“WOULD YOU be willing to be a failure for Me?” was the question which the Lord asked Martha Wing Robinson shortly after she and her husband had returned from the Brookses’ home to live again at her Aunt Mattie’s in December, 1907. Utterly consecrated and abandoned to God, she readily acquiesced in whatever He might will for her, although she could not fully understand what might be involved in her acceptance of such a call.
Evidently it was about this same time that the Lord showed her two paths for her life and told her she might choose either one, just as she desired, for either one would be His will and that in either choice she made she would enjoy His blessing. She could choose to be a successful evangelist, used to bless the multitudes, with the fame and acclaim which generally attends such a ministry, or she could choose to be a vessel hidden and comparatively unknown, with misunderstanding and great suffering as her main portion.
To the natural person, the first path, of course, would be the appealing one. On the basis of her experience as a young minister in the past nine years, she had reason to believe that she could indeed be successful. But Mrs. Robinson had passed out of the natural into the spiritual so that her own will “had, as it were, disappeared, or, rather, passed into another will.” Therefore, Mrs. Robinson said to the Lord, “Jesus, I wouldn’t know which to choose. You choose for me.
And He chose the hidden path, the path of suffering.
About this same time the Lord began to teach Mrs. Robinson just how it was that people got into error and fanaticism in the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This was with a view to her being able to help those thus troubled. Subsequently, the Lord did use her especially in this way, to the eternal gratitude of those delivered.
Now the Lord placed before her the supreme test of her whole life, a test which was absolutely necessary and fundamental to her entire experience. One day, as she was combing her hair, the Lord spoke to her, saying, “I am going to remove all these miraculous gifts and powers which you have enjoyed.” Immediately she acquiesced, saying that He should please Himself in this matter.
Then He told her further that when this withdrawal of His power and gifts did occur, she would conclude that it was because she had displeased Him in some way or other, but He hastened to assure her that that would not be the reason. (He did not, however, tell her what would be the reason for His working in this manner.) Mrs. Robinson told the Lord she would remember His word to her. “No,” the Lord declared emphatically. She would not remember this word but would forget it. Then she suggested to the Lord that she would write this promise down on a piece of paper and place it in her mirror where she could not help but be reminded of it. This the Lord would not permit her to do.
For a time thereafter, she continued to be supernaturally moved by God, miraculously led and used just as she had been since the Lord had come to her a few weeks before. There seemed no change, and she forthwith forgot the word of prophecy the Lord had spoken to her.
Gradually, however, little by little, the power of God was withdrawn from her. She did not understand what was happening. She knew she loved Jesus as greatly as ever and was conscious of His great presence within her heart, but the fact that God was not working in and through her as He had was confusing to her, to say the least. Finally, she wondered wherein she had displeased the Lord to cause such a withdrawal of His power.
Her beloved Aunt Mattie in whose house she and Mr. Robinson were now living became stumbled by the change. Those who had thought so highly of her and had been blessed by her ministry lost confidence in her. Soon all had forsaken her so that she was left friendless, save for the loyal support of the Marlatts and Mrs. Brooks. (This loyalty Mrs. Robinson was ever to remember with the deepest gratitude.)
Rumors flew around Toronto with lightning rapidity as to the cause for the change in Mrs. Robinson. Some were confirmed in their belief that her experience was not of God. Others felt that her mind must have been affected by her intense praying. Far and wide, false reports were spread, which became increasingly distorted as they were repeated or written to others in distant places who knew and had highly respected Mrs. Robinson and her ministry in former days. Well it was that she had consecrated her good reputation, for now it was completely gone.
At last one morning, as she was washing the breakfast dishes, one of the leading ministers of the city appeared at her door. He had come, so he indicated, to set her straight. Confidently he asserted that he had known all along that she was wrong and asked her to acknowledge that fact and to repudiate her experience.
With perfect inner and outer calm she listened to his humiliating and bitter indictment. Frankly she admitted that she was puzzled over some things which had happened to her recently; she could not explain them. At the same time, she knew God had been with her greatly and, as was perfectly evident, had used her for His glory. Humbly but firmly, she maintained that she could not—would not dare to—say that her experience was of the devil.
Turning to Mr. Robinson, the minister said, “I told you she would be like that. There is nothing I can do for her,” and quit the apartment. (Alas, this minister subsequently had to leave the ministry, died in disgrace, virtually unknown and unmourned.)
All this humiliation and judgment Mrs. Robinson bore in silence with becoming humility and grace. However, with virtually everybody, even the most spiritual people she knew, judging her as they did, she began to wonder if perhaps, after all, they were right.
At this point Mr. Robinson, who as yet did not have his baptism, became completely discouraged and disgusted with Pentecost. Consequently, he decided that he and his wife were to sever all their connections with the movement.
Furthermore, he forbade his wife to have any manifestations of the Spirit. She must not even speak in tongues.
Instantly and implicitly Mrs. Robinson obeyed her husband. At this time Mr. Robinson received word that his father in Montreal was ill—just as the Lord had told Mrs. Robinson,—and his mother requested that he come and help care for him. This turn of events seemed most opportune to Mr. Robinson. He would go to Montreal, and as soon as it was convenient for his wife to come, she was to follow him.
There they would be away from their Pentecostal friends and influences. This was an ideal way to get out of all their troubles. Forthwith, Mr. Robinson left for Montreal, and Mrs. Robinson began to plan accordingly to join him.
Truly this was “the dark night of the soul” for Martha Wing Robinson. Forsaken of friends! Seemingly forsaken of God! Forbidden the spiritual fellowship and blessings she had enjoyed! Bewildered and discouraged! In spite of it all, however, not for one moment would she give up loving and worshipping Jesus. No matter how little she understood her circumstances never would she give up her inner fellowship and communion with the Son of God.
To see just what she would do in such a condition, so the Lord later explained to her, was the reason He had permitted her to go through this dark valley. He wanted to see if she would mourn over the loss of her spiritual power and gifts and, perhaps, blame God; to see if she was in love with the gifts of God more than the Giver; to see if she loved Jesus just for Himself and would be satisfied with just Himself, even if everything else was seemingly swept away including the blessings and experiences He Himself had bestowed upon her.
For now, however, she was left to walk in darkness, without one ray of light, and in simple, naked faith to stay upon her God.
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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.