Lesson 16. Christ the Healer. F. F. Bosworth. A Classic in Divine Healing.
The miraculous healing of one person leads many to the salvation of their souls.
Physical blessings work in the same way
The five testimonies collected under this heading will draw the reader’s attention to the spiritual and physical blessings that always follow the healing of someone. As a result of Aeneas’s healing, all of Lydda and Sharon turned to God. His healing was as significant as the salvation of two cities. Five thousand people were saved through the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. Paul tells us that God’s purpose is “to bring the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, through the power of signs and wonders.”
Those who are healed are always filled with the Spirit and compassion for others along with such physical blessings, and this impels them to go and seek salvation for others and tell them that they too can receive the bodily healing they need from a loving God.
We constantly receive inspiring testimonies of such “chains of blessing.”
Mrs. J. B. Long of 38 Park-Clifton, North Side, Pittsburgh, who was saved and healed of her illness, sought opportunities to fulfill her promise to bring the message of divine healing to some of her sick friends. Moved by the Holy Spirit, she herself went to the altar with her illness. Having been anointed by Reverend E. D. Whiteside and evangelist F. F. Bosworth, she rose to become a spiritual blessing to others. How faithfully she is fulfilling her promise can be seen in her firm resolve “to carry the Gospel with its message of physical healing to the sick in soul and body.” Saved souls and healed bodies bring blessed assurance of happiness to those who are abandoned and immersed in darkness.
Injured Knees
More than a year ago, I was healed of complete deafness in my right ear; in addition, I had fractured kneecaps. The deafness was caused by a nervous breakdown that happened to me more than ten years ago, leaving me deaf for over five years. In addition, one evening I was walking to church, fell, and injured my kneecaps. For several years they caused me much suffering, and over time I grew increasingly worse.
I could barely climb the stairs, but now, praise God, I can run. I live at the top of a hill, and to get into a car on the street, I have to walk down one hundred and eighty-five steps. Before, the pain would drive me into agony as I slowly tried to descend, holding on to the railing, but blessed be His precious name, now I can run down those steps, and every time my heart rises in genuine gratitude to God for what He has done.
I was healed during Bosworth’s first campaign in Pittsburgh. I sat in the meeting and watched the wonderful sight of people being saved and healed. I received salvation 38 years ago, when I was still a little girl. That evening, I thought how wonderful it would be if I could bring the message of divine healing to some of my sick friends. Immediately another thought came to me: how could I bring the Gospel of healing to anyone if I had no testimony of my own? That settled everything.
Without the slightest hesitation, I went to the altar with my ailments, and I was anointed. Brother F. F. Bosworth and Reverend E. D. Whiteside prayed with me, and I was instantly healed. The healing was complete, and throughout the entire year that followed, my former problems never troubled me. I was saved in order to serve, and I desired to be healed so that I could serve Him better. As I walked along Ohio Street that evening to get into the car, it suddenly seemed to me that I was in a completely new world.
I believe that at that time God gave me a fresh baptism in His Holy Spirit. It was the most wonderful year of my life, because God used me so gloriously in serving Him. Truly, serving the King brings joy. I received more spiritual blessings following my healing than ever before, and Christ became much nearer and more precious to me.
I find that the great secret of this joy comes from testifying about the power of God. On the evening I was healed, I testified about it to a member of my church in the car. I knew that people would hear about it. The following week, my pastor took me aside, said that he had heard about it, and asked whether it was true. I said that it was exactly as he had heard. At first, he viewed it differently from the way I did, but I showed him the passage of Scripture (Matt. 8:16–17), and the Lord fully convinced him.
Our services began a week later. It was the greatest revival. One evening each week, our pastor spoke about divine healing. Those seeking salvation or healing were invited. The pastor anointed them, while Brother I. E. Hoover and I laid hands on the sick. Many were healed as we prayed with them.
I felt like an empty vessel lying at the Master’s feet, ready to be filled and used in serving Him. The day after my healing, I asked the Lord to send me to someone who needed healing, so that I could tell my story. The face of my friend Saddie Robinson from Brightridge Street came before my eyes. I called her, and it turned out that she had already been bedridden with illness for many weeks.
The next day, Brother I. E. Hoover offered his car, and we took her to the Tabernacle on Ark Street, where Brother Bosworth anointed her and she was healed. As a result, four more people from her family were saved. God used her wonderfully for His honor and glory. One of her neighbors, Mrs. Bigley, who had suffered greatly for 30 years (her testimony follows mine), heard about Mrs. Robinson’s healing and sent for her and me. We spent half a day together studying the Bible. She was very excited.
A few days later, we went to her again with Fred Collin, who had been healed at a Bosworth meeting, Mr. I. E. Hoover, and Reverend Primer, a Baptist minister. We prayed with Mrs. Bigley, and she received healing.
