To show that God works the same in the hearts of his people wherever
they are, I wish to mention the experience of one of my Indian sisters.
Her little son contracted enteric fever. Every possible aid was given
him, but he continued to grow worse. The fever caused him to become
unconscious at intervals. The parents then decided to remove him to a
hospital, that he might have skilled attention. Soon after being taken
to the hospital, he became entirely unconscious, in which condition he
remained for weeks, yes, for months. He was unable to take nourishment
in the natural way and became a wonder to all who came to see him, as he
was at the point of death yet did not die. Many who were not acquainted
with the parents, but heard of the case, went to the hospital to see
him.
The father and mother spent as much time as possible at the hospital,
but when weeks and months had passed, they gave up hope for his recovery.
All the Christians who knew of this child's sickness were praying for
him and felt that God only could restore him to health. The parents knew
a man who believed in divine healing and called him, and he anointed the
child and prayed for him. He became so sick that the doctor thought he
would not live until morning, and asked the parents to remain at the
hospital that night.
The next day the father and mother went for a walk together, and while
out walking he said to her, "We must become reconciled to losing our
child, for it seems God is going to take him." At first the mother-heart
could not yield to giving up the child, but at last she became resigned.
Soon after this the child regained consciousness, but was weak, and his
mind was almost a blank. He was like a new-born babe and had to learn to
speak, although he was about nine years of age. Some thought he would
never be normal again, and others thought he would be crippled. Since
he has been restored to health, when that mother sees him enjoying the
right use of his faculties and limbs, her heart is filled with
thankfulness and praise to God.
She told me that the affliction of their child was a means of drawing
their hearts closer to the Lord, and of enabling her to experience the
sweet rest of being fully submitted to God, whereby she was afterwards
able to teach others the way.
Just before this she had been urging a bereaved friend, who was grieving
too much over the loss of her father, to become resigned to the will of
God. Her friend said, "You can not appreciate my loss, for you have
never suffered such a loss." She saw the force of her friend's remark
and said no more. But when the affliction came upon her child and she
was called upon to become resigned to the will of God, she came to know
not only that it is possible to be resigned but that there is a great
consolation in being submissive. When her friend afterwards came to know
of her submission, she was very much affected.
Both my friend and her husband feel that God has given them their child
from the grave, and their testimony is that through this severe ordeal
they have come to love their Savior more.