Branham Stories
A Better Lady and a Mother – Opossum
Many of you have heard the story of the opossum. Leo and Gene, which are my tape boys, they're here. By the way, I guess they're in a tape...?... up here. They have the tapes of the meetings from everywhere. They come along and take them, and let the people have them, just a little shade over what they have to pay for it. So that the people who have tape recorders can get them of the messages everywhere, prayer lines.
And they come up to my house one morning; they call themselves my students. And they come to my house one morning last summer, and they was about ten o'clock in the morning. And I had the evening paper, and was showing to them a lovely looking colored girl, who had done a horrible thing in the city. She had give birth to a illegitimate child; and not wanting to keep the child, she had smothered it in some blankets, and wrapped some wire around it, and had a cab driver to take her out over the Ohio River, and drop it in the river. The cab driver reported it, and the coast guard picked it up and arrested the girl.
And while we were setting there on the porch, talking on this hot June morning. Mr. Wood, a friend of mine, who live next door and his wife's a veterinary. Day he had been over raking in the yard with an old yard rake... And I looked coming down the road, and here come a opossum, going around the road like this. And I live the third house from the road from some woods, and I'm the only one that's got a fence around the parsonage; others are open. And that old opossum come right straight down to my gate, turned in
.Well, studying wildlife, a opossum travels at nighttime; they're blind in the day. And so I said, "Look, coming there at that opossum, how it's rolling and tumbling. It's probably got rabies. It's been bitten by a fox or something, and has picked up rabies. I'd better stop it 'fore it gets to the house."
And just then the milkman came up. I went out and took the old yard rake and threw it over the opossum. And I said, "And it's usually when you touch them, they'll do what they call, playing opossum; they'll kinda lay over." But instead of that, she kept biting to get away.
Well, I happened to notice then, and Leo and Gene came out, the boys here. And I noticed that the old opossum's leg on the left side was swollen about three times the size, and it was broke and hanging back. And I hope I do not turn your stomach, but it was rotten; the flies had blowed it; maggots was all in it; and was hanging sideways. And I said, "Oh, it's hurt. The dogs has broke its legs, or either a car has hit it." And I said, "It's dying." I said, "It's probably in its last struggle."
And some of the neighbors come over to look. And Mrs. Wood is one, she come up; and while I was holding the opossum down, I happened to notice that... A opossum and a kangaroo is the only animals that have a pocket to pack their young in. And they have a pocket, it's skin; it goes over the young. And they pack them, and they let it down.
So when the old mother opossum had been under this rake, she'd let her pocket down; and nine little bitty baby opossums, about that long, was running around under the rake.
And I said, "Here you are boys," to Leo and Gene. I said, "This opossum is far more a lady and a mother, than that woman was that drowned her baby. It's got better morals than that woman has." I said, "That woman didn't want her baby, and this old opossum hasn't got maybe thirty minutes longer to live. But she'll give that thirty minutes or forfeit her life to fight for those babies. That's a real mother."
And how these women today can have abortionate cases, and practice birth control, and everything else; and I don't understand it. Take little babies, and throw them in garbage cans, and put them on...?... drown them in rivers, and throw them in fires. It's below a animal. An animal wouldn't do that.
And while we were talking, the old opossum still trying to get those young ones up. And when the little ones caught up again, she kept biting at the rake. I said, "Watch, I'm going to turn her loose. She won't go but a little piece; she's dying. That's what's a running her, death like that, a running her." And then when I let up the rake, she took off towards the house dragging this foot. And she went right up to my steps by the side of the little evergreen bush, and there collapsed, and went out.
I went up to her; I shook her, and she didn't move. I said, "I guess she's died." And I happened to look, and all those little baby opossums were trying to nurse. And I said, "What a pity." I took the rake down and punched the old opossum; I seen that little grin like on that goes back on the opossum. I said, "No, she's living."
And Mrs. Wood said, "Brother Branham, now, there's only one thing to do," she's a doctor, veterinary. She said, "Kill the old mother. The little ones has a round mouth; they can't be raised. And then just pick up the little ones, and kill them quickly, so they won't suffer."
I said, "I just can't do it."
And she said, "Do you mean to tell me, that you're going to let that mother lay there and die, in that...?... and them poor little opossums nurse around for about forty-eight hours and die in that condition with...? You mean you're going to do that, Brother Branham?"
I said, "Sister Wood, you're perhaps right. But I just can't do it. She's done displayed to me something that's far beyond what a lot of people has. She's a real mother." I said, "I can't kill that mother."