It was Saturday. The following Tuesday, she got up completely healed, put on her shoes, and showed no signs of her previous illness. She was radiant with happiness, and none of the problems that had tormented her for 30 years returned. Her son also turned to Christ and received healing at the Sheraden Tabernacle.
I find that the most important thing in a Christian’s life is complete obedience to His will. It is wonderful for a person to live within this circle. Although it may cut you off from other people, it is still wonderful to know that you have His approval.
Pittsburgh, December 29, 1921
Mrs. Taylor Confirms Mrs. Long’s Testimony
I know Mrs. Long well. We are both members of the same church, and I was with her when she fell and injured her kneecaps. For some time, this left her unable to work, but she was healed, and now she has no problems with her legs.
Elizabeth Taylor, Pittsburgh, December 29, 1921
Was Almost Dead
Healing of a nervous breakdown; resulting in the salvation of her husband and three daughters.
In early autumn of the past year, 1920, I suffered a very severe nervous breakdown. I remained at home for two weeks under the care of one of our best doctors. One day it seemed that I was improving; the next day I was worse, and this continued until my friends took me to their country home. There I was free from the noise of the city and surrounded by the best care, love, and kindness one could imagine. I stayed there for six weeks, but the results were the same: I was constantly under the influence of a sedative, day and night.
After six weeks, I was brought back, and I became even worse than before. The day after I returned home, the blessed Lord brought one of His faithful servants to me, Mrs. Mary Long of 38 Park Clifton. She shared her testimony with me and prayed for me. She was the very embodiment of love and kindness. On one occasion, she mended my son’s clothes; on another, she helped the children prepare food. I recount this to the glory of God, to show what a person can do when the Holy Spirit works through them.
On Monday, November 15, 1920, she and two other precious believers came and took me to the Tabernacle on Ark Street. There Brother Bosworth prayed for me, anointed me, and I was instantly healed. Blessed be the Lord! In answer to my prayer, Jesus did this. It took three people to bring me to the Tabernacle, but I left without assistance, firmly leaning on the arm of Jesus.
Oh, He was and always will be so precious to me! That morning, when I was being taken to the Tabernacle, my husband and entire family thought I would not live another day. Yet that same evening I prepared dinner, with very little help from the children. My healing led my husband and three daughters to give their hearts to Christ as well. Today they stand firmly on the unshakable Rock, Jesus Christ. Glory to God.
The next morning I took a taxi to the meeting, and no one accompanied me. Jesus was and still is with me. The following day I thoroughly cleaned three rooms, continually singing and praising God. After that, I was attacked several times, but each time the dear Lord sent Sister Long, who prayed for me, and, thank God, I was healed each time. I truly have much to praise God for.
I knew Sister Long before her healing, knew how she had suffered from illness, and have seen that she received deliverance. I praise God for how He uses her for His glory.
Your sister in the Lord Jesus Christ, Sadie Robinson.
Pittsburgh, December 31, 1921
Nervous system disorder healed after years of suffering
Crafton, Hazel Benz, 20 Cleveland Avenue
I suffered from a nervous system disorder for five years. The doctors said it was caused by a problem with my spine. I could not control the muscles in my head. My face and mouth were constantly twitching. It affected my eyes as well. My head was constantly moving. Specialist after specialist consulted with me. But none of them could help me. They could not even determine the cause of the illness. Finally, I heard about the meetings at the Tabernacle. I went there on November 4. When the invitation was given, I went forward, people prayed for me, and I was anointed. The spasms and twitching stopped immediately and never returned.
Several months later, Miss Benz wrote another letter confirming her testimony:
“After I was healed of a serious nervous disorder four months ago, my mother, sister, brother-in-law, and stepfather were saved. I myself also gained eighteen and a half pounds.”
The illness disappeared
As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the wonderful day of Christmas, I can think of nothing better than the testimony of my dear mother and myself. In telling it, I hope it will bring peace and joy to some poor, weary sinners or help poor sufferers receive healing, all to the glory of God.
About five months ago, my mother, who had suffered from varicose veins for more than 30 years, terribly high blood pressure, and swollen limbs that had progressed to dropsy for 10 years, and who had been unable to walk for 10 weeks, heard that one of our neighbors, Mrs. Robinson, had received healing through faith in God. This case was so miraculous that we tried to learn everything we could and discovered that Mrs. Long had taken the woman to some church. We found out where Mrs. Long lived and asked her to come to our mother. Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Long came to us, prayed, and told us about all the wonderful things awaiting those who believe. Later, Mrs. Long and three other people from the church came to us, prayed with Mother, and anointed her. Three days later, she was able to put on her shoes and walk—something she had been unable to do for ten long weeks.
At that time, Mom was reading the Bible, and as God revealed Himself to her in prayer, she was blessed: all the pain left her limbs, the varicose veins disappeared, and the swelling went away. Her overall health improved, and her high blood pressure decreased. As the doctors said, this could only have been possible through electrotherapy. Just a few months earlier, they had advised her to be hospitalized.
