken up bodily and thrown upon the rostrum against the wall behind the pulpit. I ran after him and the devil said to me, ”Now, it will go with you as it did with the seven sons of Sceva.” I rebuked the devil and when I got to the man he turned over on his back and slid, head first, off the rostrum toward the seats, knocking his head against the seats until it seemed as though his skull would surely be broken.

I called for help. Eight brothers came and held him so that he would not get hurt. We laid hands on him and commanded the evil spirits to come out of him but they did not come. Then I asked them, ”What is your name?” The answer was, ”Salvation Army devil.” Then in the name of the Lord Jesus we commanded the Salvation Army devil to come out of him. And when they went out it was with such a horrible scream that many women jumped up on their seats in fright and the man's s.h.i.+rt was torn and blood was running from his mouth and he fell on the floor as though he were dead. We let him lie there a little while, then, laying our hands on him, prayed and he came to. This man repented, made his confession and was saved.

<script>