As Free As the Air We Breathe

As Free As the Air We Breathe

by Louise Eggleston

Transcribed from the original recording; may contain errors.

Now it amazed us more than anyone else when God began to show us the miracle. And I’m sure if we’d have even dreamed that we were going to be asked to pray for healing, maybe we wouldn’t have even started in our sheer desperation.

But when God began to show us such wonderful things, and then someone would come along and say, “The doctors have given no hope for this. Will you pray for them?” We couldn’t think of saying, “Oh, we don’t pray for them.” For we couldn’t find any justification for anything like that in the Bible. Jesus never turned anyone aside. He answered every need, whether it was mental or physical or spiritual or hunger or whatever it was. Jesus came to let us know that God is interested in man’s needs. Because through these human needs that we are aware of, He’s able to reach into the deeper needs that most of us are not aware of. Now that was the thing that we began to learn as we began to study the art of prayer. And prayer is an art. And it does require study and it requires practice if we’re going to learn how to pray. And we followed very humbly. For we knew that we knew nothing about it. But we felt that Jesus knew everything. And we were ready to follow Him. Well, Esther Frank had visited us for quite a few years and kept on asking us, “How long have you written that? Have you shared it?” And told us over and over, “Well, God cannot continue to give you things if you do not share it.”

“You’ll become a dead sea.” And that’s what we do become, as we keep on taking God’s gifts, God’s blessings, and we fail to pass them on. We become a dead sea. And then He laid the world in our hearts. He just barely broke our hearts with His compassion for the world. And so we promised Him a literacy missionary every year. $3,000 is what He said it took to send out a literacy missionary. So we said, “You can count on us. Every year you’ll be receiving $3,000 from us.” Well, He knew that we were given $75 a month to take care of a missionary over in Africa at that time. And so He said, “Well, now you’ll have to write those booklets. Because you can’t turn your prayer group into anything to make money.” We never mention money. We never talk money and we never do anything to make money. Any money that comes out of our prayer group is God’s gift. And it’s something that we have willingly shared and maybe sacrificed. For that was the suggestion of this world literacy prayer group. Each week when we come, let’s bring a gift. That we’ve really sacrificed something in order to bring. Well, we’ve never failed to send at least $3,000. Even when only the first little booklet was written.

Now this booklet, this group of nine, are all on prayer. As God showed us the things about prayer. As we came to know more and more and understand better. And see more and more miracles happen. Why, we shared them with anyone who cares to know. Now this little group with the rubber band around them, nine, are $2 if you want them all at once. They’re 25 cents apiece if you want them separately. And each one just leads on as God led us on. Taking his father and father. Then these last three are what we call the abundant life series. We don’t know how many there will be in this abundant life series. There’s already three. And there’s another one just boiling to get out. But I don’t know when I’ll find any time to let it boil over. But if ever I find a free day, why, it has to come out on paper. The first one in the abundant life series is Learn to Live Abundantly. That’s what Jesus came that all men might find, is abundant life. And how few of us have really found abundant life. Then this next one, Inner Light and Power, is a sequel to A Challenge to Christians. This Challenge to Christians, which is in the set of nine, is the one that tells you the method of subconscious prayer.

That loving law of science, that’s a scientific law, that we took hold of and used to bless lives that were unable to help themselves. For you only use that kind of prayer, where there’s a situation where the person is not able, or capable, or willing to help himself. And you see catastrophe ahead. Now all laws are God’s laws. Whether they are physical, or mental, or arithmetical, or whatever they are. Every law is God’s law. God’s the author of all laws. And God is the upholder of all laws. And we perhaps see in more real miracles, of impossible things done through these two little booklets, than anything else. Because it does touch the cases where nothing else touches. But the one that I am going to speak on tonight, and jump off from, perhaps I won’t say two paragraphs that are in the book. But I am going to use it as a jumping off flight. Its power to become. One morning in my quiet time last February, I was beginning again the book of John. And I came to that verse in the first chapter. “To all who received Him, who believed on His name, to them He gave the power to become sons of God.”

That’s what you and I will put in the world again. There’s not one soul in creation that was meant to be ordinary. Just get along. Jesus wants everyone in creation to live abundantly. To live like He did. Why, He said all these things that I did, He made you also. And even greater things. Because He came to show us how, and He’s gone back to the Father, but He hasn’t left us. He’s also here with us. He’s above us, He’s around us, He’s ahead of us, He’s behind us and underneath us. And yet every bit of that, if we haven’t recognized that He’s within us. We aren’t going to find that abundant life. It’s like air. You’ll find air everywhere in creation. You can’t go anywhere in God’s creation, and not find air, for air is essential. It’s free, it’s abundant. You may have all you want. But life outside of you is not going to save you, is it? You’ve got to breathe it in. It’s the breath that you get inside of you, that makes you live. Now that’s the way with the Spirit of Jesus. Just knowing that He’s there, He made the whole universe, He upholds the universe. Just acknowledging how wonderful He is, and admitting that He wants to do it, He’s able to do it.

