Chapter 10—Prosperity and Revivals

Here is an important truth that I hope none of you will overlook: If Providence helped us to establish this institution so that we might care for sick people, why shouldn't the Lord help the sick people get well here? And I have seen this thing happen in a special manner over and over again. For instance, a woman was operated on here a couple of years ago. The surgeon believed that she would die before she left the operating room. The case was so absolutely hopeless that it was beyond all human hope that she could possibly live. I told her husband it was an absolutely hopeless case. I told the nurse that there were no prospects that she could live over night. The surgical operation revealed conditions that no one had suspected and the situation was so desperate that humanly speaking there was no chance for life at all. But the nurses prayed and Mrs. Paulson and I prayed, and God heard our prayers and she was restored to health.FF 100.1

A year and a half ago a good earnest woman was dying here in this sanitarium from pernicious anemia. The laboratory test showed that her blood was almost as thin as water. I had telegraphed her husband to come, and when he arrived, told him that there was no hope and that his wife could not live beyond forty-eight hours. Mrs. Paulson whispered in her ear that her end was near and asked if there was anything she wanted to say. She feebly responded, “Pray.” Mrs. Paulson sent for me. We knelt down at her bedside and humbly and earnestly committed this dying woman to God’s restoring power for recovery if it was His will. From that hour she began to improve and in three months’ time went home a comparatively well woman. I had a letter from her husband who is a railroad man, saying that his wife had gained fifty pounds in weight and was as well as she ever was.FF 101.1

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Once we discovered that new patients were not coming in as rapidly as the old ones went away. We felt impressed, as we had often done before, to ask God to fill the vacant rooms or show us why they were not filled.FF 101.2

Some of us met Friday night for special prayer. I spoke of it at the meeting of heads of departments on Sabbath morning, and presented it in connection with the Sabbath service to the entire family.FF 102.1

At our church officers’ meeting Sunday night we learned that some of our workers were not paying tithe. I became deeply exercised over the matter. The more I sought God the more I was impressed that we would have no signal answer to our prayers without a definite reformation.FF 102.2

Monday morning at workers’ worship called attention to the fact that it was after Christ had cleansed the temple that the sick came in and He healed them. (Matthew 21:12-14).FF 102.3

Before we shall see the sick crowd into our sanitariums and receive special manifestations of healing by Christ, we must permit Him to again cleanse our temples.FF 102.4

On Tuesday morning the entire sanitarium family gathered with their Bibles and notebooks and we began some special studies which were continued till Friday morning.FF 102.5

We read very carefully and prayerfully the experience of Achan who stole the spoils from the inhabitants of Jericho which had been devoted to the Lord. (Read Joshua six.) Jericho was the first of the cities of Canaan to be taken and God had said that was to be His tenth or the first fruits, so Achan stole from God’s treasury for his own benefit. Because of the sin of Achan all Israel became weak as water and were smitten by the enemy. (Joshua 7:5.)FF 103.1

“If the presence of one Achan was sufficient to weaken the whole camp of Israel, can we be surprised at the little success which attends our efforts when every church and almost every family has its Achan?” Testimonies for the Church 5:157.FF 103.2

There is no use in lying on our face and asking God in a special manner to bless our institution while we have Achans in the camp. God says to us, “Wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Take away the accursed thing from among you.” Joshua 7:10, 13.FF 103.3

It yet remains to be seen what God can do for an institution without a single Achan in it.FF 103.4

On the other hand, every time there has apparently been unanswered prayer in our midst for the sick, any Achans in our camp should consider these words: “If when Achan yielded to temptation he had been asked if he wished to bring defeat and death into the camp of Israel, he would have answered, ‘No, no; is thy servant a dog that he should do this great wickedness?’” Testimonies for the Church 4:492.FF 103.5

The time has come for every Achan in our hearts to be stoned. And those who do not see the importance of giving to the Lord an honest tithe should read Malachi 3:8, 9. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me… in tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”FF 104.1

Every worker who has taken a position in this institution is engaged in the same sacred work that Korah, Dathan and Abiram were in. The same devil that blinded their eyes will endeavor to make it seem an equally “small thing” to us; in other words, to cause us to forget the sacredness of the work that we are in.FF 104.2

