A prominent minister in Canada relates the following remarkable instance of God’s miraculous care over His people:
“I am frequently impressed by the Spirit to perform actions at the time unaccountable to myself. These impressions are so vivid that I dare not disobey them.”
Some time ago, on a stormy night, I was suddenly impressed to go to the distant house of an aged couple, and there to pray. So imperative was the call, that I harnessed the horse and drove to the spot, fastened the horse to the shed, and entered the house unperceived, by a door which had been left open. There, kneeling down, I poured out my petitions to God, in an audible voice, for the divine protection over the inmates; after which I departed and returned home.
Months after, I was visiting one of the principal prisons in Canada, and moving amongst the prisoners, was accosted by one of them, who claimed to know me. I had no recollection of the convict, and was fairly startled when the latter said: “Do you remember going to such a house one night, and offering prayer for the inmates?” I told him I did, and asked how he came to know anything about it.
He said: “I had gone to that house to steal a sum of money, known to be in the possession of the old man. When you drove into the yard, I thought you were he, and intended to kill you while you were hitching your horses. I saw when you spoke to the horse that you were a stranger. I followed you into the house and heard your prayer.”
“You prayed God to protect the old people from violence of any kind, and especially from murder; and if there was any hand uplifted to strike them, that it ought to be paralyzed.” Then the prisoner pointed to his right arm, which hung lifeless by his side, saying: “Do you see that arm? It was paralyzed on the spot, and I have never moved it since. Of course, I left the place without doing any harm, but am here now, for other offenses.”
-- Reported by Lily Blake Blakeney Howe
Touching Incidents and Remarkable Answers to Prayer - 1893