Barnabas Ministries UK

Rev. E. Anderson

The story is taken from a book compiled by the late Rev. Gerald Chamberlain, a great children’s story teller and a person who inspired and influenced many young people. With kind permission from his son. Paul.

JERRY

‘Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the. Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” James 5: 14, 15

It was nearly thirty years ago” that Jerry came home from his very first camp. He was not well.  Hot and feverish, he had struggled for a few days, the last days of Camp to, hide his sickness and as he

tumbled into his nice soft bed, he thought it felt like heaven.

Sleep was sweet and he coiled into the usual untidy bundle that was usually Jerry when he was in bed.   As the clock showed about 3 a.m. he awoke and felt very ill indeed.  As he attempted to sit up in bed HE DISCOVERED HE WAS PARALYZED IN EXACTLY THE SAME POSITIQN HE HAD BEEN SLEEPING.  Not wishing to alarm his widowed mother and fatherless sisters he swallowed hard and tried to be brave, but the pain was acute from the chest upwards through the guides of ‘the neck and through to the ears.

When morning came, after a seeming eternity of waiting, the household stirred and Jerry attempted again to get into an upright position; BUT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE.   Mother and sister came in to the room and knew that something serious had happened.

After a great struggle he was able to sit up, but his body was distorted by the disease into a grotesque shape. His head was set at an awful angle, and his chest like a young hunchback.

After half an hour they had succeeded in dressing the young teen-ager but it was impossible to stand and the pain was excruciating.

Many forms of treatment were experimented with, but the chest, neck and head remained locked. Eventually it was decided that Hospital treatment with some form of manipulative operation would be tried. 

At this time Jerry, had considered asking his Pastor to come and pray for him. Young Pastor McGilivary duly arrived on November 11th on his way to a Remembrance service. Just a short prayer was offered. The laying on of hands and that night the miracle happened. By morning Jerry was healed of his paralysis and by Saturday he was playing football. Not in 30 years has Jerry felt a twinge of the old pain and those who know him, know his shoulders are as straight as a Grenadier Guard’s.