“JONAH! JONAH! JONAH!” This was the word which came involuntarily over her lips one day when Martha Wing Robinson was praying in the woods on Big Island. During these days she had much time to herself. Her native spiritual habitat was prayer, and therefore she utilized her present opportunities to good advantage. Often, as on this day, she retired to the woods for times of meditation and prayer. Today’s manifestation startled and frightened her. What could it mean?
Returning to the house, she noticed a Pentecostal paper, picked it up, and there in the middle of the article she saw the word, “JONAH.” She began to read the article, the gist of which was: If you are a Jonah, go back to Nineveh. God will never let you alone until you go back to your Nineveh.
“Lord, where is my Nineveh?” Mrs. Robinson inquired.
“Toronto.”
Six weeks or so had passed since Mr. Robinson had left her to go to school. Circumstances in Ashland were not altogether as he had anticipated or to his liking. Doubts as to the wisdom of his decision were beginning to enter his mind. Still he would go through with the arrangement.
When the time came for Mrs. Robinson to join her husband, she had to go by way of Toronto. There she arrived towards the end of a week in November. Leaving her trunks in the station, as she expected to resume her journey after the weekend, she went to the Marlatts, their old friends, who welcomed her with wide-open arms. How happy they were that she had come!
Immediately they began to urge her to stay with them for a longer time than just over Sunday. Mr. Marlatt, who was a carter, said, “This is your place. Give me your checks for your trunks.” At length she did—after the Lord had clearly shown her what to do.
On Saturday night there was a cottage meeting in the Marlatt home. Among those who came were Elder Brooks who had misunderstood and opposed Mrs. Robinson before she went to Montreal. (Early that year, Elder Brooks had finally, after about a year of seeking, received his baptism.) Now Elder Brooks especially was happy to find her there.
During the course of the meeting the power of God descended mightily upon the little group. Another minister who had also previously opposed Mrs. Robinson rather strongly broke out in powerful tongues and gave a message to Mrs. Robinson. His wife, for the first and only time in her experience, interpreted the tongues, the gist of which was that the Lord desired Mrs. Robinson to take up again the call He had unmistakably given her and which she had had to lay down all these months.
After the service Elder Brooks, who had been so blessed and impressed during the meeting, insisted that Mrs. Robinson return to their house and stay with them overnight so that he and Mrs. Brooks might have opportunity for further fellowship with her. Needless to say, this was to the surprise and great delight of Mrs. Brooks.
Upon her return to the Marlatts the next day, the Lord began to deal with Mrs. Robinson in an unexpected manner. After her hosts had left to attend a Sunday evening service, she went to her room to wait upon the Lord. Once there, the Lord spoke to her, asking if she would be willing to remain there until He told her to leave. Of course she would. Immediately the Lord began to manifest Himself to His vessel and to restore the gifts and powers which by His sovereign will and for His own purposes He had withdrawn about a year before.
When the Marlatts returned that night, the Lord, speaking through His vessel, asked them if they would be willing for Mrs. Robinson to stay there for awhile. Mr. Marlatt said she could stay for a year if it was desired. Somehow God had given both him and his wife something of an understanding of God’s purposes for their guest at this time.
So Mrs. Robinson remained in Toronto and began a protracted period of tarrying.
Events signally corroborated that Mrs. Robinson had been led aright in staying on in Toronto. In Ohio, Mr. Robinson came to the conviction about this time that he had certainly been out of the will of God in considering attendance at the school there. Completely dissatisfied, he sought a place of ministry elsewhere. He could not return to the Montreal assembly, at least not then, for someone else had been called to take his place. Therefore, he was sent first to Indiana, then to a pioneer field in Missouri which was indeed “hard scrabble circuit.” The privations and tests which he had endured in the first year of his faith life in Toronto were as nothing compared to what he now suffered in Missouri. Then, God had always supplied, even luxuries at times, so that they could testify that they had lacked no good thing. Now, when he was sponsored by an organization, he had need and really lacked.
When nothing worked out right or satisfactorily, it at last became very clear to him that he had leaned to his own understanding in coming to the United States, for the blessing of God was neither upon him personally nor his ministry. He then decided to return to Canada, but had no money for his fare. When at last he was able to get to Toronto, he came as one who had been greatly chastened by God Himself so that he was ready also to return to the fellowship of Pentecost.
Throughout these weeks the Lord wrought many victories in Mrs. Robinson’s own life and through her for others. Outstanding was her deliverance from sickness when she was at the point of death. During this tarrying God had demanded the most exact obedience and abandonment to His will. By following a simple and seemingly reasonable suggestion of her hostess, Mrs. Robinson unintentionally disobeyed the Lord. The result of this slight, almost inadvertent disobedience, was that she became sick unto death. (This was the illness the Lord had told her in Montreal the previous summer that she would have because she had prayed to die.)
The climax came one Sunday night when, according to her own desire, Mrs. Robinson was left alone in the house, the Marlatts having gone to a service at the East End Mission. Inquiring friends had repeatedly asked the Marlatts of Mrs. Robinson’s health. Realizing the seriousness of her condition, they had repeatedly warned them of the probable consequences to themselves if she should die without having had a doctor: imprisonment, under an old English law in effect in Canada. This night they were especially strong in their warnings. In addition to this, a young man told them how he had seen in a vision or dream Mrs. Robinson engaged in a death struggle; that he had seen a demon enter her bedroom window and that she was lying on her bed, apparently dead.
Through all this pressure, the Marlatts had remained firm, fully persuaded that, as she was in God’s hands, she would not die but live and declare the wonderful works of God. After the narrations of this vision, however, they were perturbed and hastened home to see how Mrs. Robinson really was.