But if you don’t let Him, and let Him do it, it isn’t going to help you. And so this little booklet, The Power to Become, tries to help you to let in the Spirit of the living God. All you have to do is receive Him. He’s as free as the air you breathe. He’s everywhere, even as the air you breathe. In fact, the words spirit, and breath, and wind, are all the same word in Greek. For when the New Testament was written in Greek, they didn’t have any words that could express spirit, or Christ. That resurrected Christ. And the nearest thing, the nearest way they could describe the Spirit of Christ, was in wind, or breath.

Now, His Spirit is just as near as the breath you breathe. And it’s just as life-giving, just as free. You may have all you want, and everyone in creation may have all they want, at the same time. And you’re not robbing anyone. For there’s abundance for everyone. So all of us may be sons of God. All of us may be filled with His Spirit. All of us may be expressing what God meant for each of us to do and be. And at the same time, and we’re not robbing anyone. We’re all glorifying God, and we’re making this kingdom real. And you know there isn’t going to be any peace on earth, until we make that kingdom real. They’re coming together. And the price we’re paying, by not taking hold of God’s power, is the price of our own sons. They’re the ones that are paying the price. And how many have paid the supreme price? Not many of us that haven’t been touched. But that’s the supreme price, is it?

I gave one of my sons. I know the supreme price. And that’s the price we’re going to continue to pay, until we become sons of God. And in the strength of His might, and in the beauty of His grace, we step out and be sons of God. And fill this world with His love. There isn’t going to be any other way.

Now He said, “As many as receive Him.” You see, it’s free. It’s all around you. Help yourself. And all we have to do is receive it. You know why we don’t receive it? Because in order to receive Him, we have to give up ourselves.

You can’t have Christ in yourself too. You’re either going your way, or you’re going God’s way. You’re not going both ways. And it is a choice. Now we seem to think that we’re going to have more fun going our own way. And that’s an awful delusion. The spirit of evil really has a lot of folks fooled. Thinking they’re going to have more freedom and more fun going their own way. You never do. You really don’t know what freedom is until you let God push you around. And you don’t have any responsibility at all. Not the slightest bit. God carries every bit of it when you give yourself to Him. Now I had no idea of telling this, but I think I’m going to tell you how God pushes you around. Well, I was just an awfully ordinary person. Born in a Methodist parsonage, and my father was a circuit rider most of the time. And he had nine mouths to feed three times a day. On a circuit rider salary. But you know we never were really hungry. I guess I was about 14 before I ever had a brand new dress. But I was awfully proud of the made-overs that I came down at the end of the line. The older ones got the new ones, and I got the made-over ones.

But you know I was awfully happy. There was so much love in our home. We never had any feeling of insecurity at all. For our parents weren’t afraid to trust God. They knew they’d given their all to God. And when you give your all to God, He gives His all to you.

Well, He had to heal me twice, it seems, before He got me all the way. For up to the first 40 years, I was doing the managing. I was selecting what I’d do. Oh, I was doing a plenty, but I was doing it. And it broke me down. I just killed myself doing the Lord’s work. And then the Lord raised me up again. But that year, He taught me a wonderful lesson. That you don’t have to use your own strength doing God’s work. He offers His strength. And you don’t have to just depend on your puny little mind, either. For that invitation to “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” still stands. Anyone can have His mind that will receive it and take time to let Him figure with it. And then go out and follow it. Well, when He started pushing me around, He did it rather gently. You could follow a step at the time. He didn’t really give me a big shove. It was a little one, step by step. And not until my husband stepped over into heaven did He really push me way out. But the last child was married just two months before my husband stepped over. And it left me with nothing except God.

And children that were well established. And capable of going on. From then on, I’ve gone anywhere the Lord leads me. And I travel, they say in Virginia, more than any woman that buys air tickets out of Virginia. So they know me pretty well. I remember when I went down to buy my ticket in November. Of course, if you buy a ticket, but you’re leaving Norfolk anywhere around Christmas, you know Norfolk belongs to the Navy. And all those Navy boys have to get home for Christmas or somewhere around. So if a citizen gets out of Norfolk around Christmas, you make your reservations early. And knowing I was leaving during the holidays, I bought my ticket in November. Now when I bought that ticket, I was… I knew that I finished my last speaking engagement the second day of February in Shreveport. I knew that following that there was a house party of spiritual leaders that had been invited to meet together in a lovely country home. Just over in Texas, not too far from Shreveport. Shreveport was the nearest airport. And we were invited to just come and stay a few days or a week or as long as we please. And just together grow spiritually. Well, it was a wonderful thing. Well, when I bought my ticket in November, I thought, “Well, now I don’t know whether it’s going to be that two days, four days, a week or what.”

