Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep,
And if I die before I wake,
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take.
Jesus, Saviour, Son of God,
Wash me in Thy precious blood;
I, Thy little lamb would be;
Help me now to look to Thee,
For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
MATTIE RATTLED these words off so hurriedly as she said her evening prayers night after night that all she could think of was a locomotive rushing by!
After Mother Wing had seen that her girls were ready for bed, she would bid them goodnight and start downstairs. Halfway down, she invariably stopped and quietly called back, “Don’t forget to say your prayers!” Obediently Mattie knelt with her sisters and thoughtlessly repeated the prayers she had learned from them.
One night, however, she was arrested by the wonder of the words she was saying. Slowly, thoughtfully, she repeated them:
“Jesus — Saviour — Son of God,
Wash — me — in — Thy — precious — blood;
I — Thy — little — lamb — would be;
Help — me — now — to look — to Thee.”
For the first time she prayed this prayer, applying each word and phrase to herself. From that night on she talked to God and really thought about what she was saying. The fact is that this was the first experience of personal communion with God in one whose life was to be given to prayer and intercession.
Not long after this, Mattie added a prayer of her own to the ones she had learned: “Please, God, help me to be good, kind, useful, careful, happy, and gay.” After a time she dropped the “gay,” for somehow she did not feel that it was quite proper to ask God to make her gay.
Soon she added still another request to her evening prayers, this one born out of fear and a felt need. Already at the age of seven, Mattie was reading so much that her eyes had become seriously affected. Mrs. Wing called the doctor who, after examining the little girl’s eyes, said: “Nothing can be done for her, and in all probability she will become blind.” This statement, intended only for her mother’s ears, Mattie overheard. Frightened, that night she prayed earnestly: “And please, Lord, don’t let me go blind.”
About this same time she heard a story about a man being buried alive — “the kind of story which should never be told children,” she commented in narrating this incident. Fearful lest a similar fate might sometime befall her, Mattie pled: “And please, Lord, don’t let me be buried alive.”
These petitions Mattie faithfully prayed every night until she was about twelve years old — an illustration of persistence in prayer which was to become a marked characteristic of the mature woman.
If Mattie was having the beginnings of personal fellowship with God, she was at the same time having the beginnings of other hopes and aspirations which would bring her into sharp conflict with Him.
From the age of seven Mattie gave evidence of unusual literary talent. One day, when she was only eight and the family was going on an outing for the entire day, Mattie decided to stay at home. After her mother, Nettie, and Ada had left, she carefully locked the doors of their little house and drew all the shades so that, undisturbed, she might spend the day writing! Her efforts of that day and of the days and months afterwards, she carefully concealed, even hiding some of her productions under the floorboards of her bedroom. Both shy and modest, she was under no delusion as to the quality of her work and consequently wanted no one to see any of it or to know of her purpose. Secretly she pursued her interests, especially the writing of poetry, and slowly but surely there was growing in her the ambition to be a Writer.
Throughout these years Mattie rapidly advanced in school from one grade to another, so that when she was only eleven she had finished the eighth grade work and was ready for high school. As the town had no high school and as Mrs. Wing could not afford to send her to one of the nearby towns which dud, — Mattie continued to attend the local grade school, gathering what additional information she could from the teachers and from her omniverous reading.
Read she must; it was almost a passion with her. After she had read everything else available, she read the Bible through, not only once but several times, mostly because she had to read something. Unconsciously, however, the good seed was being sown in her heart, and doubtless this had much to do with her next experience.
When Mattie was twelve years of age, revival services were held at the Methodist Church by the Foote brothers, rather well-known and successful evangelists of that day, laboring primarily in eastern Iowa. J. W. Foote was the main speaker while his brother, J. G., was the song leader.ⁿ “Sand Spring was quite stirred up the week they were here,” recalls an old inhabitant who attended the services. “The church [seating about two hundred] was crowded to the limit. Many accepted Christ at that time.”
Note: Today these men are known among evangelical believers the world over for their song. “When I See the Blood,” always printed with the unusual legend, in whole or part: “By Foote Bros. Not copyrighted. Let no one do so. May this song ever be free to be published for the glory of God”
Among those deeply stirred was Mattie. Having accepted Christ as her Saviour, she believed that the next thing for her to do was to join the church. To her this was a very serious decision involving a sacred obligation to God and the church.
In taking this step she realized to the fullest extent what she was doing: she was agreeing to submit herself to “the discipline of the Methodist Church,” promising to evidence her “desire of salvation. . . by avoiding evil of every kind, especially . . . the taking of such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord.” Specifically she knew that this meant dancing, playing cards, attending the theater, and participating in any other worldly amusement.
With deliberation she made her vows. To Mattie any promise, but especially one made to God, was a serious matter and absolutely binding. As far as she was concerned she had made her decision for time and eternity, come what might.
Not long after this, Mattie attended a party of young friends during which it was suggested that they dance. All agreed — all except Mattie. Without hesitation she refused. Her friends begged her to join them. After all, she was a popular member of the group, and they wanted her to participate. But Mattie was adamant. Then they wanted to know why.
“When I joined the church, I promised not to dance,” was her simple but firm reply.
Now the begging turned to teasing and ridicule, but Mattie held her ground. After awhile, Mattie’s cousin, one of the older boys present, inspired by her courage, stepped to her side and said, “If Mattie doesn’t want to dance, she doesn’t have to, and I won’t either.” That settled the whole matter, and thus God honored the steadfast purpose of His child.
It was when Mattie was thirteen that the Lord first made the hymn, “Mv Jesus, I Love Thee,” a blessing to her. It was her testimony then, as a beginning Christian, and “it grew richer in meaning all the time” ever afterwards, she testified towards the close of her life, “its beauty” being found only “if you dwell on it.”
Really sincere in her Christian service, outwardly “observing church rules,” Mattie enjoyed a measure of satisfaction for her soul, but, as she wrote a friend some years later, “From my first entrance upon the Christian life I felt there was something higher and better than I had ever myself experienced or seen in the professing Christians about me.”
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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.