“‘THE LORD HAS been leading me in quiet ways,” Mrs. Robinson recorded in her journal, for August 16. “No marked testings, leadings, or experiences. Every door and avenue of service, except in quiet, unostentatious ways, closed. Just a waiting time while Harry has been earnestly seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Has been staying at East End Mission. Is now in Simcoe.ⁿ
Note: Evidently some door for temporary ministry was opened for Mr. Robinson in Simcoe in view of the entry below under August 27.
“The chief encouragement that I have is my ability to wait and be quiet, to be at peace and leave all to God. The hurry and fret and rush seem taken out of my life. I am entering into His rest.
“Also, I see some answer to prayer. All my life I have found it terribly hard to bear misunderstanding, to have my motives misconstrued. I would explain and explain and think it over and over. He has permitted me to go through a terrible pruning of being constantly and repeatedly misunderstood. He, in fact, by this process, woke me up to how sensitive I was along this line. I have prayed earnestly that I might rise above this thing and be willing to have only God understand. Praise His name, He is certainly answering. Day before yesterday I was tested in a new way. After a time I realized my peace was ‘flowing as a river.’ For hours I was in such a triumphant calm. My very body seemed to enter a tremendous repose that was joyful.
“August 27. I think I should put on record our present experiences. Two weeks ago Harry was in Simcoe. I came down to my last ten cents. Went to East End in morning, trusting. Met Mr. D— there who asked me to go into country to his home. He handed me ninety cents for carfare, etc. I went. Miss D— bought my ticket home.
“On my way home I reminded the Lord my room rent was due, my laundry, etc. Asked Him to provide and have a letter waiting for me with money in it. Sure enough, when I got home, there was a letter from Mrs. F— of Detroit with $9.92 in it. This paid room rent, laundry, and immediate grocery needs, leaving about six dollars.
“A letter came from Harry asking me to go to Simcoe, and so I began to plan. At the same time I was reminded that I had not tithed. Also that I should take a dollar or two up to Brookses. (I afterward learned they were in need at this time.) On my action I now believe hang the subsequent events. Instead of obeying this leading, I figured out that the money I had would just evenly finish up expenses here and take me to Simcoe. As I was paying my own fare, I felt it would take place of tithing.ⁿ O the mean schemer that I was! After all God’s wonderful provision, to be niggardly with Him.
Note: Evidently Mrs. Robinson was going there to minister, and therefore felt justified in such a decision.
“After all, I did not go to Simcoe. Harry came home, and we lived on money for a week. But when it came time to pay room rent, for the first time we could not. Finally, Saturday, we came down to just enough car tickets for Sunday and enough for a loaf of bread. Harry went to Marlatts’ and got fruit and tomatoes we had there. These, with bread and a little butter we had left, supplied our dinner. In evening we took tea with S—’s. Sunday morning, had more of tomatoes and fruit and bread—no butter—and went to East End and spent day there.
“Monday we had just two car tickets and two cents. We finished bread and tomatoes—except little—and took the last slice of bread to East End for lunch. Up to this afternoon I was not restful in mind. Was troubled and burdened. Kept praying and thinking about it. Harry had more faith. I began to see there was no help until I could get over that. Took it to [the] Lord and was very peaceful.
“Then we deliberately launched out and went to East End with our two car tickets, trusting God to get us home. We ate our dry bread and enjoyed it for supper and then were invited upstairs to tea and bread and butter. Meeting was over. We went out of the door together. Neither of us had any money. Apparently no way to get home.ⁿ
Note: A distance of about eight miles.
Some way it didn’t bother either of us. Presently Harry said, ‘I have four two-cent stamps.’
“‘But the conductor won’t take them,’ I answered.
“‘We might change them into money,’ he said. Immediately I thought of our lone two cents, and he went into a store, sold his four stamps, and lo! we came triumphantly home, safe and penniless.
“This morning we had nothing to eat but some fruit (canned) and no money. We got up late so wanted no breakfast. Before dinner we were at prayer together and got into a waiting calm. In the midst of it Aunt Mattie’s voice ascended, ‘I will make a bargain with you. If you will put up my lace curtains, I will get dinner.’ And so it was. We put up the curtains, and we had a full dinner. Aunt Mattie did not know of our need. Just wanted her curtains up.
“We then went upstairs. We wanted to go to East End, but had no money. We went to prayer, and I began to talk in tongues. Said one word over and over as if it were a message, but could not get the interpretation. Sang in tongues. Got lots of interpretation. . . . This lasted for an hour. We just had a feast with the Lord. By that time too late for meeting and no way to go. All desire to go gone.