Today my mother's health is better than ever, and none of her old illnesses has returned. Glory to God for His blessings. Having been saved and healed herself, she found comfort and joy in working for the Lord and in His promises.
During that time, Mrs. Long continued visiting the pastor. She was never in a hurry to leave and always prayed before departing.
When I saw the miraculous works of God manifested in my mother, I began studying Scripture myself and discovered that God promised me the same thing if I believed. During one of her visits, Mrs. Long told me about her life and the lives of some other people. Telling me that it was the last day of the meetings at the Tabernacle, she persuaded me to go there. So I went with Mrs. Robinson and her husband, who had also received salvation and healing. I will never forget that day.
At the end of the sermon, the evangelist invited everyone who wanted to receive salvation, healing, or prayer to come forward. All the while I was listening, I silently prayed to God to guide me. And I went forward with Brother Robinson and received salvation through the blood of Christ.
I had suffered from nervous disorders and poor health for 15 years, undergone three serious operations, and never had a good day in my life. After one of the ministers prayed for me and anointed me with oil, I went home and, glory to God, by “His stripes” I was healed. From that time on, I began enjoying my food, my stomach no longer troubled me, and my nerves were miraculously healed. My mother and I are so happy, and our life grows sweeter with each passing day. It seems to me that we are both receiving the good things God has prepared for everyone who believes. I also want to mention this: for a week I prayed to God about five things that people would have said were simply impossible, but, glory to His holy name, I received everything I asked for.
Please print this testimony so that someone may see it and receive a blessing from our experience and, like us, find peace and happiness. All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. This is His promise, and may His holy name be glorified; He never breaks His promises. Our Bible is now the greatest source of happiness, and my one hope is that He will use me to spread His work as He Himself chooses. We are grateful to God and will always be His fellow workers here, until He takes us to Himself.
Carson A. Bigley, Pittsburgh, December 25, 1922
Simple faith surpassed the skills of eye specialists
I had been a church member for five years. I knew that Jesus was the Son of God and that He shed His blood on the Cross. But I did not know—I had never heard—that it was for me, that I was lost and could be saved and know it, instead of waiting until death to find out whether I had gone to heaven or not.
However, I was proud of my church and would never have considered attending a meeting of another denomination. But I needed healing. I had been farsighted all my life, and one of my eyes had been crossed for fifteen years. For more than eleven years I had worn strong glasses, and every six months they had to be changed by a specialist. Just a few minutes without my glasses would bring on a terrible headache; I could no longer distinguish faces or furniture. Everything in my vision shimmered and blurred.
A friend of mine in Pittsburgh sent me a newspaper containing testimonies and announcements about the Bosworths’ meetings in Detroit. I went to the meeting on January 11, 1921, and was saved right in my seat. I do not remember the sermon or anything else that happened that evening; I only remember that when I left, everything seemed brighter to me than when I arrived. That same week, the Lord began working in me, and “the old things passed away; now everything is new.”
The next morning I came forward for healing. Brother Bosworth prayed for me, and I was instantly healed. He was holding a card, and I could read everything written on it. I was astonished. For two hours I had no crossed eyes at all; I could see perfectly. Then the condition of both eyes became worse than ever before, and remained that way until the end of the day and throughout the following day.
My family tried to persuade me to put my glasses back on—they said I would go completely blind. But, praise God, I firmly refused and simply trusted Him. The next day the crossed eyes disappeared, and my vision improved day by day; to this day, my eyesight is as normal as everyone else’s. I forgot to mention that while the Lord was testing me, I could read the Bible, but no other books. Two weeks after this miraculous healing, the Lord baptized me and filled me with the Holy Spirit—and He continues to fill me to this day.
I truly praise God that He provided healing in the Gospel and that the Bosworth brothers came to Detroit and told us about it. After the Lord healed me, I have never again had a headache caused by my eyes.
There is no one more real to me than my Lord, and He becomes closer and more precious to me every day. I might never have begun telling others what He did for me. But whenever I share my story, I hear from people whom my testimony has helped either physically or spiritually.
I praise God that He cares about everything that concerns me. When the Lord told Mrs. Monroe and me to go to St. Paul, we had only two cents. After we told the Lord that we would go, He provided us with money for the journey. I never imagined that God could be relied upon in financial matters until Mr. Bosworth shared his experience: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
One morning we had thirteen cents; after a light breakfast, we had one cent left. And we began shouting, “Glory!” into our purses. (No one knew that we had set out in faith.) At that very moment, we received a registered letter containing two dollars. Three days later, when the rent was due, the Lord sent us fourteen dollars. That was how He provided for us. When I was returning home, we had five dollars and twelve cents. I asked the Lord for money for a ticket. By noon, He had sent me that money and an additional one dollar and eighty-five cents.
