longer live in my beautiful home where she had been with us and when the doctor convinced me there was no hope I made plans to sell my home as soon as she was gone. I had no hope left when I went in to see her one afternoon. She was very weak *and could not speak above a whisper, but to my amazement she was humming a hymn and there was a smile on her face. S i n g i n g . . . while dying! What a revelation that was to me! Her joy was real. There was no trace of a shadow of fear in her eyes. She was a Jewess — but she wasn’t afraid to die! “ Carrie, is there anything I can do for you?” I asked. I had in mind last minute requests concerning the fun eral for when loved ones are going to die we want to know about it so we can find out their desires for the funeral arrangements. “ Brother,” she whispered, “ if you will get down on your knees beside my bed and accept my Messiah, Jesus Christ, as your Saviour, God will raise me up.” Her words were as startling as a thunderbolt from a clear sky. But I would have done anything to save her life. Without any h e s i t a t i o n , I dropped ^o my knees and forced my stiff lips to follow in a faltering prayer in the name of Jesus. I told Him I accepted Him, but it was not a sincere, wholehearted offer. Even as I knelt there, I realized I was try ing to bargain with God. Did God hear and understand? I believe He did. Certainly He continued His won drous work. Within ten days my sister was up again — a miracle of God. She knew, of course, that I had not f u l l y t r u s t e d Christ but she seemed to have absolute confidence that I would. She would lay one hand on my wife’s shoulder, the other on miné, and would present to us the claims of Christ from the Old Testa ment — our own Jewish Bible. I was not saved, but I was under such deep conviction that I begged her to dis continue, as I could neither eat nor sleep. The old Jewish customs and traditions die hard, and it is not easy to turn from a background of cen turies of bitter hatred for an alleged imposter, and at once to accept Him as God Himself, and to love and wor ship Him as God. I still could not call on God in “ The Name.” (T o b e con tin u ed n ex t m on th .) irrv?« n
to prayer,” Carrie answered joyously and before either of us could object, went swiftly on to recount the ways in which He had worked through Hebrew Christian neighbors who had continued praying for her even when she resented their efforts and avoided them because of their testimony for Jesus Christ. “ But they understood and were not offended,” Carrie continued. “ And when I was ill they came to me and asked if I would like for them to pray for my recovery. I couldn’t speak but I nodded my head. Perhaps they did have an access to God and I desper ately needed help. They went into another room to pray for me and while they were still on their knees God graciously touched my body and speech returned. I was full of grati tude, of course, and tremendously im pressed by what had happened. I could not refuse to listen when they read me passages from the Old Testa ment such as Isaiah 7:14, 9:6 and the 53rd chapter of that wonderful book. My friends came often and stayed late, proving over and over again from Old Testament passages, which
city and we did not see them so fre quently. I had not heard from Carrie for some time when one day I received a letter from her. I could not believe the words I read. D ear B roth er: I h ave som eth in g w ond erfu l to tell you . P lea se read th is letter through regard less o f w hat y o u fe e l w h en you see w hat I h ave to tell. A w ond erfu l ch an ge has com e in to m y life. 1 have b een ill — v ery ill — bu t G od has raised m e up. A nd th rou gh th is I have fou n d th e m ean ing o f L ife ; indeed , L ife E tern al. 1 h a ve fou n d th e tru e M essiah. H e is th e O n e w h o is ca lled “ th e Lam b o f G od w ho taketh aw ay th e sin o f th e w orld ” . . . Jesus Christ: th e M essiah , th e Son o f G od, E loh im H im self! M y jo y is fu ll and I n ow have th e p ea ce o f tru e salvation . Oh, that y o u kn ew it, too. I rea lize w hat I h ave done. You m ay fe e l y ou m ust cast m e o ff en tirely . But b eliev e m e, D an iel, l have n ot abandoned m y ow n relig ion to em brace that o f ou r hated en em y as you m ay think. I am still a Jew ess — bu t on e w ho has com e in to h er ow n and fou n d th e o n ly tru e relig ion th rou gh fa ith in th e L ord Jesus Christ. Oh, th e jo y o f k n o w in g H im . Y our S ister w ho is p ra yin g fo r you , C arrie. I was stunned. Yet even in that moment when my world rocked about me, there came a whisper of longing for this singing joy that spilled from my sister’s letter. It was not for me and in my reply I said so. D ear C arrie: I w ill n ot try to tell y o u h ow you r le tte r shocked m e. Y ou are old en ou gh to kn ow w hat you a re d oing. But as fo r m e, I was born a Jew and I w ill d ie a Jew . I w ill n ev er ch an ge m y re ligion . But I h ave n o an ger in m y h ea rt against you . Y ou are still m y v ery dear sister and S elina and I w ill w elcom e you in ou r h om e an y tim e y ou can com e. Can you com e fo r a visit soon ? D an iel. When she came, we saw a very defi nite change in her. She had been ill, but there was a joy and peace and a radiance about her that I had never seen before. She wanted to tell us about her conversion but I was un willing to listen. “ Tell us about your illness,” I sug gested. Carrie smiled and said: “ I had a stroke. I was paralyzed in almost all of my body and could not speak.” “What happened? How is it that you are able to move about so well now?” Selina and I both exclaimed. “ God touched my body in answer
Mr. Rose and his wife, Selina Rose
I can show you if you will let me, that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed and in truth the long awaited Messiah of Israel. And one glad day I saw it and believed it for. myself. And when I opened my heart to Him, peace and joy flooded my soul.” We had no argument about that but we did not encourage her to go on. There was no question that she was changed, though. Among other things, she refused liquor, saying she pre ferred tea or coffee. We had had liquor in our home from the earliest recollections. I was surprised and puzzled. Carrie had been with us but a few days when she became very ill again. The doctor gave us no hope of recov ery. I had the Jew’s natural fear and horror of death and I loved my sister dearly. Of all our family she and I had been closest in our love and com panionship. If she died I could no
yaw ! i n « r t
Hebrew characters for Deut. 6:4, favorite Scrip ture of the Jews: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord."
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JANUARY, 1959
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