But you have to complete your ticket if you’re going to get that rate off. And so I said, “Oh, make it that I’ll be coming home on the second and then I can extend it.” So I bought my ticket with everything reserved to come home on the second day of February. Now I left right after Christmas. When I bought the ticket, they said, “Miss Eggleston, what’s the matter with the people in the south? Don’t they like you anymore?” I said, “Why?” I said, “Well, why in the world are you going to Wyoming in January? Don’t you know the planes don’t fly up there often in January?” Well, I said, “You know, I’m sure the Lord’s calling me there. And He’s never let me down yet.” I said, “You better look up the train schedule. Because this is actually your first.” And then I was going to be all over Nebraska just ahead of Wyoming. They said, “You aren’t at the fly much in Nebraska either. So you better be getting your good train schedule.” And I said, “Well, I’ll let the Lord bother about that. I haven’t yet been guilty of trying to take over His responsibilities. You know, I really let Him carry them.” Well, I got out from Nebraska all right. And I got to every place.

And when I ended up over in, well, beyond Turney, is that a Cozade? Cozade? Cozade, I believe. Why, all the time I was there, they said, “No planes flying. How do you expect to get to Wyoming?” I said, “Well, that’s the Lord’s business.” But the minister very kindly looked up the plane schedule just in case. But when I finished my Sunday morning appointment, I was to fly that afternoon, so my ticket said, the plane flew. And I got into Wyoming all right. And I had three days in Wyoming and was closing on Wednesday night. And I said, “Well, I’m sorry.” But it hadn’t been higher than nine below zero any time I was there.

And now they still flew at nine below zero. But when we went to church that Wednesday night, all the signals were up that it was going down to 36 below zero that night. And so the minister said, “Now, Miss Eggleston, there will be no chance of you flying out of here tomorrow wherever you’re going.” I said, “I’m going to Austin, Texas from here. And I have all day tomorrow to get there. And tonight and the next night. For it doesn’t start until Friday morning.” Well, he said, “You couldn’t get there by train in that time. And these spells don’t usually get over that quickly. Now, what’s your choice?” I said, “Anything the Lord sends, it’s all right with me.” Well, he said, “Since you can’t possibly get out in the morning, may we announce tonight that the meetings will continue?” I said, “You may announce that if the planes don’t fly tomorrow, the meeting will continue. But,” I said, “be sure to say, ‘If the planes don’t fly.’” He said, “Well, I can say that all right.” So he made a strong plea for everybody to get on the phone and tell everybody. You know, up in Wyoming, they don’t stop for weather like that. They’re used to it. So he made a strong plea for everybody to get on the phone and let the people know that the meetings would continue.

If the planes don’t fly. Of course, we know planes don’t fly weather like this. Well, we went home that night and I went merrily to bed, for I really never do worry about the Lord’s part. I really let Him carry His own burden. When I wakened in the morning, it was 36 above. And I said to the minister who’s home I was in, “What’s happened to the weather?” He said, “You know, it’s the rarest thing that anything like this happens. But,” he said, “sometimes if the wind is from a certain direction, it just pushes the cold air away and brings the warm air in. And that’s what happened last night.” Well, I said, “I guess my plane will fly.” He said, “I’ll call up right away.” And I said, “Let them know I’ll be there.” He called up to say, and they said, “Yes, planes are flying.” He said, “I’d like to check in Mrs. Eggleston on this plane to Denver.” And they said, “Oh, but that plane has had engine trouble up in Montana. And it will not get in until midday. It’s going to be four hours late.” And I said, “Well, let me touch the phone. Now,” I said, “I didn’t have but two hours wait in Denver. And if this is going to be four hours late, what are the chances of the plane in Denver being late?”

He said, “Mrs. Eggleston, there’s no chance of that being late. It makes up in Denver. And so there’s no reason for that being late.” Well, I said, “I still have the day and the night to get to Austin. And I’m just putting it in your hands. You let me know when I come out to the airport which way I’m going to get into Austin. It’s just up to you.” He said, “All right, I’ll have it ready.” When I got out there at noon, he said, “Now, Mrs. Eggleston, you have two choices. You can leave about five or six this evening and get into Austin about two o’clock in the night. Or you can leave Denver about midnight and get in the next morning about seven.” Well, I said, “The one that’s meeting me is a widow. And I wouldn’t have any widow meet me at two o’clock in the night. I’d rather call up my friends in Denver and keep them up till midnight and arrive in the morning. So you put me on the midnight plane and I’ll get there in plenty of time for my day apart.” Well, I went very blithely and happily to Denver. And I knew it’s changing lines. And if you’ve ever changed airlines, for instance, in Chicago, have you?