From then on, I began relying on His promises, and He has never failed me.
Use this testimony as you see fit—under the leading of the Holy Spirit and entirely for the glory of God.
Edith Watt Lay, Detroit
(This testimony was given one year after her healing.)
Healing from Cancer
About four years ago, cancer struck my face. At first, it was a small growth on my nose. I scratched it until it became an ulcer, and only then did it become clear that it was cancer. At that time I suffered greatly, but by the second year the pain had become unbearable.
I had to cover my face both to hide the ulcer and because I constantly needed to hold a cloth soaked in ether and other painkillers against my face to control the pain. That year I spent about $500 on painkillers. It was the only way to ease my suffering. As soon as I removed the cloth, the pain became so intense that it blinded me, and I could not even see my hand.
I traveled from one doctor to another in Ohio, Indiana, New York, and New Jersey, and wherever I heard about a good doctor, I went to see him, looking for relief.
I am sure I consulted more than fifty specialists. But they all said there was no hope for me and that they could do nothing for me.
But, praise the Lord, in September 1920 I heard about Bosworth’s meetings being held in my hometown of Lima, Ohio. I went there with one desire—to be healed. I had never heard the Gospel preached that way, and I immediately went forward. When I was asked to pray, I did not know how, and they had to put the words into my mouth. But when I repeated them, faith came into my heart, and I began to feel very happy.
They laid hands on me for healing, and at that moment I felt the power of God passing through my body. The power rose to my face. It felt as though there were a tight rubber plug on my face that was gradually falling away. When it reached the crown of my head, I saw a bright light and saw Jesus standing right beside me. Then I really began to shout, although before that I could not do so. As soon as the evangelists’ hands were laid on me, the pain disappeared, and I knew I was healed. People say I shouted, “I am saved and healed!” and threw off the cloth covering my face. I was so happy that I was unaware of what I was doing. I shouted and shouted for joy, shouted all the way home, shouted almost all night, and again in the morning as soon as I woke up.
When I woke up, my daughter had already prepared breakfast. She looked at my face and exclaimed, “Oh, Mother!” There was a large mirror in our dining room, and I looked into it. I saw that my upper lip, part of which had been eaten away by cancer, had been healed. It had been eaten away so badly that the roots of my teeth could be seen. New flesh grew there overnight, covered with new, fresh skin, and it was just as firm and clear as it is now. No traces of the cancer remained except for scars. Two scars remained on my face, but they too eventually disappeared. All the places where there had previously been no skin were completely healed overnight, and new skin appeared.
The thumb of my right hand had been crippled for four years. The instep of my foot was broken. All of this was healed at the same time as the cancer. They never caused me pain again.
When I saw that my lip had been restored, I began shouting so loudly that the house filled with neighbors, to whom I told the story of what God had done for me.
My children took my healing as a sign that the Lord would soon take me to heaven, and if I went to a neighbor’s house and stayed longer than expected, they would come there to make sure I was still on earth.
For two years, I could eat nothing but soup and milk. I could not open my mouth wide enough to put food into it, and I had to have liquid poured into my mouth with a small spoon. I was healed on Friday evening, and on Saturday morning I picked up a knife and fork and began eating just as I had before my illness. When the Bosworth brothers came to visit me that morning, I took a large spoon, opened my mouth wide, and showed them how I could eat now. When they arrived, I was at the neighbors’ house, showing them my face, but they did not leave; they waited for me and rejoiced with me over my healing.
On Sunday I went out to be baptized. On Saturday, something said to me, “Go into the water.” Brother Bosworth explained to me what it meant, and I obeyed and was baptized.
On Monday my daughter brought a basket of apples, and I sat peeling them and singing, “I know that the Lord laid His hands on me; He healed the sick and raised the dead.” I peeled the entire basket of apples and only then realized that something had happened to my crippled hand. It was completely healthy.
As soon as word of my healing spread, people began coming to me, wanting to make sure that I was truly well. I received letters from all over the world asking about it, and once I received nineteen letters in a single day. People even came from other cities. I could send them to the neighbors for a testimony, because everyone knew what condition I had been in before.
Three months ago, a doctor who had previously prescribed medicine for me came to see me. He asked how I was doing. I said that I was well and praising the Lord. He wanted to know which doctor I had seen. I told him, “Doctor Jesus.” He asked, “How long has he lived here?” I replied, “As long as I have.” He did not understand that I meant the Lord Jesus Christ. When he realized it, he laughed loudly and was very happy.
On Monday, after peeling the apples, I went to pray for a woman who had cancer. She went to the meeting afterward and received healing. As I left her house, loudly praising the Lord, I passed a gas station. The men working there asked me what was going on. One of them was probably a Christian, because when I told them what had happened to me, he began shouting loudly and joyfully.
