Read an Excerpt

"That You May Marvel"

"While staying in the home of a curate of the local Church of England, [Wigglesworth] and the curate were sitting together talking after supper. No doubt the subject of their conversation was that the poor fellow had no legs. Artificial limbs in those days were unlike the sophisticated limbs of today. "Wigglesworth said to the man quite suddenly (which he often did when ministering in cases like this), 'Go and get a pair of new shoes in the morning.' "The poor fellow thought it was some kind of joke. However, after Wigglesworth and the curate had retired to their respective rooms for the night, God said to the curate, 'Do as My servant hath said.' What a designation for any person -- My servant! God was identifying Himself with Wigglesworth. "There was no more sleep for the man that night. He rose up early, went downtown, and stood waiting for the shoe shop to open. The manager eventually arrived and opened the shop for business. "The curate went in and sat down. Presently an assistant came and said, 'Good morning, sir. Can I help you?' "The man said, 'Yes, would you get me a pair of shoes, please.' "'Yes, sir. Size and color?' "The curate hesitated. The assistant then saw his condition and said, 'Sorry, sir. We can't help you.' " 'It's all right, young man. But I do want a pair of shoes. Size 8, color black.' "The assistant went to get the requested shoes. A few minutes later he returned and handed them to the man. The man put one stump into a shoe, and instantly a foot and leg formed! Then the same thing happened with the other leg! "He walked out of that shop, not only with a new pair of shoes, but also with a new pair of legs! "Wigglesworth was not surprised. He had expected the result. He often made remarks like this: 'As far as God is concerned, there is no difference between forming a limb and healing a broken bone.'"

The Life Standard

What was this awesome power that moved through Smith Wigglesworth? Of course, it was the power of God. Why was it so prolific in his life? The only way we can understand this is to study the "Wigglesworth epistle." To do so, we need to look at both the life he lived and the message he preached. Paul said, 'Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1). He didn't just say "do what I say," but he said "do what I do." In the same way it is important for us to look at what Wigglesworth did, as well as what he said, so we will begin by examining his life. Smith Wigglesworth was a "flame of fire," a man burning with the Spirit of God. He burned with a passion to know God and to commune with Him. He burned with a passion for God's Word, for souls, for Holy Ghost manifestation, for holiness and for Christlikeness. Born in 1859 in a humble shack in the small village of Menston, in Yorkshire, England, Smith was one of four children. Because the family was poor, he started work at the age of six to help support the family. His childhood was filled with long hours of hard work, yet he grew up in an atmosphere of simplicity and happiness. At the age of eight, the young Wigglesworth received a clear knowledge that he was born again through the blood of Jesus Christ. As he stood clapping around a wood stove in an old-time Wesleyan Methodist church with his grandmother and others, he made Jesus Christ the Lord of his young life. As he grew physically, His hunger and passion for God increased correspondingly. This hunger was the primary foundation for the power that was later to manifest so radically in his life and ministry. As you will see in the messages in this book, he desired to instill in others this same hunger that burned so strongly in him, for he understood its great importance. To hunger after God, to never be satisfied with present position, to press on to the fullness of the Spirit-these were the foundations of Wigglesworth's life. At his conversion, his hunger for souls began. The first person that he won to Christ was his own mother. From there he continually tried to bring Christ to all the boys that he knew. He received many rebukes and rebuffs in his early years, but he never lost his burning desire to draw people to his Savior. At the age of thirteen he moved with his family to Bradford, where he again attended a Wesleyan Methodist church. His keenness for God must have been evident for he was one of seven boys chosen to speak at the special missionary meetings they were having at his church. Although he was only asked to talk for fifteen minutes, he lived in earnest prayer for weeks before the event. When the time came for him to speak, he was burning with a mighty zeal and a great desire for souls to be saved. When Wigglesworth was sixteen, the Salvation Army came to Bradford. The Army, under the leadership of General William Booth, was a fresh and powerful evangelistic movement which delighted young Smith, for he found in its people a kindred spirit to his own in their earnestness to lead people to Christ and their great desire for God.