United up to Capital or something like that. You walk about a half a mile, you know. Well, I had no idea how far I’d have to run between the changing lines in Denver. But when we pulled in, our plane almost shipped the wings of the plane out of the captain and it waited for us. It seems there was a half a dozen on our plane that were scheduled for that plane. And they waited for us. So we just stepped from our plane into the next plane. And there was such a strong tailwind that we almost made up the time we lost. Well, now, that’s not unusual. The Lord often does things like that. Not for me. He does that for anybody who doesn’t worry about His part. Who just lets their life be utterly healed. Well, I think I’m going on with this story because it’s really pretty thrilling the way God takes care of things. We had the rest of the week in Austin and closed with services on Sunday night. And they filled the Sunday full with a reception afterwards. And it was quite late when I got home that Sunday night. And then a few followed home that hadn’t gotten their prayers or prayed for and said, “May we go home with you?”

And I was too polite to say no. And so they went home with us. Now, when we went in, there was a telegram… there was a notice under the door that there was a telegram for me. And would I please call up Western Union for a telegram? Well, I laid the telegram on the table and began to talk to the friends around. And a couple long distance messages came in extra. And in the meantime, a husband called and said, “Miss Eggleston, we just heard about you being in the city. And my wife is very ill. And we didn’t know it in time to come to your meeting. We hear you’re leaving in the morning. Wouldn’t it be possible for you to come by here on your way to the airport?” And I said, “Well, my plane leaves at 8 in the morning.” And he said, “If I had come and get you early, would you come by and eat breakfast and someone will take you to the airport?” I said, “Yes, if it would mean that much to you. Are you ever going to believe you? Or you wouldn’t be asking for this? I’ll do that.” Well, by the time I’d finished with the calls and the people and prayers, it was after midnight. And I had to still pass and I had to be up early the next morning.

I forgot that telegram. I forgot it as completely as if it had never happened. And I got some sleep and was ready when the husband called the next morning. And took me over to his home and there in his home was his invalid wife. But there was a small prayer group there too that had been praying for us. And he slipped off to work and left off with the invalid in the prayer group. We had a wonderful time. And then the prayer group took me to the airport. Well, now it had been drizzling rain all night and getting steadily worse. When I got to the airport, it really was a black morning. And, when I got out of the car and looked for a red cap, he said, “Tain’t no reason for getting your suitcase out, cause tain’t no planes flying.” And I said, “What’s the matter?” He said, “Don’t you see those skies? Can’t anything come through them?” Well, I said, “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna wait in the airport. So you just take it out anyhow.” So he carried my suitcase in and I handed my ticket to be checked just as though he hadn’t told me. And I got the same message, that the ceiling was so heavy that no planes were coming through.

In fact, he said, “There’s one been flying over for a half hour that’s just gone on because it couldn’t come in.” And I said, “Well, I’ve got all day to get to New Orleans and night too if necessary. But I’ll be sitting over here and when the ceiling opens, just call me, will you?” And he said, “Well, there isn’t any signs that it’s going to open anytime soon.” And I said, “Well, I might as well wait here if anywhere. So just call me when you’re ready.” Well, the prayer group went over and we were the only ones in the airport. So we just turned the airport into a prayer group. And we were really having such a good time with the prayer group that we forgot all about whether the ceilings were opening up or anything. Oh, we did have a prayer first. I remember saying, “Lord, You raised the fog once when George Mueller was on his way to this country. And when the captain told him he’d never make his appointment in Toronto, why, he just prayed and while he was praying, You lifted the fog.” Now I said, “If You need me in New Orleans, I know You can let this heavy ceiling disappear. But if You don’t need me there, it’s all right. I’m having a lovely time here.”

Anywhere You want me is all right with me. And I really didn’t give it any more thought. We were lost in our prayer group. When he called out, “Ms. Eggleston, you can come over and check in. The ceilings open and your plane is landing.” I told them all goodbye. So I went over and checked in. And was on my way out to the plane. I told them all goodbye. And so I was just going out to step on the plane. When someone came running, said, “Ms. Eggleston, there’s a Western Union call. It’s very urgent. Will you come back and take that call?” And then something slapped me in the face and said, “You wicked woman. You knew there was a call there and you forgot it.” So I came back and it was a call from the Breakfast Club groups in Washington, D.C. telling of the annual meeting of the International Christian Leadership that they were having about 50 foreign women brought here as representatives of foreign prayer groups and that most of these were brand new people in prayer. They knew so little about prayer. Oh, it was a real day letter written on Sunday, you know. And would I please come and lead those prayer groups and teach these foreign women how to pray?

