BE BOLD ABOUT PRAYER

In the early days of the Assemblies of God movement, there was a preacher by the name of I. J. Jamison. He was formerly a Presbyterian minister. In his testimony he told that he was lecturing in a western city as a Presbyterian, and there was a forest fire raging in the area. About ten in the morning, he was down at the barber shop getting a shave when a fellow came in with a telegram, asking the people in a nearby tent meeting to pray for rain. The men in the barber shop all began talking about the tent meeting where there were people who believed in this kind of thing. But they were afraid to take the telegram over to the tent. So Mr. Jamison agreed to take it and he handed it to the minister. He said that the minister quieted everyone and read the request, whereupon everyone began praying.

Afterward, they thanked God that there would be rain. The minister gave Jamison the telegram and told him to send one back saying that there would be rain by ten that night. It shocked him.
Jamison went back to the barber shop and told the men what had happened. They all laughed about it and read the weather report which said that there would not be any rain for at least four or five days.

Jamison went on to his lecture, and then went home to bed. His wife had washed some clothes and had left them out on the line, so he teased her about bringing them in because it was going to rain. They laughed about it and then about 9:30 they fell off to sleep. Directly, they were awakened by thunder and lightning. It was raining!

This really made Jamison wonder. After his own lectures were over, he began attending the tent meeting. He would sit down at the back and take notes on everything. He could not understand why he had not seen all these things before. He said he knew that there was a woman in the church whose daughter was insane. He had heard that this woman and some of the people were going to meet at the asylum to try to cast a devil out of her daughter. The mother was taking a dozen women with her. Jamison asked if he could go along. He met them at the asylum, and the attendant said they could not go in because the girl was violent and might kill them. They were stopped before a padded cell, where there was a young woman inside who looked like an animal. She hissed and spit; her eyes were ablaze. All this time the attendant was telling them that they could not go inside the cell because if they did, he would lose his job. Nevertheless, he unlocked the door. The mother went in, and the dozen women fell on their knees and started praying. Jamison and the attendant stood back and watched.

The daughter stepped back and climbed halfway up the padded wall. She made a leap at her mother like an animal, and the mother sidestepped her. The girl fell and then started to get up. The mother held her down and said, "Come out of her, devil, in the Name of Jesus." Jamison stood there and watched spellbound. For ten minutes the mother said this over and over again. Suddenly, the daughter relaxed and asked her if it was she. She threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged and kissed her. I. J. Jamison witnessed it and said that he wanted the Holy Ghost. He said that he was a candidate for that kind of praying. That mother believed, and she received what she wanted. (Kenneth E. Hagin)

Hmmm..