“But Aunt Mattie had asked Harry to do an errand for her downtown, and he was going to walk. I bethought me of more stamps. I got them—five cents’ worth, to pay fare down. He went on to East End.
“Suppertime came. I had only sauce. Aunt Mattie kept calling me down to get my supper with her, so I went, praying. I had to remark that I was out of bread, and she said not to go and get any, but to use hers. So I had tea, bread and sauce. But [I] did not feel quite satisfied that was God’s way.
“I got a little troubled before supper. Patience hasn’t had her perfect work yet. So here we stand tonight . . . both of us praising the Lord. We are interested now to see how the Lord will work it out. He surely must soon.
“Mr. Manly is speaking at East End on Divine Healing and praying with the sick. We need the teaching indeed, or rather the inspiration, the getting ‘warmed up’ again. Alas, that we should step back from any experience in Christ. To think of the wonderful health I had, and how I slipped back, although, praise God, I am still a miracle of His mercy, for I am well.
“Harry has come out into a much more blessed experience. We have happy times together in Jesus.”
The details of their faith life experiences for the next six weeks are not available, for a number of pages are missing from Mrs. Robinson’s journal. The next complete entry, however, tells in detail some of the lessons learned in connection with their trusting God for their material needs:
“October 7. It is almost a year since Harry and I launched out on faith lines, and God has provided every need. In fact, for nine months, not only every need but luxuries also. Then our testing began, part of which I have written down. We have learned several things God saw we needed to learn.
“One, our pride has been wonderfully cut down. There was a great deal in us which we called zeal for God’s glory that God showed us was a shrinking from being humiliated ourselves. So God let us be humiliated in more ways than one and took care of His own glory.
“Second, we found we had been very selfish with our money. Instead of spending only what was necessary on ourselves and giving the surplus to God and God’s children, we selfishly spent nearly all that came in above our tithes on ourselves.
“Third, we did not know how to be abased, to economize properly.
“Fourth, we did not know how to ‘take no thought’ under test. Our faith seemed very complete as long as the money poured in, but as soon as we were tested, we got into a tremendous time of wrestling in prayer that had a good deal of anxiety in it.
“Fifth, our heart-searching brought us to a realization that there was a little clinging to earthly things, that we were not living quite that moment-by-moment life that we needed to live, and it led us to rid ourselves of everything superfluous in our possessions.
“Sixth, we have been receiving some lessons in patience. ‘Let patience have her perfect work’ is easier said than done. And we became very impatient. Harry could hardly keep from going to work.
“Just now we are absolutely penniless. Were entirely out at end of week. Mr. H— handed us fifty-one cents on Wednesday evening. That was just gone when Mrs. C— sent one dollar for some booklets, Holy Ann, and told Harry to keep change, which was fifty-five cents. This bought us a little butter, a piece of meat for soup, and our car tickets for Sunday.
“Today, Monday, we are almost stripped, and yet have been comfortably satisfied in food. Have milk and bread and potatoes and beans and tea. Ha! Ha! Harry and I at noon began to count what we are out of. We are out of milk tickets, bread tickets, butter, eggs, any kind of fruit or sauce, kerosene, etc. Suddenly we said we had better count our blessings instead of our lack. Then we were quite surprised to see what we have. For we do not need more than supplies for this day. And though our bread tickets are out, we have two loaves of bread. And our milk tickets, yet we have nearly a pint of milk, and the food we had today did not require butter. So there we are.
“Truly we are in a training school. We live one day at a time—one hour—one moment. It is lying-in-camp time. The General has not said when the march will begin or where we will go or what is to be done when we get there.”
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Martha Wing Robinson (1874 - 1936)
Martha held meetings which touched people to return to the work of the service of God. The Robinsons opened a "Faith Home" where people would come for teaching and prayer. Like George Muller they depended on God to provide what was needed for expenses. Thousands came through her home and healings were a regular occurrence. Her husband died in April of 1916, but Martha continued in her ministry. She had a very sharp gift of discernment and regularly told people the secrets of their hearts. She often had directive prophetic words for those under her care. Many young people came to the home for training and went into the mission fields and evangelistic endeavours.Martha Wing Robinson died June 26, 1936. Shortly before she died she stated her life's message "Nothing matters but Christ Jesus." Her whole life was spent in the service of God and for the Glory of His Son Jesus. She had seen many healed, saved, delivered, empowered and sent out. She was truly a mother in Israel. In 1962 Gordon P. Gardiner wrote a book about her life called "Radiant Glory" because that is how she lived her life.