Chapter 8—How I “Discovered” Ellen G. White’s Writings

My appreciation for Ellen G. White was born in wartime England in a setting of boredom, guilt, and spiritual dissatisfaction, as the Holy Spirit penetrated my heart.WEWMM 71.1

It was late 1944. Then in my early twenties, I was wearing the uniform of the Royal Canadian Air Force. As a medical orderly I was attached to the small hospital on a bomber station in Northern England.WEWMM 71.2

Baptized a Seventh-day Adventist a few years before, and desiring to be a Seventh-day Adventist minister, I had been attending an Adventist college preparing for that work.WEWMM 71.3

But I had become tired of school. Many of my friends were in uniform. The desire for adventure coursed in my blood. So I left school and worked on a farm for a few months before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force. One year later found me in England.WEWMM 71.4

Meanwhile, my Christian experience had suffered. I had not clearly understood, in my everyday experience, the “science of salvation,” the nature of faith, and the place of Jesus as my Redeemer. I had neglected prayer and Bible study. And, I had found non-Christian friends in the air force who, while not bad, did not share the standards I had been taught; more and more, my daily habits did not reflect these standards.WEWMM 71.5

For a while the thrill of being in England (to me a romantic country of which I had read much and which I had often wished to see), and the interest I had in being connected with the great air armadas that were helping to end the war with Germany, took my attention. But gradually the romance faded and the routine duties became dull.WEWMM 72.1

Off hours around that Northern England airdrome were spent by many of the airmen drinking in the “pubs,” playing cards, dancing, attending the movies, and similar activities. I frequented the movies, but the other pastimes did not appeal to me.WEWMM 72.2

Under these circumstances, boredom and discontent began to plague me. At the same time there began to gnaw at my conscience the conviction that I was a traitor to my religious beliefs, that I ought to be living the Christian life my heart and mind believed in. I became unhappy and moody.WEWMM 72.3

I continued in this condition for many weeks. Finally, I felt I could not go on with the guilt and dissatisfaction that were almost my constant companions. So, looking for some way to find relief from my unhappiness, I decided to write to the Book and Bible House at Watford, in Southern England, and order some of Ellen G. White’s books. Perhaps they would help.WEWMM 72.4

Now, my previous youthful contacts with her writings had not given me any great predilection toward them. I recall a discussion about them at college with two of my bosom friends. We had come to the conclusion that Ellen White’s books were rather heavy, dull stuff. Fine for old folks, perhaps. But too much for young people.WEWMM 72.5

But in my unhappy situation in England I thought that perhaps her books could help me. So I ordered two. One of them was Messages to Young People.WEWMM 72.6

There is much truth in the adage that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Whether the object be physical, moral, or spiritual, the eye or the heart must be tuned to appreciate them. And God had been preparing my heart for the beauty and truth that were in the pages of that book.WEWMM 72.7

As I write this I have that volume Messages to Young People before me. Its red cover shows the effects of the years. The red edging on the pages is faded and mottled. But as I leaf through the volume and see again the passages I underlined long years ago in Northern England, I can trace the path of my return to Jesus Christ.WEWMM 72.8

I needed inspiration, encouragement, and strength. I found it in those pages. “No one understands as well as He your peculiarities of character. He is watching over you, and if you are willing to be guided by Him, He will throw around you influences for good that will enable you to accomplish all His will for you.”—Page 17.WEWMM 73.1

“Through the gift of the Holy Spirit moral power will be given you, and not only will you have your former intrusted talents for the service of God, but their efficiency will be greatly multiplied. The surrender of all your powers to God greatly simplifies the problem of life.”—Page 30.WEWMM 73.2

“Satan knows better than God’s people the power that they can have over him, when their strength is in Christ.WEWMM 73.3

“When they humbly entreat the mighty Conqueror for help, the weakest believers in the truth, relying firmly upon Christ, can successfully repulse Satan and all his host.”—Page 51.WEWMM 73.4

“Every resistance of temptation makes resistance more easy. Every denial of self makes self-denial easier. Every victory gained prepares the way for a fresh victory. Each resistance of temptation, each self-denial, each triumph over sin, is a seed sown unto eternal life. Every unselfish action gives new strength to spirituality. No one can try to be like Christ without growing more noble and more true.”—Pages 96, 97.WEWMM 73.5

