The Day of Miracles is Still Here

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The Day of Miracles is Still Here

The Testimony of healing given by Betty Baxter, 15 year old girl of Northfield, MN, at the Minneapolis Gospel Tabernacle. I would rather get up and tell what Jesus has done for me, and to preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ than to eat or sleep; and I hope and pray that Jesus will some day use me as an evangelist. I am going to tell you just now what Jesus has done for me.

Many times I was prayed for and the Lord healed me from different things. One time I had a high fever, and was so sick I couldn’t move for three days. We called for the elders of the church, who prayed for me, and Jesus touched me and I sat up in bed and said, "Oh! the fever is gone." But Jesus never completely delivered me until August 24 last, and there was no preacher there, no deacons there, but Jesus was there. You may have been prayed for many times, but don’t give up. What if I had given up and said, "there is no use; Jesus isn’t going to heal me"? Suppose I had given up on August 23 - I would never have been healed. Don’t give up, just go a little farther. When Naaman was told to dip in the Jordan River seven times, what if he had only dipped six times? He would never have been healed. But he obeyed and dipped seven times as he had been commanded. He kept holding to that promise and at last he saw God fulfill it.

I was saved when I was only nine years old in a Vacation Bible School in a Nazarene Church in Bloomington, Indiana. On Friday night they were giving a program, for our parents to come and see what the children had learned. In the afternoon before the program, they had a service for the children only. At the close of this service they had an altar call for all the children that wanted to come and accept Jesus to be their Lord and Master. For the altar call they sang that sweet old song:

"Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling for you and for me;

See on the portals He is waiting and watching,

Watching for you and for me.

Come home, Come home,

Ye who are weary come home.

Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling;

Calling, O sinner, Come home!"

And as we sang that song I sat there and tears trickled down my cheeks, and I had such a longing in my heart. There was such an aching emptiness there and I had such a deep longing for something, but I wasn’t just sure what it was. I thought, "I am going down to the altar, and I am going to see if Jesus will come into my heart and take away this longing and give me peace." So I went to the altar, and I knelt and sobbed and cried my heart out to Jesus. I said "Oh Jesus, come into my heart and take away this longing out of my heart. Help me just now, Jesus." I didn’t know much about salvation; but Jesus saw that I was earnest and that I was honest in my desire.

I saw a vision; and there I saw a black heart, and oh! it was black as black could be. And I thought, "I can never enter Heaven and dwell with Jesus and the angels," and oh, I felt so bad. I thought, "I am gong to be lost; because nothing that is dirty or filthy can ever enter heaven - all that can enter heaven must be clean and pure in heart like Jesus."

Then I was crying and praying and asking Jesus to help me and wash away those black stains, when I saw hanging on the cross my Lord Jesus Christ. I saw where they had driven the nails through His hands and feet; I saw how they pierced His side for you and for me; and as the blood and water ran from His side, I remembered how I had been taught in Bible School that Jesus had died for my sins. Then I saw the blood of Jesus run over my black heart and sure enough, it was made white as snow; and I thought, "Oh I can go to Jesus now and live with Him and the angels." There came such a sweet peace in my heart that the world can never give, and praise God! The world cannot take it away.

I was always weak and nervous and when I was ten years old I became very sick at school. I had pains in my side and they got so severe I could not go to school. My parents took me to the doctor and he said that I had kidney stones. He said this was very unusual in a young child; he was going to try to dissolve them so he gave me medicines, pills and all sorts of things. The next year I was a little better so I went back to school; but was still weak, nervous and always tired. I started to school that September in the sixth grade and at Thanksgiving time in 1938 I had to quit school – that is the last schooling I have had; though I do love to go to school.

That fall the pains were so severe many times that I thought I could not stand them. If any of you have had kidney stones you know what I am talking about. Finally the doctor said, "Lets take her to the University Hospital in Minneapolis." So they took me there, and during that time I had such pain that I didn’t know what I was doing lots of times. I stayed there about two weeks and during that time they were constantly taking X-rays of my back and spine. One time my mother came to see me and I couldn’t even see her because they were so busy taking X-rays of my spine.

Two weeks later the doctor came and said, "You can go home," and Oh, I was glad because I didn’t like the hospital. Everyone was good to me and the doctors and nurses were so kind, but I was lonesome and so homesick. As I was leaving the elevator to go home the doctor came to me and said, "Betty, we took many X-rays of your spine. You did not have the proper food when you were a baby, and so we can do nothing for you. Go home and enjoy life as long as possible." I didn’t realize what those words meant, because I was just a child; but I said to him, "Some day the Lord is going to heal my poor weak body and make me well and strong."