After my healing, which took place a year ago, I had no symptoms of cancer and no pain in my arm or leg. But a month before I came to Toledo, a very large piece of coal fell on my leg. My leg was badly injured. Three or four days before I came here, even a piece of bone half an inch long protruded through the skin. When I arrived in Toledo, they prayed for me, and my leg was healed. From that moment on, there was no pain.
After I was saved, I was often asked to pray for the sick. In one case, it was a little boy named Billy Jones, who had been confined to bed for several months. He was paralyzed and had terrible sores on his face and back. I prayed for him and told his parents that he would walk in nine days. I said this because I felt that I had heard a voice say it. Exactly nine days later, he came to my house; he lived two blocks away.
One winter, I had no coal. I knew that the Lord had promised to care for me, and I prayed about it. When I went downstairs, I found a large piece of coal, and when we broke it up, it filled an entire basket. I never found out who had sent it. When I pray for something I need, I am sure I will receive it, as if I had asked a friendly neighbor for something. I do not always receive the answer immediately, but it comes nevertheless.
Just before traveling to Toledo, I said to the Lord, “I would like to attend Bosworth’s meeting once more.” He immediately provided the money for my trip. I knew I was going to a place unfamiliar to me, and I said, “Lord, I know You will take care of me.” Without any effort on my part, He prepared a wonderful place for me to stay.
When I was ill with cancer, I had to sell clothes to obtain money for medicine and other needs, and by the time I was healed, I was poor. But He provided everything for me. I lacked nothing.
On the first of April last year, we contracted smallpox. The authorities guaranteed assistance but failed to keep their promise. I prayed, and one day, when we had run out of all our food, a man appeared at our door with a bag full of all sorts of things and gave us food. Both my daughter and I had a severe form of the disease, but we had no doctor except Jesus, who healed us completely, leaving not even a scar.
To receive freedom instantly after almost three years of suffering! It is simply too good to be true.
Lida Clark confirms Alice Baker’s testimony of healing from cancer
I was present when Mrs. Baker was healed of cancer. After she was anointed and prayed for, she said to someone, “Take off the scarf.” Someone untied it, and Mrs. Baker threw it off. She seemed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. She cried out, “I am saved and healed!” and jumped to her feet. Neither I nor the people in the hall saw any healing take place. Her face was a horrifying sight. It was a mass of blood, pus, and open sores. But later she said that the pain stopped immediately, and she was certain in her heart that she had received healing.
The odor from the cancer was so foul that the minister who filled out her card felt ill that evening and throughout the following day. But the next evening, there was no odor coming from her. I sat beside her. The cancer, the holes in her lips, and all the sores had disappeared. She was healed—it was impossible to deny.
After her healing, I saw the doctor who had treated her when she was ill. When he heard that she had been healed, he asked me to tell him what I had seen. I told him that I had seen her arrive with a scarf over her face, had been present when they prayed for her, had heard her say she was healed when the scarf was removed, and had seen her walk home without the scarf.
He said it was impossible, that she could not have walked without the scarf over her face, because the pain would then become so intense that it blinded her, and she would not even have been able to find her way out of the building. He said, “Girl, you were hypnotized; this simply cannot be.”
I saw him after he had visited her himself, and he said, “What happened to her is a miracle.” He acknowledged it.
Lida Clark, Ohio
Healing from Horrific Cancer
Chicago, Mrs. R. Ierolaman
I visited Mrs. Trina Odegaards in Woodstock in May 1921 and was shocked by her condition: she looked more dead than alive. We knew that she had suffered from a stomach ulcer for twenty-five years, and we thought she had cancer. All she could eat was a piece of bread, and when I urged her to eat something else, she replied that the pain would kill her. She could barely cross the room.
After I left, she consulted three doctors in Woodstock, underwent an X-ray, and learned that she had a severe form of cancer that had progressed so far that it was too late even to offer her one radiation treatment—the doctors believed she would not be able to withstand it. She had approximately two weeks to live. She decided to consult a specialist here in Chicago, and he told her the same thing. It was during this visit in July 1921 that she heard about Bosworth’s tent meetings. She was immediately taken there, and when they prayed for her, she was instantly healed. She said that during the prayer, the power of God passed through her body from head to toe.
Her pain and suffering ended instantly. The cancer was destroyed by the power of God. She felt so hungry that she could hardly wait to get home to eat something. She visited us the next day, and for the first time in many years I saw her eat heartily without experiencing any pain afterward.
Six months have now passed since her healing, and I recently visited her; she was doing very well. She has gained weight and is constantly hungry. The people in Woodstock were astonished because they never expected her to return from Chicago alive.
Her miraculous healing led my mother and me to salvation. We wanted to serve the God who was so loving, and we gave our hearts to Him. Since my conversion, I have become happier with each passing day.