The mighty power of God was present in these studies. On Friday night we had a “solemn assembly.” As far as I could discern every worker cheerfully took his stand on this question.FF 104.3

Within a week our men’s patronage had doubled and we had also reached a high-water mark of spiritual results. A prominent patient definitely took his stand for God. Half a dozen others were seeking for light. Others were being converted, and the institution seemed charged with a special power from on high. We saw most phenomenal cases of physical improvement. It gave us a foretaste of what God can do when all the workers turn their hearts definitely toward Him.FF 105.1

This stirred the wrath of the dragon and we began to have trials and difficulties we had never anticipated. But even these served to drive us to our Source of strength.FF 105.2

Later on a physician from the southern part of the State brought his wife for a critical surgical operation. A few days afterward she went into a serious collapse. We did everything we could, but it was evident the woman must die. The doctor stood by the opposite side of the bed from me with tears running down his face, saying he had given up all hope; there was absolutely nothing more could be done. I felt impressed to say, “Yes, there is one thing more can be done in the Hinsdale sanitarium. We can pray.” I felt he knew nothing about prayer, but I did not believe that would hinder my prayers being heard. I knelt down and asked God to save the poor woman’s life if it was His will. She began to revive from that very moment, and in a few weeks went home a well woman.FF 105.3

One winter during our week of prayer a very prominent woman was operated on in our institution by Dr. Franklin H. Martin, the eminent Chicago surgeon who has done most of our work. The case proved much more desperate than was expected and she nearly died on the operating table. She was revived, but the next morning went into a total collapse. Mrs. Paulson and I were hastily summoned to her bedside. To all human appearances, the case was utterly hopeless. My heart ached for this splendid business woman whom I had every reason to know had not made her peace with God. In the agony of my soul, while the nurses worked over her, I knelt by her bedside and reached up for God’s healing power to be manifested in her behalf. A few hours later an eminent expert came out from the Presbyterian hospital at the request of her family physician who was present at the operation. After sizing up the situation he said, “Everything is done that can be done, but it makes no difference what you do, she will be dead by morning.”FF 106.1

Several days later she told Mrs. Paulson, “I know God heard Dr. Paulson’s prayer and saved my life. I want you to stay here in my room and tell the Lord that I know He heard the prayer in my behalf.” Some weeks later this woman stood up in our workers’ prayer meeting and gave a ringing testimony and told us that she had dedicated her life fully to the Master’s work.FF 107.1

As the years rolled on I have seen many such experiences that have strengthened my faith that there is such a thing as answers to prayer. When I am facing a question like some of those poor sick patients I am glad that I can deal directly with the great man-Maker. When my watch was broken the other day, I sent it to a watch-maker, not to some faker who would simply declare there was no such thing as a broken watch, or who would undertake to give it some absent treatment and do nothing for it. I am so glad that I can recommend the sick to go to the great man-Maker and man-Repairer and that I can intelligently co-operate with Him. Remember that while the farmer cannot grow corn—God alone can do that—he can cultivate corn. And God does not expect to do man’s part any more than He expects man to do God’s part. It is this beautiful blending of the human and the Divine that lends significance to the human part of life and gives us courage and faith that we can depend implicitly upon the divine part. God does not hear us because we are good, He hears us because we are needy, and for Christ’s sake who alone was good.FF 107.2

It is with great hesitation that I tell some of these interesting experiences for the simple reason that I know there are some people who are bound to regard them with considerable skepticism, and perhaps treat them altogether lightly. There is also a still greater danger that a group of experiences of this kind shall focus the attention of a still larger group of people on the instrument instead of the Hand that merely condescended to use the instrument. Nevertheless, I have felt that there were some to whom some of these incidents might prove to be a real inspiration and encouragement, and it is for their sakes and theirs alone that I have presented a few of the many interesting items that Providence has given us for our encouragement in the building of these various Hinsdale enterprises.FF 108.1

There is scarcely a word in the English language that has been so warped from its true meaning as the word “Faith.” Much of the so-called faith of to-day is in reality nothing short of presumption, consequently God can only ignore it. Instead of being some peculiar tension or emotion of the mind, true faith is simply a recognition of things as they actually are. The individual who becomes best acquainted with God will necessarily manifest most faith in Him, He will learn the consistent manner in which God deals with His children. This will preserve him from asking unreasonable things, which is presumption.FF 109.1