And they gave the dates. Well, now the dates were the very days that I had promised to be in that retreat with these spiritual leaders. And they’d ask me to direct this and keep the leaders on the beating. Well, I was greatly tempted. I wanted so much to go to Washington. I wanted so much to have the privilege of teaching these foreign women to pray. But I never break my word. If I give my word, even though it’s just a little something, in comparison to a great something, I keep my word. And so I thought, well… I said to them over the phone when I read it for a great long letter, I said, “Now, I can’t answer that without seeing the telegram. Would you mind sending that on over to New Orleans? I’ll be in Rayne Memorial Methodist Church. Send it there so that I may answer it.” They said, “Yes, it’ll be there when you get there.” So I, again, got on the plane merrily and made the connection in Houston that I would have made if it had left on time. So I got in New Orleans on plenty of time. And I said to them, “There’s a telegram waiting for me.” And they said, “Well, we haven’t seen any.” Well, I said, “It will be here.”

“And it’s a very important one. Let me know as soon as it comes.” They said, “All right.” Well, I was in New Orleans for three days. And that telegram didn’t come. And you know, the longer you waited, they left you just how to answer. It seemed so long and so many things to answer that I thought, “Well, it’s bound to come.” And so when I left New Orleans, I was going to be in Brookhaven, Mississippi, just one day. And I said, “Now don’t take any chance on sending that wire to Brookhaven. I’ll be in Jackson, Mississippi the next three days. And what’s the name of the church that’s got a bishop’s name? Is it Granbury or Bishop somebody? Galloway Methodist or Granbury Methodist? One bishop’s name. Going to be in that church. So,” I said, “tell them to send it on to that church in Jackson, Mississippi, please.” Well, when I got to Jackson, I said, “There’s a telegram for me.” They said, “Yes, there’s a telegram for you.” I read the telegram from one of the spiritual leaders. He said, “I’m so sorry I’ll not be able to be in the retreat. But such and such a thing has come up and I’ll be missing it, but I’ll be remembering it.” Well, I asked from a mail and there was mail from a couple of others how sorry they were.

They couldn’t be in the retreat, but they would be remembering us. Well, each day when I asked for my telegram or my letters, I either got a telegram or a letter from some other spiritual leader that was going to be in that retreat. And they were so sorry they couldn’t be there. And by the closing day of my retreat in Jackson, it was going to be the hostess and me. Nobody else, just the hostess and me. And still my telegram hadn’t come. So that morning I really had quite a session with the Lord. I said, “Now Lord, You know how much I want to go. But this has gone so long now, I don’t know how to answer. I don’t know how to really get hold of it. It looks to me like You’re fixing it up. You just have to get that telegram now. And I’ll tell the hostess that we’ll come another time.” Well, I went into my last day. This was going to be a final day apart. And I had put my plane ticket in my bag because I was leaving right from there to catch the plane to Shreveport.

And I was in the midst of my morning meditation when here came a telegram boy. He just came right on up, right on up the aisle, right on into the pulpit and said, “Ms. Eggleston, this is from the White House. It looks rather important.” I opened it up and it was from the White House saying, “We are committed since. A very urgent call to you last Sunday.” And repeating the message and “we hadn’t heard anything. We are really depending upon you. Would you let us know what time you will be arriving? And we would like you to be here on the evening of the 2nd, if possible, that you might have at least a full day before the convention with these women.” I reached in my pocket. I had my ticket. And the day they wanted me was the very day and the very time they wanted me in Washington. And I had made that reservation in November, not expecting to use it that way. But it was the identical time that God wanted me in Washington in February. So I just said, “Now take this wire.” And I just told them how I’d be arriving and when and how happy I’d be to be there. Now really and truly, that isn’t something that God does for one person and wouldn’t do for any person.

God is no respecter of persons. He doesn’t love even Frank Laubach. And boy, that’s strong talk with me. Or I really think Frank Laubach is Isaiah and Jeremiah and Hosea all in one. I really do. And I don’t think that God loves even Frank Laubach more than He loves a violent sinner. I think He loves the least as much as the greatest. I know He’ll do just as much for the least as He’ll do for anyone. He does not have favorites. But it does depend upon whether we let Him. Whether we trust Him. Whether we can remain relaxed and that He is in confidence and loving while He works at us. You see why I forgot it out there? If I had have gotten that telegram any sooner, then the day I did receive it, I would have answered no. And if I’d have answered no, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to say, “Oh, I’ve changed my mind. Let me come.” So the Lord does things so wonderfully when we let Him. Now I was going to tell a story that I had intended telling. You see, I hadn’t intended telling the other. And I think I’m going to tell this because it shows how we must do our part. And we must meet every one of the laws.