But these are not all the blessings we received. I had been practicing medicine for almost four years. I was so nervous that at times I nearly became hysterical. I had anemia, as well as a problem with my internal organs, and I underwent surgery two and a half years ago. Afterward, I became even worse—whatever I did, I kept losing weight and strength. I took nerve tonics and blood tonics, and was given serum injections. It seemed that nothing benefited me. Life became hateful to me, and I decided to stop practicing medicine.
I thank God for bringing me to Bosworth’s meetings, because I know He wanted me to go there so that He could save and heal me. I was not saved before that, and my healing happened immediately after I gave my life to Jesus. Now I am gaining weight, growing stronger every day, and am no longer nervous. I also thank God for the perfect peace and joy that now fill my heart; my entire life in Christ is joy and happiness.
Mother also experienced a miraculous healing. One doctor told me that I had better take care of her immediately, or I would soon lose her. He said she needed surgery to remove her gallbladder and appendix because the pain was so severe that she could not sleep. She had undergone surgery seven years earlier, but had not improved since then. After returning from the hospital, she also suffered from an abdominal hernia, and the very thought of another operation filled her with fear. When they prayed for her, she felt the power of God pass through her body and wept for joy. The pain left her completely, and, praise the Lord, the hernia was healed as well.
Testimony of Mrs. Killick
For several years, I suffered from cancer in my leg. The pain was indescribable; it made me tear my hair out. Doctors operated on me, but it brought no relief. For two years after the operation, I could not lace my boot because of the swelling in my leg; I could not walk properly, kneel, work, or leave the house. I was confined to bed for four months.
Soon after people prayed for me and anointed me, the pain disappeared almost immediately, and the swelling began to vanish rapidly. The cancer is completely gone; only scars remain where the black monster with the hideous head once lived. My body has been cleansed, and I am now in excellent health.
After I was healed, I went to the doctor. He simply laughed and said, “Well, I’m glad to see this, Mrs. Killick, but I’ll bet you ten dollars it will return within six months.”
Almost two years have now passed, and my condition is just as I described it.
Mrs. Killick, Toronto
The Healing of Miss Nike
In October 1921, I was healed by the power of God of cancer, diabetes, an enlarged heart, a curved spine, almost complete paralysis from my hips to my feet, a condition bordering on a nervous breakdown, and almost complete blindness. I had been ill with cancer for a year and a half, and with all the other illnesses for seven years. I could walk only with crutches, and when I went outside, I needed a wheelchair. My attending physician told me several weeks ago that I was the greatest sufferer he had ever seen.
On October 12, I had a terrible attack and sent for the doctor. He said I had no more than ten days to live. On October 15, a man who usually brought me the newspaper came and asked about my condition. He wanted to visit me, and I agreed, although I assumed I would not recognize him.
He said, “Miss Nike, a woman who was healed of terrible cancer is coming here. Would you like to meet her?” I could not speak; I could only nod. She came to me and said that God wanted to heal me. She read the Bible to me and prayed. I do not remember what she said, but I remember the song she sang:
Even if the whole world belonged to me,
It would still be too small a gift.
This love, so great, so divine,
He wants my soul, my life, everything I have.
As she left, she said she would return in the evening. I lay in bed, thinking, and when my friend, who was looking after me at the time, entered the room, I said, “If God healed this woman, He will heal me too.”
I asked the Lord what I should do, and He simply said to me, “Put on your stockings and shoes.” My friend told me, “Dear, you must not get up,” but she brought me the shoes and stockings. She lifted my leg to put a stocking on it, and as soon as the stocking touched my leg, I felt the power of God touch my body. The sensation began in my leg when I obeyed the command and spread throughout my body. I stood on my feet, although I had been unable to stand on my own for four years. Then I asked her to bring me some clothes, and I dressed myself. I walked across the bedroom and combed my hair. My friend asked, “What will you do now?” I said I would help her prepare dinner. She asked what I would eat, and I said I would eat the same thing she did. Until then, I had eaten only eggs and orange juice. I ate the same food she did.
I went to bed at nine and slept until six in the morning. I could not stay in bed, so I got up, ate breakfast, washed the dishes, and asked God what I could do to glorify Him. I heard Him say, “Scrub the floor.” The tempter said, “You cannot do that; you have not knelt down for many years.” I scrubbed the floor from wall to wall, and Mrs. Killick saw it when she returned. She said, “I am going to share my testimony in the Salvation Army’s small hall. Would you like to come?”
She offered to drive me there, but I refused and walked. When we arrived, the power of God came upon me so strongly that for some time I could not utter a word.
From that hour to this day, God has given me strength and directed my steps. Last summer I was placed in charge of one of the largest summer homes of the Anglican Church, and I often worked from six in the morning until two or three at night. Since my healing, I have always been healthy, except for an attack of pneumonia from which the Lord delivered me without the help of doctors or medicine. My testimony has been a blessing to many, and several girls who came to our little Mission hall, which I decided to open by faith, were healed and converted through my testimony.
