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Testimonies for the Church Volume 2
thing more; you could follow the direction of the apostle in the fifth
chapter of James. You there made a covenant with God, that if He
would spare your life to minister still to the wants of your children,
you would be for the Lord, and Him only would you serve; you
would dedicate your life to His glory; you would use your strength
to advance His cause and to do good in the earth. Angels recorded
the promise there made to God.
We came to you in your great affliction and claimed the promise
of God in your behalf. We dared not look to appearances; for in so
doing we should be like Peter, whom the Lord bade come to Him
on the water. He should have kept his eye lifted upward to Jesus;
but he looked down at the troubled waves, and his faith failed. We
calmly and firmly grasped the promises of God alone, irrespective
of appearances, and by faith claimed the blessing. I was especially
shown that God wrought in a wonderful manner, and you were
preserved by a miracle of mercy, to be a living monument of His
healing power, to testify of His wondrous works to the children of
men.
At the time you felt such a decided change, your captivity was
turned, and joy and gladness in the place of doubt and distress filled
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your heart. The praise of God was in your heart and upon your
lips. “Oh, what hath the Lord wrought!” was the sentiment of your
soul. The Lord heard the prayers of His servants, and raised you up
to still live and endure trials, to watch and wait for His appearing,
and to glorify His name. Poverty and care pressed heavily upon
you. As dark clouds at times enshrouded you, you could not forbear
inquiring: “O God, hast Thou forsaken me?” But you were not
forsaken, although you could see no way open before you. The
Lord would have you trust in His love and mercy amid clouds and
darkness, as well as in the sunshine. At times the clouds would
part, and beams of light would shine through to strengthen your
desponding heart and increase your wavering confidence, and you
would again fix your trembling faith upon the sure promises of your
heavenly Father. You would involuntarily cry out: “O God, I will
believe; I will trust in Thee. Thou hast hitherto been my helper, and
Thou wilt not leave me now.”
As victory was gained by you, and light again shone upon you,
you could not find language to express your sincere gratitude to your