I was home a very few days when I became very sick and nervous and collapsed on the floor. They took me to the doctor and he said that I had Saint Vitus’ dance. That is a disease where you have no control over your nerves or muscles. My mother and sister had to feed and wait on me because I could not control my nerves. I would beg my mother to let me feed myself; and she would let me try, but the spoon would hit my cheeks, my eyes and my forehead and very seldom would it go in the right place; and I had to give up and let my mother or my sister feed me like a baby

That was a terrible winter. Lots of times my eyes would become blind and I couldn’t see anything; then I would have my daddy rock me in the rocking chair, and the harder he rocked the better I liked it. Sometimes my ears would become stopped and I couldn’t hear anything; and sometimes the glands in my throat would swell and I couldn’t speak or swallow for long periods of time. Many times my parents took me to the doctor; and he told them that as I became older I would either outgrow this trouble, or it would be worse. I became worse.

In November , 1940, I collapsed on the floor and became weaker and weaker. The nerves tightened around my heart until I thought I was going to die. I was so weak I just lay there and couldn’t even talk. My parents picked me up and carried me to my bed. I wanted the deacon who lived near by to come and pray for me; but I couldn’t talk so I just pointed to the window and my parents guessed what I wanted, and called for him.

One time I went to church and when I came home, to my despair and disappointment, I came into the house and fell on the floor – my head dropped on my knees and I was unconscious. I cried and cried because I couldn’t go to church any more. About the middle of July I became worse and had to go to bed. Then I had to give up my car rides. After I couldn’t go to church anymore I had been taking rides in a new car. The driver would drive very slowly over the bumps. I rode three miles once a week on Wednesday. All the rest of the week I would sit and dream about those miles that I rode. That was the one bright spot in the week. Now I ride clear to Minneapolis and think nothing about it. Every week I looked forward to that ride in the car. One day I became unconscious in the car – I couldn’t stand it – even the small bumps gave me sever pains in my back. I cried and cried because I couldn’t go riding any more; and my mother said, "Betty, God never takes anything away but He gives us something better in return," so that encouraged me.

Visions of Dark Valley

After this I became worse, and was unconscious for five days. Brother Collins, (my pastor) was out to see me two or three times, but I did not know him. I was unconscious to this world, but I was God-conscious. On the fifth day I woke up and I was so weak and tired I wanted to go on home to Jesus. I kept repeating to myself, "I want to go home , I want to go home." I lay there and prayed silently, "Lord Jesus, take me home, I can no longer stand to live. I have never known what it is to be well and strong – take me home, take me home." I saw then a dark valley. Oh! It was an awful sight; and I said, "I know what that is– it is the valley of death, and I must cross it." Some day everyone is going to have to cross that dark valley. And as I began to walk there I said, "Lord Jesus, if I could only go back and tell the lost sinners that they must walk this dark valley alone. But I have Jesus and He lights this dark valley, because He is the light of the world."

Then I saw the dark rolling river; but on the other side I saw the beautiful paradise with its beauty and rest. I said, "I am going home to be with Jesus. No more tears, because Jesus is wiping them all away.’ Then I saw Jesus coming with a band of angels, and I softly muttered the words: "Jesus and the angels." My mother and sister thought" Betty is leaving this world–she is going home to be with Jesus." My mother said that she was glad that I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore–I was better off to leave this world because I was ready. But Jesus, my Savior came and said, "No Betty, it is not your time to cross; I am going to raise you up in the fall and you are going to preach the gospel. I called you when you were nine years old and you are going to fulfill that call." Oh, I was so glad even though I had prayed for Jesus to take me home.

I got better and I was able to sit up and to get around. My mother took me to Dr. Bailey in Fairmont and she said, "Doctor, is there anything that we can do for Betty? We are willing to do anything that will help her." He said, "You might take her to Rochester and see if they can do anything for her." So my mother asked me if I wanted them to take me to Rochester, but I said, "No mother, Jesus is my doctor, He promised me that some day He would raise me up and He is going to heal me."

One day I was sitting in my chair resting when I became unconscious again. There I saw another vision; and I saw my arms all paralyzed so I could only move my fingers; I saw myself in a terrible position. I saw my back all bent over until my head was resting on my knees, and I begged my Lord not to do that to me. The Lord had many times asked me if He were the potter and I were the clay. So now he asked, "Betty, am I the potter; and are you the clay?" And I answered, "Yes, Lord, if you want to bend this body of mine, bend it; I am going to live for you regardless. You are the potter and I am the clay; mold me and make me like thee." It took some real praying to answer, "Yes" this time.