Do you doubt that I love God? He has blessed me spiritually as well as physically, and I am sure I am the happiest woman on earth. This is even better than my own healing. He used me mightily to tell others what He had done for me, and many were miraculously healed.
R. Nicky, Toronto
Twenty relatives converted following miraculous healing
I suffered from a stomach ailment for about 30 years. Twenty years ago, I underwent surgery for a tumor for the first time. Eventually, nothing could stay in my stomach, and I could not even think about eating fruit. Three more operations followed the first. I was treated by fourteen different doctors. Then I reached the point where I could no longer take medicine because of the condition of my stomach. In June of last year, I discovered that I had developed a goiter. My condition grew even worse. Finally, I was diagnosed with cancer. I went to the Tabernacle, they prayed for me and anointed me with oil, and God touched my body with such compassion—may His name be glorified! I wept for joy. The Lord had never been so precious to me. Until then, I had not realized that He loved me so much. Everything changed. I see that He was simply waiting for me to come to Him and be healed. I am healed of all my diseases—glory to His name!
And what is even better, I brought my husband, mother, daughter, sons, sisters, brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, and one nephew to the Lord. All twenty were converted. God did everything: “You will be saved, you and your household.”
Mrs. Edward Bunder, Easton, 3
Healing from Bright’s disease and other illnesses
As I listened to the full Gospel you preached in St. Petersburg last January, I received indescribable spiritual and physical blessings. It was such a revelation to me that God wants to heal me, and I hope and pray that He will use me to tell others about it.
After five years of treatment for Bright’s disease, high blood pressure (240 and above), an infection with a fistula, and several other less serious illnesses, I was told that I had only three months left to live.
I had visited many highly reputed doctors in the United States and Canada (the Mayo brothers, Johns Hopkins). They were doctors in various specialties, and I felt that everything one could expect from human help had been done.
But, thank God, He miraculously healed me physically, and now I feel like a new person. The attacks that used to happen to me three times a week have not returned since then. My blood pressure has gone down, and the doctor said that my heart was fine. In addition, I immediately took off the glasses I had worn for many years.
Lela Beach, Cornwall, Canada
Nurse healed of varicose veins
For the last several years I had suffered from varicose veins. I could not stand for even a few minutes without shifting my weight from one leg to the other. Three times in four months, I was completely unable to get to my feet.
My legs were constantly swollen and burning with heat, so I could not wear any clothing on them. Even in winter, I always slept with the windows open, exposing my legs to the cold air, regardless of the temperature in the room.
Several days ago I came to the Tabernacle, and after receiving instruction and teaching on divine healing, people prayed for me and anointed me. I was completely freed from the pain and can work all day without discomfort. The lumps and swellings on my legs were the size of chicken eggs, but now they have completely disappeared. Praise the Lord!
I also want to thank the Lord for healing my little ten-year-old daughter. All her life she had suffered from chronic bronchitis and was constantly under a doctor's care, yet she never stopped coughing, day or night. When people prayed for her and anointed her with oil, she was completely set free, for which we praise His precious name.
I would be glad if this testimony were published for His glory and for the blessing of others.
Bern Evans, Johnson City
The Lord could not wait!
He desired to bless His children!
In December 1914, I was unloading coal cars and somehow injured my spine. I started home, but I could not walk on my own because of the severe pain, so I had to be carried away.
I could not walk for three months, and for another three years I could not sleep in a bed. I had to sleep on the floor because I could not lie on anything that was not completely flat. The left side of my body was paralyzed, and it became so numb that I could not move.
When I heard that the Bosworth brothers were coming here and read about their great faith in the Lord and in healing, I felt that my time to be healed had come. I took a healing card, but when I went forward, I discovered that no one would pray for me because my card was not numbered. I felt like the man we read about in the Bible—he wanted to step into the pool when the water was stirred, but he was always too late, and someone always got into the water before him.
I stood in front of the platform, feeling disappointed, and when I turned to go back to my seat, the Lord said to me, “If you want, I will heal you.” I said:
“Lord, I want to!” Praise the Lord, He straightened my back and healed the paralyzed side, and now I can lie down in bed and sleep like a baby.
Praise the Lord; may He heal everyone who comes to Him—this is my prayer.
Harvey Whitecotton, Indianapolis,
A boy crippled and deformed by infantile paralysis instantly healed
I want to share this so that everyone may know what the Lord has done for me.
