Messages by Agnes Sanford

Agnes Sanford was born on November 4, 1897, in China to Presbyterian missionary parents. Growing up, she was familiar with God but struggled to experience a personal relationship with Him. Much of her childhood was spent roaming the countryside, with her primary companions being the children of other missionaries and local staff. To Agnes, God seemed distant and demanding, and she was troubled by the labor of missionaries that often seemed to yield little in return.

At nearly 15, Agnes returned to the United States and lived with extended family in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she completed her education. During one medical procedure, she briefly died on the operating table, and this experience deepened her understanding of the difference between the physical and spiritual realms. Despite living with her pastor uncle and missionary aunt, Agnes felt there had to be more to salvation than the common teachings of being good and doing right. She longed for a deeper, more transformative relationship with God.

When Agnes witnessed a family friend suffering from epilepsy, she felt called to pray for his healing and committed to doing so for seven years. Although she didn’t know it at the time, the man was eventually healed, a fact she wouldn’t learn about until much later.

At 21, after finishing college, Agnes returned to China to assist her family with their mission work, though she wasn’t fully invested. She eventually moved on to teaching positions, becoming increasingly aware of her sensitivity to people’s emotional well-being. Agnes noticed a missionary wife struggling with deep depression that went unnoticed by others, and this tragedy culminated in the woman’s suicide. Once again, Agnes felt a deep longing for God’s healing power to break through in people’s lives.

While teaching, Agnes met Ted (Sandy) Sanford, an Episcopalian missionary. They fell in love quickly and married when Agnes was 26 and Ted was 33. A year later, they welcomed their first son. However, soon after, Agnes fell into a deep depression. The Sanfords returned to the United States in 1925, initially for a one-year furlough, but they never returned to China. Ted took a church position in Moorestown, New Jersey, and with the growing demands of family life, Agnes found herself losing her sense of identity. This emotional struggle led to a deep depression, so severe that her doctor feared she would not survive the year.

A turning point came when an Episcopalian priest, Hollis Colwell, visited their home and prayed for one of their children, who was immediately healed. Agnes, still struggling, asked Colwell to pray for her. When he laid hands on her, she experienced immediate improvement. Colwell also encouraged Agnes to meet her emotional needs through writing and to explore the healing power of God’s word, particularly regarding healing for body, soul, and spirit. He suggested she begin praying for the sick herself, which she did, and soon began to witness healings from her own prayers.

Agnes went on to write her first book, The Healing Light, which explored emotional, physical, and national healing. She became a forerunner in what would later be known as inner or emotional healing, intercession for the Jewish people, and intercession for nations. Agnes was also instrumental in restoring original Christian practices such as confession and confirmation. Ted joined her in the healing ministry, and they prayed for people in the traditional Anglican manner, becoming Missioneers in the work of healing, following the example of James Moore Hickson.

In the 1930s, Agnes became involved with a small prayer group in Philadelphia called “The Chapel of Truth,” led by a woman who had been healed through prayer after being rejected by her Baptist church. Through this group, Agnes learned about praying for healing from a distance and deepened her understanding of intercession. During World War II, Agnes visited veteran’s hospitals and saw miraculous healings of wounded soldiers.

As her healing ministry expanded across the United States, Agnes became known for her work in denominational settings and workshops, including being a prominent speaker at The Camps Farthest Out. She and Ted opened the School of Pastoral Care, where pastors could receive personal prayer ministry and training on how to care for others. Agnes also began to speak more openly about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Initially resistant to this Pentecostal gift, she agreed to be prayed for by friends who had received it, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Though she kept this experience private due to her denomination’s stance, it deepened her prayer life and strengthened her ministry.

The School of Pastoral Care grew and reached people across the U.S. and internationally. However, Ted’s health declined after a heart attack, and despite living for three more years, he passed away quietly in his chair after having a vision of stepping into heaven. Agnes, although grieving, continued her ministry, traveling to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, Scotland, and Holland. Unfortunately, the physical and emotional toll of her work took a toll on her health, leading to illness. She was forced to rest, recover, and return to writing.

In 1965, Agnes felt called to move to Monrovia, California, where she prayed for the region’s spiritual well-being, believing that prayer could prevent potential destruction in Southern California. Agnes continued this mission until her death on February 21, 1982. While she never spoke to large crowds, her writings and teachings made a significant impact, particularly in the areas of healing and intercessory prayer.

Agnes Sanford was a prolific writer, authoring numerous books, including The Healing Light, Healing Gifts of the Spirit, Lost Shepherd, The Healing Power of the Bible, Sealed Orders, Creation Waits, Dreams Are For Tomorrow, Behold Your God, Oh Watchman, Let’s Believe, Route 1, Twice Seven Words, The Healing Touch of God, A Pasture for Peterkin, Melissa and the Little Red Book, and The Second Mrs. Wu.