From that day I began slowly to bend over, my arms became paralyzed down to my elbows and then down to my wrists, and I could only move my fingers. My mother got me a housecoat which opened down the front; and she slipped that over my arms and over my bent back. My daddy doesn’t like for me to wear that housecoat anymore because he says it reminds him of when I was bent.

Vision of Healing

Then one day I was sitting in my chair, and I had another vision, and this time I saw myself straighten up and healed. The Lord said, "It is going to be August 24 in the afternoon," and He told me the different people to call in. He said, "People are so dead spiritually in this world it is going to take a modern 1941 miracle to wake them up; then if they don’t wake up, there is no hope left for them." I was glad because I thought I am going to help someone else, and I am going to be well and strong. The Lord said, "Don’t tell anyone this until My time comes."

As I was sitting there in the kitchen my head was almost touching my knees because my back was so bent. Tears would flow down my cheeks, and yet I would always have a smile because Jesus kept me happy. My sister came and patted me on the back and said, "Betty, you are always so loving, so gentle and so kind, you just have the peace of God resting on your face; and you are so happy even though you are so sick." I was so glad she said that; I wanted to tell her what the Lord had told me, but Jesus told me not to tell until His time should come, so I couldn’t tell her. My mother came in and stood by my chair and said, "Betty, do you know when you are going to be healed?" I said, "When?" She said, "August 24th in the afternoon." I said, "Oh did I tell you?" She said, "No Betty, but the same God that talks to you talks to me, too."

When God makes a promise He will always fulfill it right to the minute. Brother Collins was one who was supposed to be there when the Lord healed me. He came out on Friday, 22nd , before I was healed on Sunday the 24th. As he left that afternoon he said not to be disappointed or discouraged if the Lord did not heal me. He had to leave for Chicago that afternoon and would not be able to be there on Sunday. But he told me if I was healed to send him a telegram to Chicago immediately. I looked at him, and said, "Brother Collins, what do you mean by if? I will send you a telegram when I am healed." And I thought, "Oh Lord, that coming from my beloved pastor."

For some time I had had big lumps from the base of my neck to the base of my spine, and they were about half the size of a hen egg. Everyone who came to see me felt the lumps on my back. Brother Collins felt them that Friday when he was there. No one seemed to believe that I was going to be healed, but I did pity their unbelief because I had seen in a vision my healing and I knew that God would keep His promise.

So after Brother Collins left, I went to my prayer closet, and I sat on the floor with my head on my knees. I used to get on my knees, but now it was no longer possible to do this, so I would go there and pray to Jesus anyway. I sat there hours at a time getting comfort from Jesus. I said, "Even my beloved pastor has doubted. He told me if–that little word if, but Jesus, I know you are not going to fail me." It almost broke my heart when he said, "If you are healed." But anyway that was another test to strengthen me. I even sat down in my chair and thought, "Oh, I don’t believe I am going to be healed. I have heard of cancers being healed, and things like that, but that is different. Whoever heard of a bent back like mine being straightened?" But I went then to my prayer closet and while I was praying there, the Lord showed me that it didn’t take Brother Collins to heal me, but it took Jesus. Even if there wasn’t an elder or minister there, Jesus was going to be there at the appointed time because He had made a date with me and He was going to keep it.

I was so very bad at this time, that at nights I hardly slept at all because I was in such pain. Lots of the church people came to see me and they said, "She is so very low, and is not expected to be with us very long." I thought, "Oh such church members, if they would only believe and pray for me." But I couldn’t really blame them so much–I was so bent it was so hard to believe.

I told the people that were supposed to come out on the 24th, and I told them to come about 2:30 and everyone of them was there about 2:00 o’clock. One of our neighbors was a deacon in our church, and he said that he had heard of miracles, but he had never seen them–they were always so far away. So he said afterwards the Lord moved one right into his backyard.

I came out of my bedroom and sat down in my chair; and my mother said, "Shall we pray?" I said, "Yes." So they all started to pray. I lapsed into unconsciousness and saw another vision. I saw two rows of tall trees; and I saw one of them begin to bend until the very tip of it touched the ground. And I thought, "I wonder why that one tree had to be like that, when the rest are so straight and tall." Then Jesus came and touched it and it straightened up and I realized that that tree was me and Jesus was going to straighten me up as he did that tree.