At home, they found their guest alive, but that she had indeed engaged in a struggle with death itself. From her they learned that she had seen the demon of death come in by way of her bedroom window and fasten itself upon her. She had felt and heard the death rattle in her throat. Calmly she considered her evident condition and the probable results. “This looks like death,” she said to the Lord.
“It is death,” He answered. Then, as she waited to see what God would do, He said, “Why don’t you tell death to go away?”
Again Mrs. Robinson waited. Suddenly the Spirit of the Lord rose up within her and in a loud voice commanded death to depart. By the Spirit she saw the demon leave her and depart by the way it had come in.
The sight and words of the young man had been confirmed. But more than that, God had honored the Marlatts for their steadfastness to Him and His chosen vessel. It became very evident that she was perfectly delivered, for immediately she began to put on flesh and to gain strength.
It had been God’s express purpose for Martha Wing Robinson to go through her experiences at this time absolutely alone, to be taught of God directly without the benefit of any human teacher or without receiving help from spiritual books. As has been indicated, she had never seen nor heard of anyone else ever having some of the experiences which she had. Walking in untrodden ways, ways so new and so strange, she often wondered and questioned. Truly it was a walk by faith alone.
She had heard of Madame Guyon, but she had never read any of her writings. Now, in the providence and goodness of God, a woman came to the Marlatt home one day and left a book for Mrs. Robinson—the Autobiography of Madame Guyon. When Mrs. Robinson received and opened it—seemingly at random—her eyes fell on a passage which she read with such surprise that she exclaimed, “Why, that woman back in the Seventeenth Century had the very same experience I have had!” In a moment she thought, “I should have said, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that I have had the same experience that she had?’” God had brought her the book at just the right time. It was a great encouragement to her to realize she had been led in paths that were not altogether unknown, a real corroboration of God’s dealings with her. (She was to reread the Autobiography many times, twelve times, she once told a well-known pastor friend. And concerning Madame Guyon’s life and experience, she stated that it was that which had kept the light of the inward life ablaze in the world at a time when it had almost gone out.)
On the twelfth of February (1909), Mrs. Robinson wrote her mother something of what God had been doing in the preceding three months and how He had now opened the door for service:
“My dear Mother:—
“Well, at last I seem to feel at liberty to write you. As you know, the Lord made me His prisoner in love, and not a letter went from my hand for many weeks. Why it was and what about, it will be written as fully as He wills, at a time He wills. Just now I haven’t time and feel no freedom to speak of my personal experience, only as the Spirit is upon me for the purpose.
“You will know how much it meant to refuse to write to the ones who were anxious about me. But the Spirit upon me and in me and God’s peace kept me, for He made me realize all I was doing was for Him and He made no mistakes. What was made a trial of faith and a very veiled, peculiar action on my part has proved to be a blessing. At another time I will explain how.
“God has been with me in a most blessed way and has brought me into a Land of Praise, a land flowing with the milk and honey of His own presence. I am on the borders of it—and the great and walled cities and mighty and terrible enemies are still before me, but I trust it will be still God who fights my battles.
“We are having meetings in the Marlatt home, not big ones, just souls God chooses out and sends to us. As we have no one to hinder, we just let ourselves be led of the Spirit. At a moment’s notice, we are shown to begin meetings. Certainly He works in them. Such beautiful, holy, restful meetings!
“Harry was brought back here. It was God’s will. He has been here three weeks. He is well and blessed spiritually.
“One night Jesus gave a message about His waiting. ‘I wait, I long, I am at your heart, when you have been at prayer you felt My presence, you felt the touch. A moment of response brought Me to your heart. But you wait a moment. I am waiting many, many years, for My own. When the veil of flesh between is broken through, then you will know how I waited.’
Further on in the letter, Mrs. Robinson quotes another message which the Lord gave in which, in speaking of her, the Lord said, “My child is to learn to walk by faith.” She goes on to indicate that the Lord does not tell her what to do in advance but waits “until it is necessary that I may learn to rest passive in Him. I am trusting to learn perfectly the lesson taught me to know one moment at a time, to rest in His will, to bother about no one, but commit all to His responsibility. Oh, how sweet to obey and be at peace. ——But the crucifixion of time flesh—the will—the mind—ambition, desire, all these things go, as we go on into abandonment to His holy will.
“May God bless you and make you a vessel all His own. He says, ‘A vessel is nothing. It has no feelings, no desires, no will, no plans. It is wholly in the hands of the One Who owns it.’ Praise His Name. Glory!
“Much, much love, and praying you will be blessed,
Martha.”
Be the first to react on this!
Martha Wing Robinson (1874 - 1936)
Martha held meetings which touched people to return to the work of the service of God. The Robinsons opened a "Faith Home" where people would come for teaching and prayer. Like George Muller they depended on God to provide what was needed for expenses. Thousands came through her home and healings were a regular occurrence. Her husband died in April of 1916, but Martha continued in her ministry. She had a very sharp gift of discernment and regularly told people the secrets of their hearts. She often had directive prophetic words for those under her care. Many young people came to the home for training and went into the mission fields and evangelistic endeavours.Martha Wing Robinson died June 26, 1936. Shortly before she died she stated her life's message "Nothing matters but Christ Jesus." Her whole life was spent in the service of God and for the Glory of His Son Jesus. She had seen many healed, saved, delivered, empowered and sent out. She was truly a mother in Israel. In 1962 Gordon P. Gardiner wrote a book about her life called "Radiant Glory" because that is how she lived her life.