Branham Stories
The Rambling Man and the Tornado
Some time ago a young colored boy rushed into the meeting when the altar call was being made. He come from the outside. And he come up, and he said, "I want to become a Christian tonight." "Why, certainly, we're always glad to see that." And said, "The reason I want to become a Christian, I've been a rambler." And said, "I was out rambling around once, and--up in the north woods," and said, "I got without money." And said, "I hired myself to a lumber camp where there was an aged colored woman that done the cooking, and I was going to assist her and--and then to wash dishes and so forth for her, to get enough money to go on." Said, "We slept in a little back room with a large piece of canvas to separate her part from my part." And said, "One night with my head under the cover, I was awakened by voices that was speaking loud by my window. And I pulled my head out from under the cover," and he said, "I heard one man say, 'Jim, let's hurry back to the cabin as quick as we can, because we may be swept completely into eternity in the next few moments, for that tornado is headed right this way.'"
Said, "Then I could not but wonder when I jumped to the window and looked and seen that long funnel shaped cloud, and just one constant blast of thunder and lightening. And see when the lightning, the trees rooting up, and that great long serpent tail was coming right towards our cabin." Said, "I heard the canvas rake, and the aged old woman said, 'Son, come over on my side; I've got a lantern lit here.'" And said, "I went over, and she said, 'Are you a Christian?'" Said, "I said, 'No, I'm not a Christian.'"
Said, "Did you ever pray?" Said, "No, I've never prayed." Said, "Well, you better be praying, for these twisters lay everything flat on the ground."
Said, "Reverend, I got down by the side of that old woman on that little box where the lantern set. But I was too scared to pray." He said, "I couldn't get my thinking right." And he said, "Every time I'd start to pray, a tree would root up and slam against the cabin; the windows would go out." He said, "I was too scared to pray." He said, "And now, the only thing I could do was sit and watch that calm old saint with not a bit more worry of nothing in the world, constantly speaking to Somebody that she was acquainted with." And I said, "Lord, I'm too scared to pray. But if--if You'll just let me live, I will pray after this."
You see, it takes trouble sometimes to make us realize, to turn our hopes to God, turn ourselves over to Him. I believe it was Job who thought on his ways, and he wanted to make them sure, not only on his ways, but his children's ways. And he come God's only way that God ever did make for man, the burnt offering and under the blood. Many of you are sure that... You have read the story of Job. And he said, "My children's been out having parties. And peradventure they have sinned; I'll make an offering for them." He wanted to be sure while he was normally and right.
You know I think if mothers and fathers tonight in this fair land of ours, if they spent more time on their knees praying, bringing their children to God through prayer, instead of out in these parties drinking and running around, we'd have less juvenile delinquency.
The Rambling man and the Tornado
ONCOMING STORM 60-0229
I was in a meeting not long ago. I'm looking at a--a colored brother setting here, I suppose, him and his wife. And I've been watching him since I been preaching, nodding his head, and re--rejoicing in the meeting and just brought me to a--a thought.
There was a boy come into the meeting one time, and as soon as the service was over, he--he ran to me, and he said, "Parson." He was a southerner. And he said, "Parson, I's wants to find the Lord Jesus tonight." I was having a healing service.
And I said, "Certainly, my brother, I am more than happy to lead you to Him." He said, after he had gave his heart to the Lord; he said, "I wonder... I guess you are wondering why I run up out here like this." Said, "I heard you were in the city, and I just come up to see what--to see you." He said, "I'll tell you my story." He said, "I more or less been a wanderer." Said, "My old mother was a real Christian. My sisters was Christian. I had one Christian brother." Said, "I was the baby of the family, and a spoiled child to begin with, 'cause they babied me, was so good to me." But said, "I would not take heed to my mother or my godly relation. I wanted to be a wanderer. I wanted to live a man's life." He said, "I thought that being a Christian was more like for the women or the weak." He said, "And I become a cook, and I was very good at my trade." And said, "Something, another, I wanted to go to the north. And one day I staggered in on a pulp camp, where they were cutting pulp wood. And I was broke. And I said to the foreman, 'Could you use a cook?'" He told his recommendations, that he had in his pocket, from different great places where he had been a chef.
And he said, "Well, we have one now." He said, "But, however, until you're able to get around, we can give you a little bit of money on the side. We got an elderly colored woman in there now, which is a good chef. But go in, talk with her, maybe she could use you. And if she could, we can give you a little spending money till you get on your feet." He said that was as good as he wanted. And said he went in there, and he met the old woman, and said he helped her around for two or three days.
