Star’s Burden

And now, away in Dohnavur, on Star, still unaware of all this, was laid a great burden of prayer. Mimosa and her little sons were never far from her mind. She longed to write to her and propose that she should come to see us. Over and over again she had all but written, and then “it was as if my hand were pulled back,” she said in speaking of it afterwards, and she laid her left hand on her right hand and held it, drawing it back, “like this; it was like this, I could not write, and I thought of Uzzah and the ark, and felt I must not touch this matter, which was not mine, but belonged to God.”

Then she began to pray that to the boys themselves the desire to come might be given (for the desires of little sons have a certain weight with their parents quite out of proportion to their importance). This prayer lay on her for three months, and then came four days’ fever. She was shut up to prayer.

It was a strange experience. She earnestly wanted to be well, for there was no one to do what she had to leave undone. But it was as if one work only were given to her to do. She was

129 9 to live with God for Mimosa. Gradually a great peace grew up in her heart, and, though the thought of her sister and her sister’s children was with her all the time, the sense of burden was gone.

On the fifth day it was ‘‘as if the Lord Jesus came into the room.’’ There was not the usual convalescence. She was at once quite well. He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose and ministered.

Letters from her old home take a week to reach Dohnavur. Within a week from that fifth day when healing was granted, a letter came from Mimosa, the first Star had ever received from her. It had been written at different times during the four days of her fever.

What takes place in the spiritual realm when such things happen? How little we know of that which moves in and out of our ways, and hems us in on every side.

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