Packing a Powerful Punch!

Smith Wigglesworth was known for his unusual ways of praying for people to be healed, which included hitting, slapping, punching, and once even kicking a dead baby! In each case, people were healed –– yes, even the baby! His ministry in the early twentieth century spanned around the world.

Dr. Sumrall tells about the time he met Wigglesworth while speaking at the same event in England during the early 1940s. World War II was raging and the daily news was filled with reports about the war, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Germany, Japan, Fascism, and all the rest… Well, the two men, separated by decades in age, arranged a lunch together at Wigglesworth’s home while Sumrall was in town. When Sumrall arrived to the house, he tells about how he knocked on the door and waited while holding an umbrella under one arm and the morning newspaper under the other. When Wigglesworth answered the door, he asked, “What you got under your arm?” Sumrall, of course, told him that he had an umbrella and a newspaper. Wigglesworth replied, “You can’t bring that paper into my house! It’s full of lies!”

(You can watch Dr. Sumrall tell the full story here.)

When I first heard this story several years ago, it struck me because of Wiggleworth’s great impact for the Lord coupled with such a glaring opposition to even a simple morning newspaper! But I think we can learn from the example of Brother Wigglesworth that when calamity comes into the world, the kingdom of God does not click the “pause” button. We can become so gripped by our present concerns that we forget that the God we serve is still in charge. And not only is He bigger than the crisis, whether a world war or a worldwide pandemic, but He sees such a bigger picture that His work continues in spite of the crisis!

Even if we are not quite as adamant as Wigglesworth, I think we can all learn from this that God is not concerned about whether we keep up with what is happening in the news; I imagine that He couldn’t care less about what the pundits are saying on FOX or CNN or MSNBC. Nor does He want us to wring our hands and walk out shaking our heads.

Rather, I believe He probably wants you to turn off the news and plug into His power! Open your Bible and listen to Him for a little while. That’s how you can get filled with his power! We Pentecostals love to pray for revival, but we are so good at missing it when it comes! We believe in two things that ultimately contradict themselves in the way we apply those beliefs: the Rapture and Spiritual Revival. Whenever things are comfortable, we pray for revival so we can get out of our rut. And whenever we have to suffer or go through a crisis, we pray extra hard for the rapture so we can get out of here! What if we started praying for revival during the crisis instead?! Don’t miss this chance, this time, this moment, this opportunity. Turn off the news, get into God’s Word, and let His power move and work in You so that He can move and work powerfully through you.