When I was one year old, I became ill with polio. One of my legs was much shorter than the other, so I had to walk on my toes; it was also turned outward at the foot. Last Wednesday, February 17, our kind neighbor, Mrs. Howell, came to us and invited me to go with her to Bosworth’s meetings. She said that if I were a good boy and did not do bad things, the Lord would heal me. I asked Auntie’s permission (she is very old); she helps my father look after the house because my mother died of influenza, and she said I could go. I went with Mrs. Howell to three meetings. On Friday, February 19, I was anointed and prayed for. I had barely reached my seat when my legs began to straighten. It felt as though someone first stretched one leg and then the other. Now I can put my full weight on my foot and place my feet together, just like my other brothers. Today, three days after my healing, I am learning to roller-skate. I am the happiest boy in Easton. I am thirteen years old. I want to tell other crippled boys what God has done for me. I will always thank Him and pray to Him every day, asking Him to help other boys.
John Snyder. Easton
Mute Woman Receives Instant Healing
More than three years ago, because of an illness, I completely lost the ability to speak. I consulted several doctors, and they all said that I would never have a voice again. Some said that my vocal cords were paralyzed. Throughout all that time, I could not produce an audible sound.
I also suffered greatly from rheumatism and gallstones. Friends tried to convince me that there was no point in my going to Bethlehem to be anointed and prayed for, but I went, and they prayed for me on February 2, and I was instantly healed. As I returned from the platform to my seat, I discovered that my voice had been completely restored, and after three years of complete silence, I could speak normally and praise the Lord! My pastor, who did not believe that I could be healed, was very surprised when he met me in the street and heard me speak. He said, “I was a doubting Thomas, but now I am compelled to believe.”
The pastor of a Baptist church in Bangor asked me to come to his church on Sunday, and I went. After telling those present about the miracle, he asked me to stand and demonstrate to them how I could speak.
I was also healed of rheumatism and gallstones. I am so grateful to God for His mercy!
Mrs. Thomas Hughes, Bangor
Woman Instantly Healed of Cancer
Fifteen years ago, my health broke down, and I was forced to give up my job. It seemed as though my whole body was filled with some kind of poison, which baffled the doctors. For twelve years, I suffered indescribable torment, with no hope of ever being well again. Three and a half years ago, I became so ill that I was under a doctor’s constant care for four months, and grew worse day by day. Then I was told that I had cancer at the entrance to the opening of the colon, and that it had spread to the spleen. I grew worse; the poison affected my left arm and left side until I began to writhe and scream in pain, begging someone to hold my arm tightly because it felt as though it were being torn from my body. Then the cancer spread from my throat to my mouth, and the tumor was so large that it seemed as if I had another tongue in my mouth; its roots had grown around the membrane of my tongue. After treating me for some time, a doctor in Philadelphia advised me to go to a hospital and try radiation treatment. After several professors examined me, they concluded that there was nothing they could do, because the cancer in my side had spread to the spleen, while the one in my mouth was rapidly approaching an artery. I went home to die. My case was hopeless. They could do nothing. I began praying to God for mercy and weeping alone in my room, speaking with Almighty God in the name of Jesus until He took away all my fear. I decided that I would suffer until He called me home. I reached the point where I was taking eighteen doses of medicine a day, including nine doses of special medication to support my nerves and stomach and control the vomiting, because I had terrible headaches and bouts of vomiting. I suffered this way for two years, but thank God for Christian friends who persuaded me to attend Bosworth’s meeting held in Philadelphia. I prayed until the Lord showed me that I should go there. I thank God that I obeyed.
There I heard the Gospel preached with great power. I went three times to the information room and listened to the instructions. Then I took the evangelistic book “Christ the Healer,” studied everything it said, and discovered that healing was simply intended for me. On Monday evening, June 14, I went forward to the platform, was anointed with oil, and, praise God, He met me at once and instantly healed me. As they prayed for me, I felt a shock pass through my body like an electric current. It felt as though someone had grasped the cancer under my tongue and begun pulling it out. I was instantly healed of the terrible cancer throughout my body; since then I have needed no medicine, I eat whatever I wish, and I have no pain. I thank God that the Bosworth team came to Philadelphia. May God bless them all. I hope this will help some other sufferers receive the same glorious deliverance that I received.
Mrs. B. Edwarde, Camden
Perhaps fewer than one in ten people who were healed sent us their testimonies; nevertheless, we have received thousands of letters from those who were healed after these testimonies were published. Over the past several years, radio listeners whom we had never seen, after reading literature about healing, sent us requests to pray for their healing. We presented these requests to God in prayer, and to this day we continue to receive a steady stream of miraculous testimonies from those healed of every kind of disease known to us. Many received healing through their own faith, which came to them as they read earlier editions of this book. We know of seventy-two people who had been deaf and mute from birth and were healed after reading this book, and prayer was offered for them at a single meeting. Once again we say: To God be all the glory!
Dear reader, why not purchase another copy of this book and lend it to your sick friends? By doing so, you may save them from premature death and preserve them for a life of service to God. What has been accomplished in this way is a miraculous story.
Author: F. F. Bosworth