She said, "Well, go in a get your gun, and shoot her then, and shoot the little ones." Said, "You're a hunter."
I said, "I am a hunter, but I'm not a killer." I said, "I can't kill that mother."
And she said, "You're going to let her lay there in that hot sun." We got some water and poured over her: look like she was gone.
Well, I wouldn't let them kill her. Gene and Leo left. The old opossum laid there all day in that hot sun, and them old green flies got all over her.
It come night, and Mr. Wood said, "Now, Billy, you've been working hard all day here, praying for the sick; I'm going to take you on a little ride. So he took his wife and my wife and I, and we went on a little ride. And coming down a country road, I seen a little pup, somebody had dropped out on the road. And I got out and picked that little pup up. And he was so mangy and lice all over him, till my hands was covered with lice. And I fixed him a little place to put him in my car.
And my wife said; she said, "Billy, you're not going to take that little old mangy dog."
I said, "Sure. He's got a right to live." And we went home, prayed for him. He got all right, washed him up, and he's a fine big collie dog now. He's got a right to live. I loved him.
When we got in at eleven o'clock, there laid the old opossum. Brother Wood, who hunts with me, said, "Now, Billy, you know good and well, if that opossum was going to move, when that sun went down, she'd have moved."
I said, "That's right."
Well, said, "Do you want me to kill her?"
I said, "No, I don't."
All night long I couldn't get that opossum off my mind. The next morning early, I went out, and as I started out little Rebekah, who I believe is going to maybe take my place someday. She seen her first vision just recently. And she's very tender-hearted, little thing
.When I went out on the porch about seven o'clock (the sun was rising) to see if there's anybody out there... And there was not. And first thing you know by my side was little Rebekah. She said, "Daddy, what about the old opossum. I just dreamed of her all night."
Well, I went down there, and there laid the old opossum, dew all over it, and the little ones still trying to nurse. "Aw," I said, "She's probably dead, honey."
She said, "Daddy, what you going to do with them little babies, you going to kill them?"
I said, "No, honey, I'm not." I said, "You hurry in the house; it's too early for you to get up." I said, "You go on." She had on pajamas. Said, "You go in the house, honey."
And I went back into the side door of the den room, and I set down there, and begin to rub my face like this. I said, "Well, today," I said, "I guess I'll have to take..." No wonder that old opossum laying there. I heard something say this. Now, you may think I'm mentally disturbed. But I heard Something speaking to me. I said, "What about that old opossum?"
And the voice said, "You used her for a text yesterday, telling what a wonderful mother she was."
I said, "That's true."
Said, "And you taught from her what a real mother..."
"Yes."
Said, "I sent her up to your door, and she's waited for twenty-four hours for her turn to be prayed for, and you haven't said one thing."
And I said, "Well, I didn't..." I said, "Who am I talking to?" Oh, I said, "Am I beside myself? What's happened? Who was that I was talking to?" I thought, "It must have been God." I thought, "Would God care for that animal? I'd knowed He sent people. But I remember that He even said a little sparrow can't fall to the ground without your heavenly Father knowing it. I know He spoke through a mule to a man once, and many things in the Bible."
I went out to the old opossum, where she was laying. And I said, "Heavenly Father, You forgive me. If the... I was so took up with things of the day, so I never understood. And if You sent that dumb animal, who did not have any soul, but was guided by instinct to come to my door to be prayed for, so she could live and raise her babies, forgive me, Lord. And I pray that in Jesus' Name that You'll help her."
Brother, sister, when I meet you at the judgment, this will be ringing out. Little Becky was standing there looking down. That old mother opossum raised up, picked up her nine little babies, stuck that tail right up in the air, walked right down that driveway, just as free as it could be. When she got to the end of the road, she turned around. And Becky had her arms around me, and me and my arms around Becky, crying. And she turned around as if to say, "Thank you, sir." And right down to the woods she went; and as far as I know, she's happy with her babies over there in that woods today.
When Divine love is projected, and it comes to the end of its course, sovereign grace will stand in and take its place. Brother, sister, if God... That opossum knowed more about Divine healing, than half the preachers of Phoenix knows. That's right.
She had gumption enough to follow the leading of the Spirit. And if God could send a opossum by a Divine grace and love to protect her babies, how much more will He think of you and me tonight, if we'll give Him our whole heart of love, our surrendered will, everything to Him? He will project to us; His sovereign grace will have to take place and heal, if you'll give Him that love"