In these little booklets we bring out over and over again. The laws of prayer that simply must be fulfilled. Before God possibly can meet our prayers. We might pray and pray and pray and we might be just the best church member that you have. We might even give our bodies to be burned. And make any sacrifice. But if we do not meet the laws of love. And that’s what the laws of prayer are. They are the laws of love and faith. Unless we meet them, God Himself cannot answer our prayers. For He’d be breaking His own laws and He cannot do that. And so I’m going to tell you a story to bring that point out.

This happened in… It was October… It was October a year ago, I believe it. I was coming back from South Carolina, driving alone. I had ended a retreat there. And it ended with a lunch. And then after you kissed everybody goodbye, it was about 2 o’clock. And I was headed for Norfolk and Norfolk was about 500 or 600 miles away. Now I knew I wouldn’t get near Norfolk because I do not drive alone after dark. But I thought I might as well get as far on the way as possible and have as much more time at home as possible. So the Lord and I rang and drove together and the evening shadows began to fall. And I looked around for a motel. And pretty soon one loomed up and I drove in. And I said, “Do you have a motel left?” They said, “Just one. The last one.” I looked at it. It was very nice. And I said, “I’ll take it.” So I was unpacking my nice things when I looked on the little table between the beds. And here were our booklets, every one of them. All spread out like a fan. And above them was a little note that said, “Are you in trouble? Are you in need of anything? Are you worried or sick or fearful?

“Well, if you are, read these little booklets. And if they help you may have them.” Well, I thought, “Now I’ve seen everything.” When you can drive in a motel and find our booklets given away. And really almost hating with you to read them and take them. I thought, “Now what’s up?” So I went out to find the young man that had shown me my room. And I found him and I said, “Who owns this motel?” He said, “The lady that lives in the big house up at the top of the hill.” I said, “I wonder if I could meet her.” I said, “Oh yes, she’d love to meet you. Lots of people go up.” And I said, “You think she’d be at home?” He said, “She’s always at home. Her husband has been an invalid for 12 years. For 12 years he has not moved. She has tended him just like an infant for 12 years. So she’s always by us. And she’ll be glad to see you.” So I went up and rang the bell and she taped the door. I said, “I’m Louise Eggleston. Spent it the night in your motel.” She said, “You mean you’re Louise Eggleston that wrote the booklet?” I said, “I’m the one the Lord used to write the booklet.”

She said, “We knew you were coming. We knew you were going to come sometime. Oh, please come in. We’re so glad. Will you come right in and pray for my husband?” And I said, “I’ll be glad to pray for him after I talk. But,” I said, “you know, I’ll never pray for anyone until I know they’re meeting the conditions. For I know that God can’t ever answer prayers unless we are meeting the conditions.”

“All you’ve got to do is come and pray.” I said, “All right. I’ll come in. But,” I said, “tell me something. Why are you giving them away?” I said, “Miss Eggleston, I wanted to be a missionary when I was a young girl. And then I got married and I wasn’t able to go. And it wasn’t that a few months after we were married that my husband, in diving, broke his neck and has been an invalid like this. And I haven’t even been able to go to church for 12 years. I’ve been right here tending to him for 12 years.” But she said, “God’s been so good. And we built all those motels with the insurance money that he got for the accident.” And she said, “You know, there hasn’t been one night in these years that every single motel room has not been filled.” She said, “There’s other motels around our town. And very often they’re not more than half full. But not one night has there been when ours have not every one been filled.” She said, “That’s the only thing I can do to say thank you to God.” And she said, “It came to me. We realized what they had done to help us hold our faith.” But she said, “Not once has my husband’s faith wavered.

“Even though Duke University Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Mayo’s have all told him he will never be any better. He’s kept saying, ‘Well, the great Physician is going to make me well.’” And she said, “Really, his faith has never wavered. All you’ve got to do is go in and pray.” So she said, “You see, that’s my son’s offering. I help others with your booking.” And she said, “You just don’t know what the people that come here and tell us, what these have meant to them. The letters that we get back, telling of miracles that have happened in their lives, because we gave them a little booklet. Why,” she said, “it’s been the thing that kept us up. I have to give them away. For that’s what draws God’s blessing to me.” Well, I said, “That’s wonderful. I just wanted to know why.” Well, she kicked me in to see him. And, of course, she wanted me to dash right into a prayer. But I sat down to talk to her a moment and I said, “What church you remember of?”

