The Sickly Preacher Who Just Kept Going
Let me introduce you to another powerful figure in the story of divine healing—A.B. Simpson. You might know him as the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, but there’s a deeply personal story behind his ministry. And it all started with pain. A lot of it.
Before he became a bold voice in the healing movement, Simpson spent more than 20 years battling chronic illness. From the age of fourteen, he pushed himself—intellectually, spiritually, and physically—until he broke. Nervous prostration, heart problems, and exhaustion plagued his early years in ministry. He even carried a bottle of ammonia in his pocket at all times, just in case he collapsed.
At one point, a physician warned him that he only had a few months left to live. Simpson was exhausted—not just physically but emotionally and spiritually too.
But one day, in the midst of this weakness, something shifted.
No Man Can Work Like Him
While visiting Saratoga Springs, Simpson wandered into an open-air service led by a group of Jubilee Singers.
They began singing, over and over again: “No man can work like Him.”
The words pierced his soul. It wasn’t just a song—it was a call. In that moment, Simpson took Jesus not just as his Savior, but as his Healer.
He didn’t understand it all yet, but something inside him said, “Yes.”
That moment of inward knowing—a deep revelation—marked the beginning of a radical transformation.
A Silent Pledge in the Woods
At Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Simpson walked into a quiet forest and made three pledges to God.
He accepted divine healing as biblical, took Jesus as his healer for life, and promised to share this truth with others.
It wasn’t fireworks and emotion. It was simple, deep, and unshakeable.
The Test: When It Hits Home
Not long after that commitment, Simpson’s young daughter became dangerously ill with diphtheria. His wife, who didn’t share his beliefs on divine healing at the time, insisted on calling a doctor. Simpson faced a moment that many of us do: Will I act on what I believe… even when it costs me?
With trembling hands, he anointed his daughter and prayed. By morning, she was healed.
His wife looked at him—stunned. And from that moment on, Simpson was never again asked to call a doctor into his home. Healing had come, and it was undeniable.
Healing That Multiplied
What followed was nothing short of a movement. A.B. Simpson began ministering healing to others—not as a spectacle, but through simple faith in God’s Word. He started with quiet Friday meetings where believers shared testimonies and learned to trust Christ as their healer.
A.B. Simpson didn’t have it all figured out at once. He struggled. He doubted. But through testing, personal healing, and the bold act of believing God for his daughter, he became a father of faith healing in North America.
He wasn’t out to prove something. He was just a man who got tired of being sick—and finally found a Savior who still heals.
References:
- Simpson, A.B. The Gospel of Healing (Public Domain).
- Christian and Missionary Alliance Archives: Biography and Ministry of A.B. Simpson.
