Part 15 (2/2)
As my name is S. O. Susag, I think it is fitting to say as the distress call of a s.h.i.+p is SOS, that I have heard the distress call in my fifty-two years ministry, hundreds of times from the evangelistic field, and missionary fields in other lands, from insane asylums, hospitals, sick rooms, and the Lord has heard prayer, and wrought many miracles, almost unbelievable. To G.o.d belongs all the glory and praise.
One time I received a distress call from Geo. W. Green and family who were living that time on a farm near Hanc.o.c.k, Minnesota, to come and pray for a sick child. They were living six or seven miles out of town, and no one was there to meet me, so I had to get the taxi to take me out. I arrived late in the evening. Going into the house, I learned the child was already dead.
All the occupants of the house, both up and down stairs, were sick in bed with the flu, thirteen in all. Sister Green was the only one able to get out of bed to let me in. I had no way to get back to town, but as we were talking and praying, a doctor happened along and stopped and came in and asked Sister Green to make him a strong cup of coffee and sandwich. He said, ”This is the third night since I was in bed, and I need something to strengthen me.” He filled out a burial permit for the child so it could be buried. And he said, ”You can't stay here tonight.” I told him I had no way to get back to town, so he offered to take me. I went and the next day I returned with the undertaker. The road to the cemetery went through the town, but the leading lady, a social worker (I presume) forbad us taking the body through town. So we had to detour several miles out of our way. An epidemic of flu broke out in the town and I am told that this lady was the first one to die with it. At the Green home the Lord restored the entire thirteen to health, and protected me. Throughout the years I have been protected from all manner of contagious diseases where I have been called to pray.
Brother Edward Ahrendt and I were holding a meeting in Grand Forks, North Dakota. One evening the call was made, and the altar was filled with seekers. Brother Ahrendt and I started at opposite ends to pray and instruct. As I knelt, the first one was a woman and I felt as if I had knelt by a barrel of devils. I was surprised that she was professing to be a Christian. Lifting my hand in astonishment, I said, ”Sister G--you are possessed with devils.” After the altar service was over, Brother Ahrendt and I laid our hands on her and commanded the devils to come out in the name of Jesus, which they did. The next morning we had prayer and testimony meeting and she arose and testified and in a way she excused herself. I said, ”Sister, be careful or the devils will enter into you again.”
Evidently they did, because the other women in the rooming house told me that in the evening when she arrived at her room to go to bed, the devils rolled her up like a ball with her heels almost on her shoulders, and her sufferings were horrible. They prayed and did everything they could to help her get straightened out, but to no avail. They tried to find Bro. Ahrendt and I, but we had moved that night to another place. No one seemed to know where we were. They called up all the saints that had phones, but without success. Finally, two of the sisters started out going from house to house among the saints that had no phones, and at four o'clock in the morning they reached the house where we were stopping. We went over as quickly as possible, and when we went up onto the porch, she straightened out instantly. The devil was going to play possum on us. Brother Ahrendt and I had a consultation, as he had never had any experiences with cases of devil possession before. He said, ”Brother Susag, Sat.u.r.day night when we prayed for her, there was no manifestation showing that she was possessed.”
”Well,” I said, ”There is no need of them having to be thrown around by the devil when you know they are possessed,” so I said I would pray and we would see how it would come out, because I knew there was a need of full agreement. We phoned Brother Gus Niles and asked if we could come to his place with Mrs. G----. When we got there, we went into a room and locked the doors. Brother Ahrendt prayed in one corner and Brother Niles in another corner. I gave her a chair by the table, and I sat opposite. I said, ”Sister, I have known you for four years and all that time you have deceived yourself and the saints and the ministry. You have had no salvation all this time. Now tell me what the devil had you do when you came home from meetings.” She said, ”One time when I came home, I went out to the barn to feed milk to the calf, and he wouldn't drink, and I got angry and took a small club and struck him. He bawled and broke the rope and jumped through the window and ran out into the woods.” When she was telling this, her hand flew up and she commenced beating the air with it and she could not stop. I let her continue beating for a time, then I said, ”Lord, stop that arm,” and it did stop. Then I asked her what the devil got her to do other times when she came home. She said, ”Another time when I came home, husband's dog had gotten into the house, and I opened the door to get him out, and as he went through the door, I kicked him in anger because I hated my husband,” and as she said this, she started kicking the table and then she fell on the floor on her back still kicking the chair and the table. Just then Brother Ahrendt came running and said, ”I rebuke the devil in Jesus' name.” He had become convinced that the devils were there by now.