Then there is, on page 95, the underlined sentence that, even today, thrills me as I read it: “Yes, tell it in words full of cheer, that no one who perseveringly climbs the ladder will fail of gaining an entrance into the heavenly city.”WEWMM 73.6

In addition to strength and encouragement, I needed practical, level-headed counsel. In the military service one does not usually find himself in surroundings conducive to godly living. So I needed help for living a Christian life. I found it in Messages to Young People.WEWMM 73.7

“It is not safe for us to linger to contemplate the advantages to be reaped through yielding to Satan’s suggestions.... So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.”—Page 70.WEWMM 73.8

“Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God will be overcome by temptation. We may now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we shall never be moved.... But Satan is planning to take advantage of our hereditary and cultivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to our own necessities and defects. Only through realizing our own weakness, and looking steadfastly unto Jesus, can we walk securely.”—Page 101.WEWMM 74.1

“You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, but you can control the will, and you can make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, your life will be hid with Christ in God, and allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers.”—Page 152.WEWMM 74.2

“Talk faith. Keep on God’s side of the line. Set not your foot on the enemy’s side, and the Lord will be your Helper. He will do for you that which it is not possible for you to do for yourself.... There will be in you a power, an earnestness, and a simplicity that will make you a polished instrument in the hands of God.”—Page 153.WEWMM 74.3

Words such as these spoke to my heart, and, used by the Holy Spirit, were instrumental in changing my life. Soon my air force friends and associates saw the difference in me as I began once more to live the life of a Christian.WEWMM 74.4

Ever since that pivotal moment some thirty years ago, Ellen G. White’s writings have been something special to me. Through the years, as a college student, pastor, editor, and missionary, I have frequently needed wisdom, encouragement, spiritual guidance, and strength to meet problems that confronted me. And whenever I have gone to those writings for help, I have found it.WEWMM 74.5

Unfortunately, I have not always looked to those pages as I should have. And there have been times when I did not heed the counsel and the cautions those books had for me.WEWMM 74.6

But as the years have passed, and my knowledge of those writings has broadened, my confidence in them has increased. It has increased because of the “ring of truth” I continue to find in them, their consonance with the Bible.WEWMM 74.7

Time and time again I have thrilled as I have discovered there clarifications of half-understood Bible truths couched in such simple terms that they suddenly became almost self-evident to me. Each time, I have received another bright glimpse of God’s love in His method of saving humanity.WEWMM 74.8

Often I have closed one of her books with a deep sense of my failings, and a humbling knowledge of how very much I must yet develop in order to reflect the beauty of the character of the Lord Jesus. More than any other writer I have read, Mrs. White’s pen conveys this conviction. But she also inspires hope. Always she encourages me onward. “Through Christ, you can,” is her message.WEWMM 75.1

Every institution, every home, every individual, has an atmosphere, an influence that affects the person contacting them. The same is true of books. Because of the ideas presented, and Ellen White’s choice of words that causes her Christian character to come through in her writings, her books breathe the atmosphere of heaven.WEWMM 75.2

But there is more: I believe the influence of the Holy Spirit is there seeking to woo to a deeper relationship with God, endeavoring to soften ofttimes obdurate hearts, and pointing in infinite love to the victory and the crown.WEWMM 75.3

Admittedly, what I have written thus far is largely subjective. In spiritual matters this will often necessarily be so. I have also drawn some objective conclusions regarding the writings of Ellen G. White that have greatly strengthened my confidence in them.WEWMM 75.4

I can only allude to them here. But I have watched the sciences, especially medical, authenticate her words. I have seen developing in the world around me situations and conditions she depicted in her writings that tell of the return of Jesus. And I have observed that when her counsel is followed by individuals and the church, they prosper. When it is not followed, spiritual drought sets in. In the light of what I have experienced and seen, I must conclude that Ellen G. White was indeed a prophet of the God of heaven. Her books steadily point us to Scripture and to Him who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”WEWMM 75.5

Takoma Park, Maryland
August 1972