And one night, said he was laying there, and he said he kept noticing the flashes across the side of the wall. And after while he wondered, "Is that... Is somebody outside?" And said, after while he heard a--a deep roar, and it was a thunder. And said, outside he heard some voices talking, and they said, "You know, we better get back to the horses, and take care of them, because we may not be here very long." Said he took the cover off his head, and listened up to the wall. And the lightning flashed, and he saw his boss and the teamster. And he understood by their talk, that there was coming a storm across the mountains, which we call up in the north lands "a northerner," comes quickly, without warning. You don't have time to do nothing. The mountains are so high; they just break right over at once.
And that flashing had been lightning. And he said, "You know, we may not be here after while." Said, "That sounds like a terrible twister coming." And then he said, "I begin to think, 'Well, I hope it doesn't strike here,' said, 'because I know I'm not ready to go.'" And sometimes you wait too long, you know. So then he said, "Just in a few moments, the wind begin to blow, and the trees begin to rock." And said he listened. The canvas was between he and where the--the old lady slept, and said, "She was beating on that canvas. She said, 'Son? Oh, son?'" He said, "Yes?" She said, "Would you come over to my side? I have a lantern lit." And said, "I went over to her, because I was scared to death." And said, "She had a lantern setting on an old soap box. And she said, 'I'd like to ask you something.'" Said, "Yes, ma'am." Said, "Is you ready to meet the Lord?" He said, "Then I really got scared." Said, "No, ma'am, I'm not." "Why," she said, "honey, I want you to tell me something. You'd better make ready now, 'cause you may have to meet Him, unprepared in the next few minutes." Said, she said, "Will you kneel with me here?"
Said, "We knelt down by the side of that old soap box." He said, "Parson, I'm going to tell you the truth; I was too scared to pray." He said, "The trees was slamming against that building, and the lightning a-flashing, the thunders a-shaking. I was too scared to pray." Said, "I started to say, 'Lord, be merciful,' and bang would go the lightning. I'd said, 'Where was I at? Lord, be merciful,' bang would go the lightning." He said, "But I learned a lesson." He said, "That old sainted woman set just as cool and happy as she could be." Said, "She talked to Him like she'd knowed Him since she was a baby, like He was her father or her mother." Said, "She was no more disturbed than nothing." Said, "I was scared to death." Said, "Finally I got these words out, and I said, 'Lord, if You'd just let me live, and I'll find a place where it's more quieter, I'll come to You." He got another chance, but you might not. When the judgments of God begin to pour out, there's no more chance. You've got your chance now. This is your chance.
The storm was on him. He said, "Parson, is it possible for a man like me to be tucked away in that safety, that when death begins to come upon me, that I can enter up to talk to Him like that old saint did?" I said, "Son, the Blood of Jesus Christ that made her that way can make you that way right now." I was standing by my automobile. He was a well-dressed boy, cultured, educated. He fell on his knees in the muddy yard and there he found that hiding Place, that Refuge in a time of storm, that Rock in a weary land. You don't have to be weary as long as you're in the Rock. The Rock is one place that's not weary. The Rock is a satisfying place. You can just set back and look out, just as safe as you can be.
There is a hour coming, and now is (and the sealing is about over), that where every man and woman on the face of the earth is going to be in that place of Refuge, like it was in the days of Noah, or on the outside of It. You have to make your decision. That safety is Jesus Christ. That... He is the only Place, the only One Who has Eternal Life. No man can come to the Father, but by Him. He is the Ark of our safety. The Holy Spirit bears record with us now, that we've passed from death unto Life. And when we look at the grave, and know that each one of us is going there...
We see the newspapers and the oncoming storm. When you go home tonight, do me one favor, don't go to bed till you read Revelations the 8th chapter. You see the oncoming plagues and storms, that shall hit the earth, and thunders and lightnings are going to shake the heavens. Woes are going to pass over the nation. Men will rot in their flesh. Diseases will strike them the doctors knows nothing about. But remember, before that took place there was a sealing went forth. And the death angels and the plagues was commissioned by God, "Don't come near any of those who has the Seal in their forehead." And the Seal of God is the baptism of the Holy Spirit; Ephesians 4:30 says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day of your redemption." No matter how hard the ark rocked, no matter how many times the lightning struck close to it, "Ten thousand shall fall on your right, and thousands to your left, and it shall come not nigh thee." The Holy Spirit...