“Oh,” he said, “I joined the Methodist Church when I was a little boy. I hadn’t done much about it.” “Oh,” I said, “why?” I said, “You know, I always liked to go fishing. And I always liked to go gunning and hunting. So every weekend it just seemed that I went either hunting or fishing instead of going to Sunday school and church.” Well, I said, “How about when you grew up? And you better.” He said, “Well, you know, then I had an automobile. And I always could think of some weekend trip. So,” he said, “I guess my name is still on the church roll, but I haven’t done anything about it.” Well, I said, “Suppose the Lord heals you, what you’re going to do?” He said, “Ms. Eggleston, when the Lord heals me, I’m going to be the best church member they’ve got. I’m really going to be a witness. And I’m going to be right in their kitchen every time the doors are open.” Well, you know, I have a plea. He didn’t say, “If the Lord heals me.” He said, “When the Lord heals me.” And I noted that. I said, “Well, that sounds pretty good. Anybody you don’t love?”

He said, “What did you ask me? That’s all.” Well, I said, “That’s one of the conditions of prayer, you know. You know those little booklets. I hear you do. You know that’s one of the conditions of prayer, don’t you?”

He said, “Yes, but how do you love some people?” Well, I said, “I guess the same way Jesus did. Jesus couldn’t possibly have had anything in common with the woman at the well. I can’t imagine Him having much in common with Matthew, the tax gatherer, can you?

“Or Zacchaeus. I can’t imagine Jesus having much with them. But He loved them.” I said, “You know, He didn’t love them for what He could see on the outside. He loved them because He knew within them was a pattern of a son of God that hadn’t been brought into fulfillment. No one had believed in them enough. No one had loved them enough to bring it into fulfillment.” Now I said, “If there’s somebody you don’t love, you’ve got to learn to love them.” Well, he said, “I might as well confess. There’s few men that when I hear their footsteps, everything within me boils.” He said, “They were my greatest enemies before this happened. We were always at daggers’ edges.” And he said, “They come to see me several times a week. All they have ever since I’ve been this way. But I always feel they’re just coming to gloat over me. I feel like they’re just coming to say, ‘Huh, we’re well, and we can do anything we want, and look at you.’” And he said, “When I hear the footsteps, everything in me starts boiling.”

Well, I said, “You don’t think Jesus would do that, do you?” Now I said, “You know, I don’t believe they’re coming for that reason. But suppose they were. Jesus would feel so sorry for anyone that could do that. That He would try to help them find the real thing within them. And He’d start loving them.” Now I said, “If you don’t think you can, are you willing to ask Jesus to love them through you? And to let His love just wash away all that feeling you have, and really change your feelings into love?” He said, “Yes, I’m willing for that. I didn’t know I could.” Well, I said, “You can. Would you like to make that prayer?” Now while he couldn’t move a hand or an arm or even a finger, he could talk. From here up, he seemed all right. And his was not the painless kind. His was the kind that he was always in pain. And as his wife said, she’d never been able to give him enough dope for it to kill the pain entirely. And she said, “He hasn’t slept an hour since this happened without dope. That was the thing I was dreading the most, him getting over the dope.” Well, I said, “Suppose you pray and ask Jesus to love these men through you, and to just let His love so feel you that you’ll learn to love them.”

Now I said, “Don’t you pray it unless you really mean it. Or if you really mean it, He’s going to do it.” Well, that man really made a wonderful prayer. You know, if you’ve been holding something like that a long time, you’re so glad to get rid of it. And he was so glad to get rid of that. He made a wonderful prayer. Well, I quickly ran through the rest of the conditions, and he stood A high on everything else. I said, “All right, now we’re ready to pray. Got any questions you want to ask?” No. All he wanted was a prayer. So I said, “All right, now your wife loves you better than anyone in the world. So we’re going to ask her to put her hands on you too. And I’m going to put one back of that neck where it was broken and the other one over your heart. And we’re going to have a prayer.” Now I said, “You don’t have to do a thing about it except just lie there and relax. And just let God’s love come pouring in.” And so we started praying. And when we finished praying, he was asleep. Found asleep. And so we just kissed out and I said to her, “Now don’t wake him up.

“No matter how long you sleep, if he hasn’t cleaned his teeth or shaved his pajamas, I don’t care what you haven’t done. Don’t do it. You let him sleep.” She said, “Oh, Miss Eggleston, he won’t sleep long. He can’t sleep without dope.” I said, “He can tonight.” She said, “Do you think so?” I said, “Well, wait and see.” She said, “Will you come back in the morning and have breakfast and have another prayer?” I said, “Yes, I’ll come back in the morning.” When I came back the next morning about eight o’clock, he had just wakened. He had slept the whole night through. And he had no pain. Every bit of the pain had come out during the prayer. That’s often the case. Often they lose the pain during the prayer. Well, it was just wonderful, the hallelujahs we had that morning. We didn’t have to ask God anything, for God had already shown us He’d taken over. And so we shifted the prayers from a petition to thanksgiving and praise and gratitude and rejoicing. That’s for breakfast while we had family hour together and we had a lovely time. Then he said, “Will you promise to stop in every time you pass by?” Well, I said I could make that promise and it might be an awful long time before I’d ever have a chance to keep it.