The Miracle

I said, "Jesus is coming at last, do you hear Him?" Then I called for my unsaved uncle and he came in and sat down in a chair; and I said, "Jesus is coming, can you hear Him?" I was so happy; then I saw a great white cloud and out of that cloud I saw Jesus, that beloved form I had longed to see for so long. I saw Him step forth and I saw Him stand by my chair. It had always been my desire to touch the hem of His garment. I had read of the woman who pressed the throng and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was made whole. I thought that if I could only touch the hem of His garment I too should be whole. But when He at last stood by my chair He stood just far enough away that I couldn’t reach out and touch Him. Then He said,

"Betty, you have been kind, patient and loving; and I am going to make you well and strong now." He reached out and touched the bend in my back and it straightened up. I stood up and wondered what had happened–my head seemed so light and I seemed so tall. Then it came over me–I am healed. Just look how tall I am. I had always been looking at the ground–now I was up here looking around. Oh how tall I felt. I went around to each one and had them feel my spine and they all said the lumps were gone. Then we really had a camp meeting. If you had been anywhere around for miles you could have heard us shouting and praising God, we were all so happy.

For a year I hadn’t been able to lift a chair off the floor. When I wanted to move, my mother had to place the chair for me. But now, I picked one of the dining room chairs up and raised it above my head and said, "Look what the God I serve can do." My unsaved uncles had both seen me when I was so weak I could barely move my fingers, and when they saw me raise that chair above my head, tears ran down their cheeks.

When the Lord first showed me that I was going to be healed, I had my mother buy me a new dress, and new shoes, because I said I would surely want to go to church that Sunday night, and there would not be time to buy anything then as the stores were closed on Sunday. So everybody who came to see me I would have mother bring my new dress and shoes out of the closet and show them, and people thought I was "plum" crazy.

I went into the bedroom and my sister went with me. She came in ahead of me and opened the door for me as she was in the habit of doing. She started to help me undress, but I gave that housecoat a jerk and off it came. She stepped back and said, "Oh Betty, you are healed. Now you can dress yourself and sing in the choir with me." And she was so happy. That nice dress fitted me perfectly.

Then I told my mother I wanted to go over and show Mr. Sturm, who had prayed so much for me. He lived down the road a little distance from us. So mother drove me over there. She drove very slowly from force of habit for fear the bumps would bother me; but I said, "Oh go over the bumps fast, it doesn’t bother me now, it won’t hurt me a bit." So my mother went bumpety bump over the bridge. It felt so good not to have a pain or an ache any place. I jumped out of the car and ran up the walk and opened the door. There stood Mrs. Sturm. She turned white when she saw me and I thought she was going to faint right then and there. Then Mr. Strum came in and stood in the dining room door and scratched one side of his head and then the other side. My Sunday school teacher, Mrs. George Tubener, who was with us said, "He thinks he is dreaming." So I went over to him and gave him a pinch–and it wasn’t an easy one either, because God had given me strength in my arms. And I said, "No you are not dreaming. I am real." He said, "Betty, are you going to church tonight and testify?’ I thought, what a question. I said, "I haven’t anything to keep me away now."

I went to the Granada Gospel Tabernacle that night, and when I first walked into the church the people–well they sure looked at me. "Doesn’t she look well?" I heard them say. No wonder when the wonderful Christ had touched me and made me whole.

Some people say, "Well Betty, why didn’t Jesus heal you the first year you were sick?" During the time that I was sick He taught me patience and taught me many lessons. I told my mother, "I have gone to the greatest school in the universe–The School of Experience. It has been hard, but oh, I learned some lessons there that I never will forget. Jesus was my teacher, and I learned so many things."If you have gone through things, experienced them yourself, you can tell them to others. Can you, sinner, tell other sinners how to be saved? No, you do not know how to tell them because you have not experienced it yourself. But you who are saved can tell it because you have accepted Jesus. Yes, you can tell all about it. You have had that glorious experience.

Are you here tonight, sick in your soul? Is your heart unclean, as mine was? Won’t you accept Jesus tonight? He is a wonderful friend. I wouldn’t leave Him for all the world. I am so glad that when I was nine years old, I surrendered all. Confess your sins and Jesus will do the rest, if you have faith in my Savior. Are you weary? Are you heavy hearted? Tell it to Jesus. Are you tired and worn from your weight of sin? When God created you He put that hunger there to serve Him. If you will come to Jesus He will give you the peace that passeth understanding. Won’t you give your heart to Jesus tonight? I love Him so, and I want you to love Him too. I want you to have that joy and peace, so if Jesus should come in the clouds you could say, "Jesus take me home. I am ready." Won’t you give Him your heart tonight? God is talking to you. Jesus is walking up and down these beautiful aisles talking to souls. He is watching and waiting for you to come home.