Then the three of us laid hands on her, commanding the devils to come out of her, which they did. Then she got saved and sanctified, and got a sweet settled experience which everyone had confidence in. She later became an able Sunday School teacher and worker for the Lord.
A WARNING
The evening when I said, ”Sister G, you are possessed with devils,” I looked back in the audience and saw a sister with her mouth open and looking at me with surprise and apparent criticism, as if to say, ”What do you mean by saying such things to Sister G?” Just then I saw many serpents crawling in her lap and up her breast and in to her mouth. After the service this woman's sister came to me and said, ”Do you know that my sister, Mary, is possessed with devils?” I said, ”Yes,” and she asked how I knew, saying, ”She told me she had just gotten possessed.” I said, ”I saw them entering.”
We took her to a private home and she was delivered by the power of G.o.d.
There is always a cause when G.o.d does not answer prayer, either in individuals or congregations. I have been speaking of individual cases in this book, where prayer was not answered. Now I will speak of congregational hindrances that I know of personally.
There is never an effect without a cause that produces the effect. In a certain congregation where I held several successful revivals for several pastors, there came a time when the work did not prosper as it had in previous years. By chance after twenty years absence, I stopped in there one prayer meeting night, having business in the town that day. They entreated me to come back and speak for them on a certain Sunday, which I did. The Lord gave us two precious services. They took up their regular Sunday evening offering. After that, they announced that they would take up an offering especially for Brother Susag, which they did, and set the basket in a position where I noticed the contents, which was in the neighborhood of fifteen dollars or a little more. Next morning when I was ready to take the train, I was handed four dollars with the remark, ”This is our custom.” No wonder the congregation did not prosper, and still these dear people had done their duty, but were unaware of what the hindrance was.
I know of other cases of that same kind, both with other ministers and myself. Once in a camp meeting a young minister was the evangelist, whom the Lord used mightily. One evening they were going to take up the love offering for the evangelist. A nice offering came in, not any too large, and they gave the evangelist seventy percent.
Once at the Grand Forks, North Dakota Camp Meeting, Brother P. Pederson of Hoboken, New Jersey was to preach. He read his text and related some of his experiences and the Holy Ghost began to bring the people to the altar. He then closed his Bible and said, ”A greater preacher than I is now speaking.”
During the depression it looked as though we were going to lose the state camp grounds at Grand Forks. At the camp meeting the Board said there is no other way than to let it go. I said, ”No.” ”Well,” they said, ”Then you will have to raise the money because we cannot.” I said, ”If you will give me a free hand, to go at it when the Lord says to, I will.” They said O. K.
One evening the Lord said, ”Now is the time,” so I said to Brother Monk, ”Let me have a few minutes?” Within a few minutes we had the amount to the cent. Brother Monk said, ”This time the devil was licked and the depression also.” It pays to pray.
The first Camp Meeting I attended at Grand Forks, I generally got up at 3 or 4 a.m. and went to the woods to pray. At that time you could hardly find a place to pray.
There were two or three members praying behind every tree before I got there.
The first Camp Meeting I attended in Anderson, I went out early in the cemetery and here they were praying every where.
The pioneer ministers knew how to pray, because they had no sermon outline book to take it from. Their converts knew how, too, for they were taught by the Holy Ghost.
<script>