For I never drive if there’s any other way of getting there. I have to get there fast. But there wasn’t any way for me to keep this engagement except driving. “Oh,” he said, “wouldn’t you come back sometime?” Well, I said, “Come to think of it. I’m going to be driving to Florida in November.” That was the next month. I’m driving because I can take my two sisters to Florida. And it won’t cost any more to take the three of us with if I flee. “So, I will be driving. Now, I won’t be going down this way for I have engagements in the western part of the state. But I will be coming back this way. And I’ll stop.” He said, “When will that be?” I said, “About Thanksgiving. I imagine I’ll get here the night before Thanksgiving.” And he said, “And you’ll stay here.” I said, “Yes, I’ll stay here.” He said, “We’ll stay here motel. I don’t care how late you are. We’ll stay here in.” I said, “All right, but call it a day.” Well, I began to get letters from them every few days. Now, this was the second day of October, I believe, when I saw him the first time. And I wasn’t leaving Norfolk until in November. Before we left to go to Florida, that man was up, was able to do a lot of things for himself.

He could feed himself. And if you want to know what sheer joy is, you just feed yourself when you’ve been fed for 12 years. And you haven’t put one mouthful of food in your own mouth for 12 years. And then you can get food up to your mouth no matter how clumsily you do it. Boy, what rejoicing you hear. So I got each few days, I guess, what was happening and how things were loosening up and how much more he could do. Before I went to Florida, it was he that was holding the Bible and reading the Bible lesson and leading the family prayers that he had to do these 12 or more years. Well, then I didn’t hear anymore because I was traveling too fast for them to catch me. But I tried to make it back that Wednesday night. I was coming from Charleston, South Carolina up and if any of you have ever followed Highway 17 from Fort George up, you know there’s about 150 miles that are just straight as an arrow. And I think it’s a six-lane highway. Oh, it’s conducive to travel. And we had the road to ourselves. And I didn’t look at speedometers. I was looking at the scenery and looking at the road. And a siren blew.

And he came up and he said, “Lady, you know how fast you were driving?” And I said, “I certainly do not.” Well, he said, “Fast enough to go all the way back to Fort George and pay a fine.” Well, I had used all the art. Every art the Lord gave me and none of them worked. I had to go back and pay a fine. And I didn’t get there Wednesday night. But we drove in on Thursday morning, Thanksgiving morning, and they were still looking for us. And I’ve never seen a more beautiful Thanksgiving table in all my life. They hadn’t had a chance to use any of their wedding curtains since their wedding. But they had them all out now. Their table was extended, I think, exceeded 14 minutes. It was all the way. They had the lace cloth that made beautiful set of teeth and the silver and the cut glass and the linen. Oh, it was lovely. Oh, it was lovely. But they had invited the lame, the halt, and the blind. All the incurables they knew were their guests that day for Thanksgiving. So we had quite a Thanksgiving day. And it was late Thanksgiving evening when I was able to leave and head for Norfolk. But it was a wonderful time.

For every one of these knew that their case was not as terrible as his. And here he was, a living witness of what God had done for him. He served the turkey. Now, he didn’t carve it. It was carved in the kitchen. But he served it. And he served all the things. He did everything that a host should do. He led in the prayers. And it was his beautiful face and his bubbling heart that caused a number of other miracles. Now, you see, so often we think we’re meeting the conditions. And we wonder why God doesn’t answer. He thought he was meeting the conditions. Or rather, he kind of put a veil over the ones that he wasn’t. Don’t we do that? Don’t we very often just try not to see that one that we aren’t meeting? And even if there’s just one we’re not meeting, God cannot bring the miracles.

Let’s learn to pray. And let’s give every minute to God. Let’s not hold back one thing. For if you hold one thing back from Him, God’s not able to give you His very fullness. And you cannot have miracles without the very fullness of God. God bless you. Shall we pray?

Oh, our Father, we’re so glad that You love us. And that You believe in us. And that You never give us up. And You never will. Lead us on. And oh, Father, this week, make us sons of God. Make us know where we’re failing. Make us know how to take hold of everything You’re offering. And send us back as living, loving witnesses of the power of Your love, wherever we are, every day. And we ask this for Jesus’ sake.